Wednesday 30th October

We have had thunderstorms and very heavy rain on and off all day, so I haven't been water walking as the pool is closed in thunderstorms.

It looks like it might get better though for the next couple of days.

It starts off tomorrow at 65, drops to 58 at noon - when it is usually warming up - then up again to 66 at the end of the day.

 

I've been busy making little chocolate cupcakes today for the Wednesday meal.   And I took some snack size candy bars.   There are a lot more people now come for the meal, someone else brought four bags of grapes as well, and they all went.

 

I frosted them, then dipped them in milk and plain chopped up chocolate.

 

 

After supper everyone was going to carve, or paint, pumpkins.    They are very into Halloween here, everyone has been saying "Happy Halloween" for days.   After tomorrow all the Christmas things will come into the stores.

 

 

I didn't stay to paint, or carve, pumpkins.   Took this picture though of them all waiting to be done.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 29th

Out and about fairly early this morning, dropping the flowers off at the hospital.   Since my shoulder problems I am finding everything heavy to hold, even the church hymnal, and the vase of flowers for the chapel.  Fortunately there is a golf buggy riding round the hospital car park, picking up those who can't walk far, or have heavy loads, like vases.

I decided afterwards to treat myself at IHOP - the International House of Pancakes - and had some blueberry pancakes.

I found a book in the dollar store the other day and have been avidly reading it today.  About a young Cuban lad who - with1400 other Cuban children - was airlifted out of Cuba in 1962 when he was 12, under a plan which for a time was kept secret from the Cuban government as well as the American public.   It amazed me that even Fr Clark - who thinks that Castro is the cats meow, and is very well up in anything to do with Cuba - didn't even know anything about it.

Some of the parents who sent their children away were underground fighters seeking to topple  Castro's government, which took power in January 1959. Others feared that Castro, who had closed all Catholic schools and confiscated church property, planned to indoctrinate children in special schools. And other parents simply thought that having children living in the United States would guarantee them a quick visa later.

Known as Operation Pedro Pan,  it is the largest child rescue ever recorded in the Western hemisphere. The family separations were meant to last only a few months--whenever the parents obtained visas to travel to the United States or Castro was ousted - as many Cubans at the time expected. But the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 abruptly ended flights to and from the island, leaving the children stranded on the other side of the Straits of Florida.

The author settled very happily with foster parents and he loved the US.   His brother was also in a good home three miles away.   The foster parents expected that they would just have the children for a few months, but then came the Cuban Missile Crisis and all flights to and from Cuba ceased.   Even today people are only just being allowed to visit on special visas.

The author and his brother were removed immediately from the foster parents and sent to a very, very rough orphanage run by a Cuban.    And that is where I am at in the book.

Monday 28th October

We haven't had the thunderstorm I was expecting, I don't know if it has passed over.  I've seen the waves crashing over the Marina at Brighton.

I was just running round town this morning and I went water walking.  Pattisue rang and suggested lunch at the Bricktown Brewery.  There is a big fund raising drive going on in the town in aid of the new municipal pool, which it is hoped will open next summer, and if one presented a voucher at this restaurant today - and she had two - they would donate 7% of the cost of the meal for the pool.

There is a film she is anxious to see, it has been released but is not showing in Shawnee.  Perhaps it won't, I said I would see it with her but I am not that keen.   It is about a man - an African American - who was a slave for fifteen years.   I don't get it.   Before the Civil War African Americans were slaves for a lot longer than fifteen years.   As it is not showing I can't look up a review, and I've forgotten the title.  Pattisue has read the book.

Just spent the rest of the day watching tv and crocheting.

Sunday 27th

Nice today, bright and sunny, it was 74 as I drove through town.   Went to the 10.30 at Emmanuel.   I might go this evening to Larry's inter denominational  church.

The dog next door is still barking, and I managed to speak to the owner.  They have recently just moved in, and she said they are looking for a home for it, she said she realises it's not good to be tied up all day long like it is, but as the garden isn't fenced in, it has to be.  I said in that case I will hold off filing a citation which is what I was going to do next week (I don't know when I got so savvy)    They could take it to the Animal Welfare centre but I would prefer them to find a good home for it, so I'm prepared now to put up with the barking for a while.   It is taken in at night which I appreciate.

I haven't seen, or heard, Donna or her dogs for days.  I wondered if she looked at the police cars and animal welfare vehicles, and decided to remove her dogs from the cross hairs.

I had a call from a church member offering me her late mother's clothes because I am 'petite' (yeah, really, the perceptions here of fat and petite are totally different from ours, it is all relative).   I thanked her very graciously, I didn't want her to feel embarrassed at having asked me, but I suggested she take them to the consignment shop which will sell them, take a commission, and give the proceeds to the Emmanuel Youth Group.   She said some of the clothes are new, and still in their bags, so the Youth Group should benefit from them.

Mark fitted two very large closets in the house, and according to the Law which says our clothes expand to fit the space available to hang them, I couldn't take any more anyway.

Before leaving the subject of fat and petite - someone on television said recently that perceptions have changed as people have got bigger.  Fat is now viewed as 'chubby', and clinically obese (like taking up an entire row of airline seats) is fat.

I visited my friends Faye and Carolyn who are sharing a room in their nursing home.  Faye also had a visit from the family dog.  It belongs to her son and daughter in law but it spends the days with her while they are at work. 

Her daughter in law walked the dog to the nursing home, but thought it was too much for it to walk back, so she left it to go and get her car.  If I'd realised what she was doing I would have offered to drive her home for her car.   So the dog is watching for her coming back.  She doesn't normally when she is with Faye during the day, but this is all strange.   It was lovely seeing a dog loved and cherished, surrounded as I am by abused dogs.    I am sure Donna next door loves her dogs in her own way, but she screams and yells at them, which is totally unnecessary.

I was going to ask someone, if I had a chance, to take a photo of me with both Faye and Carolyn.  Perhaps tomorrow.  Faye is going home on Wednesday, and Carolyn on the 1st November.

Only in this gun crazy country would it be necessary to put a notice like  this on the door of a nursing home.  I was trying to think of something suitably sarcastic to say, but words fail me.

I heard on the Weather Channel about the St Jude storm, so as soon as I wake I will turn it on to see what the latest news is about it.

Here there is some bad weather expected.

Thursday 24th October

Continuing on from Wednesday evening.   A group from Emmanuel have been studying a book written by an American Muslim, Eboo Patel who, together with President Obama, is very keen on interfaith relations, and who founded and runs the Interfaith Youth Core (that is how it is spelt, but I am sure it ought to be 'Corps') a movement active on college campuses.    I read the book but wasn't part of the discussion group.  Anyway, last night Eboo Patel was speaking at the Oklahoma City University and eight loyal followers from Emmanuel (or rather, seven loyal followers and me) piled into the church bus for a meal at an Indian buffet restaurant in the City, followed by his address.    It was a pleasant evening, I enjoyed the meal and fellowship but I didn't go to listen to a lecture on interfaith relations, I went along because I never pass up a chance of a trip out of Shawnee.   And there aren't any Indian restaurants in Shawnee, so that was a rare treat for me.

The dog next door has got a better shelter, its owner has been busy today putting solid sides and roof on it.   I still feel unbearably sad though, no dog should be tied up 24/7, I want it to be loved and living in a warm home.   Like Tarka.   And Bubbles.  

Back to today......I was out early picking up the donuts from Tecumseh.   The Kiwanis speaker was Kate, the Director of the Senior Centre, talking about the programmes and activities at the Centre.  When she was asked she spoke a bit about herself.  Her father was American and in the military, her mother was Canadian, from the same small town in the far north of Canada where my aunt settled.  When I asked Kate's mother where she came from they didn't think I could possibly have ever heard of it, and were very taken aback when I said I knew it,  I'd been there.

Kate.

I didn't go to Communion and out to lunch, I wish I had, but I went instead to the service at the hospital chapel.   I wondered if the other chaplains had been told yet about the appointment of the new head chaplain on November 4th.

Later in the afternoon I went to visit my friend Faye, who is in a nursing home, recovering from hip replacement surgery.  I might have mentioned this, but she is also sharing a room with a member from Emmanuel.

Last couple of days

I have started water walking in the daytime now, it is dark by 7.30 now so I can't watch the sunset as I walk round in the evening; and during the day I don't have to worry about the children's attractions splashing me.   I have to put up with the sight though of massive, and I mean MASSIVE, people in swimming costumes, which grosses me out.   I kid you not, four of them were in the hot tub with me yesterday, and each one would have taken up an entire row of seats on an aircraft.

You have never seen fat people until you have been to this country.

First of all though this morning, I felt I just HAD it with the barking dogs.  I called Animal Control and a very nice guy came out, I took him out to the back garden so he could see them properly.   It is not just their barking which upsets me, but even more so are the conditions in which they are living.  He said they were not emaciated - the first thing he looks for - and they had food and water.  Unfortunately their quality of life can't be an issue. The dog next door - on the other side of me from Donna - had a shelter which didn't meet the code standards, because instead of solid sides it just had slats.    Donna has, I think, noticed me prowling about, and is keeping her dogs out of my face.

 The 'shelter' is just on the left of the picture there, and he will get a citation for that.

He said he wouldn't speak to the owner straight away because he didn't want him to know I had called him out - although I told him not to worry, I wasn't going to be intimidated.  He said he would be back either later in the day, or tomorrow, and would do a violations check.  Ask for rabies certificates etc.   He would also do a violations check on the pitbulls behind me.   I told him it was illegal to own one in Britain, and he said they are dangerous dogs here too.

I asked him why on earth people here have dogs which they just keep tied up, 24/7.  They never go anywhere, do anything.  He said it was an American macho thing.

He left me his card, even wrote his private cell phone number on it, and told me to call if I needed him.

Last night I went again to the cinema.  When Rosalyn read in my blog yesterday that someone on Fox News said no patriotic American should go and see the 'Fifth Estate' she decided she wanted to see it, and they kindly invited me.  I was right about it being a box office flop, we were the only three people in the cinema.  I have a problem anyway following anything even slightly convoluted, and I was totally lost in this, and was nodding off.  Bruce couldn't follow it either, and also fell  asleep.  Rosalyn watched it with rapt attention, and enjoyed it.

I will publish this so I can go to bed, and will talk tomorrow about tonight's outing.

Monday 21 October

I woke about 3am and was gently moving and easing my shoulder around in the bed, when suddenly the pain was gone, and I could move; the shoulder popped back into place.   Praise the Lord.  I was so relieved not to need a doctor or chiropractor.   I went back to sleep until about 8 o'clock then rang Phyllis with the good news.  

I will add carrying heavy loads to my list of cautions, like walking very carefully to avoid a broken hip, my worst nightmare. 

About noon I went out to the Art Gallery on the St Gregory's campus.   My friend Nancy, who helped me with the power point a while back at Kiwanis, was giving a presentation herself on the Spectrum Temperament Model, which is founded on the premise that behaviour can be classified into four distinct temperaments, and everyone is born with one "natural" temperament which provides us with gifts, talents, skills and preferences which directly affect our attitudes, behaviours and perceptions.  We do however have the capacity to learn and develop the remaining three temperaments, enhancing our quality of life.

It was very interesting indeed and Nancy presented it well.   She worked as an FAA flight instructor, and in the last few years she has been a professional facilitator, and a certified trainer for Spectrum Temperament Development.

Lunch was provided but we were asked to bring a salad dish.  I knocked one up from basic store cupboard ingredients of sweet corn, onion, egg and mayonnaise, which I learned years and years ago when my lads were in Prep school, and have been making it ever since.

Later in the afternoon I went to the movies with Pattisue and we saw "Captain Phillips", which was very, very exciting, action packed from beginning to end.   It was about the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.

There are three cinema complexes in Shawnee, one shows 8 films, another 6, and one downtown which has two films showing;  but in spite of 16  films showing at any one time, I can sometimes go a while not fancying any of them, but at the moment there are three in one cinema.   One which I would also like to see  is 'The Fifth Estate' which has been a major box office flop.  You have probably heard of Julian Assange, the Australian computer hacker, currently holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.     I don't normally go and see box office flops but was intrigued when someone on Fox News said very loudly and forcefully that no patriotic American should see it.  Since I am not a patriotic American I reckon that lets me off the hook. 

Update

Phyllis has just been out and felt both shoulders, she is almost certain it is dislocated.  I am going to make an appointment in the morning for her chiropractor to put it back.   Am going to try and get an appointment in the afternoon when she can take me, I can't drive like this, otherwise I'll get a taxi.

Needless to say am not doing anything.  Movies, and anything else that might have been on my agenda have dropped off.

Will be in touch when I am better, or have any news.

Sunday

I hope i'm wrong, but think I've dislocated my left shoulder.   felt something pull when I was carrying heavy shopping bag yesterday, then felt sudden intense pain as I turned over in bed and tried to get up this morning, and it is now difficult - and very painful - to move about.

will go and see my doctor in the morning.   will let you know.

Friday 18th October

After all my nocturnal shenanigans  yesterday I didn't wake very early this morning, but when I did I set off for my bank to sort out the filling station debacle.  The customer service agents were all quite busy so I settled into an armchair with some hot chocolate and popcorn (will Lloyds Bank ever become a home from home, I wondered)    When we looked at my account we found the filling station had got on to it earlier this morning, so the charges had already dropped off my account,  leaving just the $15.20  for the fuel I had.

So I went off to a decent filling station.  The reason I didn't fill up the car yesterday was because I suddenly noticed that the price was $3.27 a gallon, which is ridiculous, everywhere else it is about $3.11- $3.19.   I fill up, and pick up a hot dog, so my breakfast and lunch were taken care of while I was running round town.   There are those who might argue that hot chocolate, popcorn and hot dogs are not the healthiest, most nutritional choices, but these were an exception - I do do healthy and nutritious as well, and most of the time.

In the news I was hoping that we could move on from the Government shutdown, yawn, yawn, but the television news continues to re-hash it.    What Obama really wants is a single payer health care system, like we have, and it is now being said that with all the recent chaos and uncertainty launching their Affordable Care Act, eventually it will be agreed that the only way forward is to adopt a single payer system.   Which won't come soon, maybe not even in Obama's Presidency, but will happen nevertheless.

There's a dramatic murder trial just beginning, maybe they can move on to that and give us a break from government shutdowns.  A guy persuades his wife to have plastic surgery then allegedly murders her and puts her in the bath tub, so he can marry his mistress.  I can't see why she had to have plastic surgery first though.  This is in a state where they can have film crews in the courtroom, so I'm hoping the trial will be extensively covered and I'll find out.

Thursday 17th October

Out early picking up the donuts for Kiwanis.   Instead of a speaker we had the editor of the local Shawnee newspaper playing his guitar, with his daughter on the violin.   It was lovely, but too short, as he had to rush off to a meeting.

After Communion at Emmanuel five of us went to lunch at a sandwich shop on Main Street, and hung out chatting for quite a while, and it was very nice.    Afterwards I went home and had a nap.   Since I woke up though I have been out of sorts with numerous irritations.  From here on I am whingeing, so this is the point to stop reading if you don't want to know.

When I went water resistance walking at 7.30 the pool was full of children splashing about in the walkway, or lazy river.   I wouldn't have minded so much walking around the children but there were jets of water spraying over it as well.   I debated waiting until 8 o'clock, when I could insist on the water jets and fountains being turned off,  but that would only have given me half an hour to walk, so I came home instead.   It is probably better to go in the mornings, just leave my evening walk to Fridays when it is quiet.

In the morning I put some fuel in the car from the local filling station - my purchase came to $15.22, and looking at my online bank account this evening I saw $59.78 had been debited for the fuel AND a pre authorisation fee of $75.00.  Spitting feathers, I jumped in the car clutching my receipt for $15.22.   I tried to be civil.  I kept reminding myself it was not the fault of the unfortunate person behind the counter this evening, but I got testy when she told me to go to the main headquarters on the other side of town in the morning, and sort it out.   I told her I was going to my bank first thing in the morning to put a stop on these payments, and it was down to her to sort it out with the management.

While I have been doing this my concentration has been interrupted by the barking pit bulls in the garden behind me.  I haven't heard lately from the dogs opposite, but I spoke too soon when I thought they had all been silenced, and as I am in the rear of my house the garden behind me is actually not as far away as it sounds.  I rang the police and they had a problem hearing me over the barking, but the officer eventually managed to get the information he wanted.  I was asked if they were dangerous..........I told him I come from a country where they are so dangerous it is illegal to own them, but I couldn't say if these were dangerous.

So I've not had a good day, but I know there are lots and lots of people having a far worse day than this, who would love this to be the worst day of their life.   Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Wednesday 16th

I haven't got a great deal to say about the last couple of days.   I have been helping Kate at the Senior Centre get a raffle together.  Someone made a lovely patchwork quilt to raffle quite a while ago, but by yesterday they had only sold about $100 of tickets, and Kate said she would rather pay $150 to buy the quilt herself than let it go for that.   So I thought it was time to give the raffle a new lease of life, and hopefully a few additional prizes will do that.

When I was at the hospital last week they were having a silent auction, and one of the items was a collection of nice books I would have loved, in a basket, with a coffee mug, coffee, or packets of hot chocolate, and I thought it was a very good idea for a prize.

I've got some books in good condition (pre C-Nook) and CD's, and spare coffee mugs, and baskets, so I have been recycling them.  I made up a couple of baskets with books etc., and another one with CDs and a bone china tea cup, saucer and plate, and English Teatime teabags.   Kate is now enthused and is going to post notices on Facebook, and generally extend the publicity, so hopefully the raffle is on for the end of the month and will be a success.  Someone at the Senior Centre, more arty than myself, will make the baskets look pretty.   I'll take some pictures if I get a chance.

Other than that I have just been catching up around the house.   I had lunch yesterday with my friend Sandra, and I took the dessert to-go.  It was supposed to be bread pudding but consisted of slices of a small cinnamon loaf with a little pot of creamy (allegedly Bourbon) sauce.  I don't know why I didn't say anything at the restaurant because it was far too dry to eat, and I have practically made a career out of making it edible.   I made an egg custard, threw in some golden raisins, and it was soaking all night, and most of the day.   I baked it this evening, and it did taste good - though I say so myself - I photographed it because Sandra asked me to let her know what I thought of it, so I e-mailed her the picture.

The weather has been chilly, but tomorrow looks like a lovely summer's day (an English summer that is, in the 70s) not searing heat in triple digits.  I am hopeful that the Oklahoma summer is now over.

Columbus Day

This is a holiday weekend, one of those holidays when the banks are closed, the stores are having sales,but I never quite know who else is working.  I went off to the Technical College to demand a refund because I didn't get to do my crocheting on Saturday, and they were working and processed my refund.   The class was held in a building on the other side of the campus from the main building, which is where I expected it to be.  I certainly expected to be told when I got there where it was. 

Columbus Day, remembering when Columbus discovered America on 12th October 1492, has been observed as a federal holiday since 1937, although not in Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and South Dakota.
Hawaii celebrates Discoverers' Day, which commemorates the Polynesian discoverers of Hawaii on the same date, the second Monday of October.   South Dakota celebrates the day as an official state holiday known as "Native American Day".  Oregon does not recognize Columbus Day, neither as a holiday nor a commemoration; schools and public offices remain open. Iowa and Nevada do not celebrate Columbus Day as an official holiday; however, the governor is "authorized and requested" by statute to proclaim the day each year.   In Nevada, this probably has less to do with any objection to the celebration of the day than the fact that it is relatively close to Nevada Day, and schools and banks can only be closed for so many days.

I woke this morning to the sound of a heavy downpour, which in Oklahoma passes as a lovely day.  Blue skies and sunshine just don't cut it with them.  I have a theory that they are excited at the sight of rain because they don't know if they might get any more.

It looks a bit damp for the next couple of days until Thursday.

Do any of you know/remember the tv programme which was first aired in 1964 showing 14 children who were aged 7, and they have been revisited every seven years, just talking about themselves?  I saw them again when they were 14, 21, and 28 but I missed them in their thirties and forties until I caught up with them tonight, at 56.  I think it has been the most fascinating tv programme ever, and I'm glad I got to see it here tonight.  It was on for two and a half hours.   The little girl who at 7 said she was going to work in Woolworth's, actually carved out a very good career as an administrator at a  London University college, although she never went to University herself.   And Neil, the little boy who was so happy at 7, always smiling and skipping along the road, but was very miserable at 14, and at 21 and 28 was homeless, is now at 56 settled in a community in Cumbria, and is a Lib-Dem councillor, and a lay reader.  He didn't want to talk about it but did admit to having mental health issues.

Saturday 12th October

I thought I was going to have a happy day crocheting away  at the local technical college, from 10 o'clock until 4.  The teacher of some crochet classes I'd taken a while ago rang me the week before last and said she was having a bring-and-share-crochet-group today, if I'd like to bring a lunch contribution and some crocheting.   So I make a chicken Caribbean, pull a cake out of the freezer, put some special grapes into a ziplock bag and off I go.

However, I turn up and the place is TEEMING.  I think every kid in Shawnee is there - in every classroom - learning how to build robots, but no sign of a crochet hook anywhere.  Two members of staff tried to help locate the class, then one of them sat me down and said she would find out where it is and come back.  After waiting  half an hour I gave up, but she had been looking all that time, and was kind enough to run out to the car park when she saw I'd gone, caught up with me and said she couldn't find the class.  Nodded sympathetically at the lunch and said I'd brought goodies too.

My immediate thought of course was that I'd fallen victim to my ADHD and it was the wrong day.  But I got home, pulled out the receipt, and it was today.  So if it was on, it wasn't anywhere near the main building, and I wasn't told when I registered where it would be held.

Anyway, in between jobs around the house I finished the trilogy I was reading, all 900 odd pages of it.  

It has been eerily quiet the last couple or so nights, not a peep out of the barking dogs.  I wondered if it was coincidence, or my new best friend at City Hall had been talking to the Police Chief and the dogs have been silenced.   I am certainly not going to win any popularity contests in the neighbourhood.  

Friday 11th October

After all the excitement of the last few days, rushing from banquets to the theatre, fitting in visits to the movies, like I have a really hectic social life, things had calmed down today.   I went early to the hospital, and had breakfast in the cafeteria before my chaplaincy round.

I spent a bit of time with Louise - who was manning the desk at the Senior Centre -  trying to get to grips with being secretary of Kiwanis.   But then - until it was time to go water walking this evening - I spent the rest of the time picking away at the chaos which has recently surrounded me, it is nearly sorted now, and once it has been fully, and everything is in its place, I am hopeful of keeping myself on track.

The weather is quite pleasant now, it was 86 as I drove through town.  I know that might be a bit hot at home, it would qualify as a heat wave, but with the wind constantly blowing down the prairies here, it is pleasant. The early mornings are distinctly autumnal, but then adjust to summer about 10 o'clock when the temperatures start to climb.

Thursday 10th October

I was up early collecting the donuts for Kiwanis, and it was a very nice drive to Tecumseh as the sun was rising.

The speaker was the City Manager who gave a very interesting rundown on the projects which have been completed, and those in progress in Shawnee.   There are plans for an new open air pool area in one of the parks, to be opened next summer, with a large shaded area for children's birthday parties etc.    The downtown area of Shawnee became very run down when the Mall and shopping area were built on the northern edge of town - and we have seen that in our own cities haven't we, with the development of out of town shopping areas - but it is hoped a large corporation will establish their headquarters downtown, which will revitalise the area, and attract new retail businesses.   In the five or so years I have lived here the City has grown enormously, there were only two hotels here, and now there are several, and a lot of new restaurants are opening all the time.

Afterwards there was a question and answer session and I griped about the barking dogs in my neighbourhood, and the fact I have not had a proper night's sleep since I don't know when. I also told him of the occasion I had complained to the police, and my car was vandalised the next morning, but I still complain because I am refusing to be intimidated.   He took my  name and address afterwards and said he would speak to the Chief of Police. 

Later in the morning I went to Communion, and afterwards Fr Clark, another couple and myself went to lunch, which was very nice.   Fr Bill is away at the moment.

When I got home the sleepless nights caught up with me, and I slept very soundly for several hours, until 7 o'clock in the evening.

Tuesday/Wednesday

Tuesday

I was up and about and busy today.  The hospital are nearly ready to appoint a new senior chaplain to replace Larry, who left on August 10th, but it feels like at least six months ago.   They have interviewed, and eliminated, about 23 candidates and got down to the final two.  I was asked to be on the interview panel of these final two.  One interview was yesterday and the second today, Tuesday.

There were five interviewers on the panel, three administrative staff, myself, and someone from nutritional services who is recognised as an outstanding employee.

Both candidates were very well qualified and experienced, and possessed all the qualities required.  It is going to be very difficult for those making the final decision.  I could work happily with either of them.

This was in the morning and in the early afternoon I was reading to a class at the Early Learning Childhood Centre (with a couple of other Kiwani volunteers)   They were very sweet children, very respectful.  The teacher asked what they should call me, suggested 'Miss Valerie' I said no, Valerie is fine.  I hate it when people call me Miss Valerie, my next door neighbour does, and people who don't know me well.  I think it sounds very 'southern plantation'.   Afterwards the teacher got a globe out and asked me to show them where I came from.

Then later in the afternoon - at 5.30 - it was the Senior Centre's "banquet" for volunteers.  It also includes volunteers at the hospital.

With Phyllis and her husband Joe.

The was the venue, the Heritage Centre of the Citizen Pottawatomi Nation.   It was a very pleasant occasion, seeing people and 'visiting' as they say here, that's American for chatting.   The meal wasn't bad.    But I'm my father's daughter - I'll gloss over the itty bitty paper napkins, plastic cutlery, disposable plates, paper tablecloth.   There was a little entertainment, a local guy singing and playing the guitar.

I exited the banquet shortly before the end as Bruce and Rosalyn had kindly invited me to the theatre, to see Arthur Miller's 'Crucible', which was the story of the Salem Witch Trials.    It is a bit of American history I had heard of, but didn't know very much about, and when I got home I read  up more about it on the internet.

Instead of going with Bruce and Rosalyn, as I normally would have done, I went straight from the banquet to the theatre and met them in the foyer.   I got there about 7.15 as the sun was setting, the sky was very dramatic, I took these pictures but they don't do them justice.

Wednesday

After all yesterday's activities today was calmer.   I was running round town this morning with some errands.  In the afternoon I took some  bake sale cake from the freezer to Emmanuel for the Wednesday meal.   They didn't need  much, it was team Mexican providing the meal and one of them makes little Mexican cheesecake-like desserts.    Later, when it was time to go and eat I was debating whether I felt like turning out, or carrying on with my 'cant-put-down' book I'm reading.  The book won.   Actually it is a trilogy and I am on book 3.

Sunday 6th October

I didn't go to church today, As I mentioned yesterday, I was up at 1.30 am ringing the police, complaining about the barking dogs over the road, after which I was too wide awake to go to sleep anyway, so mostly dozed the morning away.

Spent most of the day intermittently reading, trying to catch some news, and catch up on some jobs around the house.

I rang Pattisue to see if she would like to go to a movie this evening.  There wasn't anything either of us were particularly waiting to see so I suggested a suspense thriller.  We saw 'Prisoners', there was certainly a lot of suspense in it, it was very exciting, but there was more violence than I like in a film.   However I did enjoy it, but it might not suit everyone so I would be hesitant to recommend it.

Of course it was difficult for me to follow, so I read up all about it when I got home which filled me in somewhat.

Friday/Saturday 4th and 5th October

Friday


Was out and about and busy.   Went to a cookery talk held on the first Friday of the month, this one was about breakfasts.   I don't quite understand the set-up, it is run by a department of Oklahoma State University, but is situated in Shawnee, whereas OSU I think is in Stillwater, about 60 miles away.

It was given by a very friendly, pleasant young woman, I have been to her talks before.   She talked about the importance of breakfast, and provided blenders so that we could make smoothies, and she cooked us some whole wheat pancakes with spiced apples, which were very nice.  Americans have never heard of pancakes with lemon and sugar.  I told her that is how we always have them, and prior to Shrove Tuesday our supermarkets are stacked up with displays of lemons and packets of pancake batter.   She said she was going to try it.  

These storage units were outside the OSU office where we had the cookery talk, but they are all over Shawnee, dozens and dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of them.  You know how we all have stuff up in our attics, most of which are things that are never going to be looked at again, like our kids' academic papers, because shock! horror! "you can't throw them away, not after all the work I've put into them" .   Well here, this storing of stuff that is never going to be looked at again is taken to a whole new level.  When the attics are filled up  they rent these storage units, they PAY MONEY each month rather than sort out and throw away their unwanted clutter, because when one storage unit is filled up they go and rent another one.   I can't wrap my head around it.

On Friday evening I went to a reception and lecture at the Art Gallery.  The current exhibition is a collection of Russian lacquer boxes.   Actually it wasn't so much a lecture, a professional story teller told, in a very enchanting way, two of the Russian fairy tales depicted on the boxes.

Saturday

When I did my hospital chaplaincy round yesterday a patient asked me to visit again today, but that was my only trip out, otherwise I have spent most of the day reading.  I have read more books while I have been here than all the rest of my life put together.   Mostly Amish fiction, and as soon as I have finished one book I am downloading its sequel to my C-Nook.  Acquiring books has never been easier, long gone are the days when one had to traipse off to a bookshop and look.

It is now actually Sunday morning.  The dogs over the road were barking and at about 1.30 am I called the police who came straight away (there can't have been much crime going on) and silenced the dogs, but then I was wide awake.

Thursday -

Was up early this morning picking up the donuts from Tecumseh as it is my turn this month.   Instead of a Kiwanis speaker we had the Lt Governor installing the new officers for 2013/14.   I was installed as secretary, but actually Louise and I are going to do it between us.    Louise has a problem connecting to the internet, perhaps she didn't have a wireless connection, I didn't probe, but every organisation now has to be able to communicate online, all reports have to be sent online for example, so it is a relief to her that I will be able to do that (hopefully, ha ha).   I had said I didn't think I could find speakers every week, so she is going to continue to do that, she has more contacts in the community than I have.    Also I have warned them that I can't drive in the dark if an evening visit is required anywhere.  I am alright along the main north/south, and east/west roads in Shawnee that have something which passes for street lighting, but outside the city limits it is totally dark.

Instead of going to Emmanuel for Communion then out to lunch I went instead to the Thursday service at the hospital for a change, it was a chance to see the other chaplains.

The weather is not bad at the moment, better than the intense heat we had.  When I went out this morning about 7.30 I needed a slightly heavy skirt and sweatshirt, but by 10 o'clock I was back home changing into a summery skirt and tee shirt.

I took this picture, above, from the Weather Channel, and the following one from the local Oklahoma channel.

There's some variation in the temperatures, but then the thermometers in the streets don't show exactly the same temperatures, I've noticed as I've driven through town.

Wednesday evening at Emmanuel.  Young people are scattered around the hall doing their homework.  Those without homework are helping with the meal in the kitchen.  For dessert I took the brownies I'd bought to support Tuesday's Bake Sale, and I made some shortbread.

Tuesday 1 October

All day yesterday it was "will they - won't they" and whose fault is it.  Today the Shut Down came and they are still debating who is to blame.

It isn't entirely shut down though.  Astronauts can't be left to their own devices up in space, so although the lights have gone out in NASA, there are still a few there, keeping in touch with the spaceships.   The Mexican drug cartels aren't making hay across the border, no border guards have been sent home.  Air Traffic Controllers are all still working.  The United States Postal Service are still delivering letters.  From Shawnee, Oklahoma nothing looks any different, but then I don't get out and about very much anyway.  I do know however that there are other parts of the country where the impact has been significant, and hundreds of thousands have been sent home without pay, for goodness knows how long.  

I think this well illustrates the fact that our parliamentary system is a far superior form of government.  The worst that can happen to us is that the government seriously messes up, the Opposition calls for a Vote of No Confidence, the Government falls, and there is a General Election.  In other words, as someone said, it goes back to the people.

Not only is this 'Government Shut Down Day', it is also the 'First Day of the Affordable Care Act'. 

Obviously I am all in favour of universal health care, but I don't think it is going to work here, for the same reason the NHS is collapsing in Britain.   Both here and in Britain a smaller working population is supporting an increasingly ageing population - and healthcare is one aspect of it -  but it can't continue to do so.  Even I - innumerate as I am - can see that the maths are never going to add up.

So that's my two cents worth on the current crisis in the US.   Simplified.  Some might say oversimplified.

Turning to more mundane matters.   It was the Kiwanis bake sale this morning.  I made some little fruit cakes, moist ones with crushed pineapple in them, as well as dried fruit.   Louise tells everyone they are English cakes.   I think that's supposed to be a selling point, people think they are getting something foreign and exotic.  

I helped Louise set up as I usually do, then thought I'd hang out with them for a while, until I had to go and see someone at the hospital. 

I am getting a little testy at the lack of leadership in the chaplaincy, but that's a story for another time.  In the meantime I was told that interviews are being held next week, so a senior chaplain will be appointed soon.