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If you have been reading this blog for some time, you may remember that my younger sister, the last of my immediate family, died in September of last year. Her sons decided that, although she had said there should be no memorial for her, that there would be one anyway. Their discretion.

Daughter #1 and I will travel for the celebration of her life. It is, therefore, appropriate for us to remember her at this time. I miss her every day.

We talked everyday by phone. So many times, I will see something on TV, hear a story, or simply think about her and realize that she is no longer there. Or, an ache or a pain will cause me to think, she has the same situation. So, I talk to her, anyway. And, that makes me feel a little better about how much I miss her.

Just how much an older sister can learn from a sister, younger than she. I can tell you that I learned a lot from her. She was a reader. She was a sewer of clothing, table cloths, and quilts. She quilted for others on her long-arm machine. I was the recipient of more than one of those magnificent quilts.

So, it is fitting to remember her at this time. We miss you, dear sister. If only I could hear your voice again!

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Once in a while, I get a thump on the head. It happens at the most unexpected times. like the one two days ago.

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You know, sometimes I see something that makes me wonder. Things that I cannot explain, but it doesn’t stop me from wondering. I thought that, today, I’d share a few of those things. The dad of a couple of my kids when I was the school super on the Eastern Plains called these situations – Wonderments.

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Dear Readers – A warning about this blog. You may read it understanding that it is a telling of how difficult it is to get medical testing scheduled. Then, again, you may view it as a RANT. I do that, sometimes, you know.

The MRI is an interesting happening. Here’s the progression of me attempting to schedule an MRI.

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There was a time when I had a doctor – A doctor – ONE doctor. Now, by last count, I have twenty-two medical folks charged with keeping me alive and well 0 as well as someone my age of eighty-seven can be. And, that does not include the staff at my local pharmacy. I’m told by my caregivers that I’m okay for my age.

Since January 1 of this year (2026), things have happened – my old body seems to be double crossing me. My head doesn’t want to go along with this double cross – arguing with every destructive step.

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Last week, my blog shared some info about animals I had in my classroom when I was teaching – at the country school, the public school, and the school  at a world-renowned hospital. I’d like to continue talking about those critters – even though, I’ve had others who lived with me in my home. For this week, let’s go back to school.

I left the “school animal” stories at a place where my classroom had been moved from the building with the two offices that had been converted to classrooms to the new school building.

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Critters I Have Known – Perso

For thirty years, I served my country as an educator. And, I think – Once an educator – always, an educator. It was always my idea that a classroom – the four walls – was just a place in which children could be introduced to the world. Sometimes, that introduction was by reading books and magazines, verbal instruction from the teacher, and such, and getting as much “learnin’” as possible from the task. I also thought that an important part of the education process was bringing the outside in. Or, taking the children – out.

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Last week, I wrote about my mother canning foods for the winter. As a young mother, I also canned foods for our winters.  And, I used a pressure cooker – a more modern version than that of my mother. Mine did not have the wing-nut closures. Rather, it simply had a way of putting pressure on the rubber ring that was the seal between the lid and the base.  Of course, it still had the pressure guage on top, as well as the pressure release valve and “petcock.”

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Sometimes, I wonder just how well we plan ahead. Do we plan ahead for holiday celebrations? If we’re expecting a new family member – do we plan ahead to welcome that babe? Do we plan ahead for our retirement. Personally, planning ahead may not be my best attribute. And, although I think I’m pretty good at planning a week’s menus, for example, after the planning is done – even after the groceries to make that food has been purchased – I don’t always execute the plan for the meals.

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Many, many years ago, in the innards of the Columbine State, there lived a gentle man named Larry. A family man, was he; a good provider for his family of daughters. Often a skeptic of their activities. Particularly, skeptical of the activities that were promoted by his wife.

This quiet, gentle man lived in a community that loved him, trusted him, and, in general, thought he was “the cat’s meow.” He went to work every day at a job where he was well-respected by his fellow co-workers. A retailer was he – and a very fine retailer, indeed!

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