Thursday March 3 2016  THE PERPLEXING MYSTERY

It sounds like a Nancy Drew Mystery title.  Many of my readers may not be old enough to know who Nancy Drew was.  I wonder if the series is still around in the modern day world?  I read every Nancy Drew Mystery written by Carolyn Keene.  An interesting note regarding Keene is the fact that Keene was a pseudonym used by several writers that contributed to the series.  Each writer was paid $125 per book.  I believe the books were first marketed in the 1930’s and 1940’s.  The statement “You’ve come a long way baby” speaks for itself in regards to the rights of the author.  Just think what some authors earn now through their literary skills.

Now, back to my perplexing mystery.  “The mystery of the splatters” is what I shall call it.  It began on a cold bleak day over one year ago.  I took my car into the Kia Dealership to have a warranty oil change performed.  It was extremely cold.  If I remember correctly it was just a few degrees upward of ZERO.  Now that is a cold day.  I have sense enough to know that you NEVER wash a car when it is below freezing.  The water freezes almost immediately upon contact with the outside air.  I specifically told the man I checked in with that I DID NOT WANT MY CAR WASHED THAT DAY.  The Dealership usually includes a car wash with each oil change.  Well, when I went outside to pick up my car there it was, frozen like a Popsicle.  I opened the back door to set something on the seat and the door resisted a bit.  Well, a couple of minutes later I tried to open the driver’s door and I could not get it open.  I kept pulling at it, and finally I heard what sounded like a loud gunshot as the door reluctantly opened a bit.  I forced it open so I could get in.  I grabbed a towel and dried as much of the water off as I could around the opening.  I got in, struggled to get the door closed and drove away.  I was just hoping that when I got home I would be able to open the door to get out.

The weather last year was not delightful.  We had a lot of snow.  It was snowy, slushy, icy, and mucky (all mixed with road dirt).  After I had my oil change and the frozen door incident, a couple of days later something happened.  I went out to the car early in the morning, and when I started to get into the driver’s seat, it looked as if someone had taken some diluted white paint and splattered it all over the interior of my car.  It was under the dashboard, on the sides of the door, all over the front controls, the steering wheel and steering column,  and even deep inside the hooded part of the dashboard where the odometer and speedometer are.  Even the sides of the seat were splattered.  The splatters actually reached into the back seat area too.  I took my car into the dealership and simply said “LOOK”.  Well…actually I said a lot of other things too.  All polite and nice but they knew I wasn’t a happy camper. 

The dealership had absolutely no clue as to what was going on.  They cleaned it up.  I went back out on the road and within a couple of days the splatters were back with a vengeance.  I took the car in, and the service department cleaned it up again.  We started brainstorming.  My suspicion was that when I opened the frozen car door a seal had been disturbed or broken.  I had a difficult time convincing them of that.  The service men searched and searched and could not find the breech.  The sad part about the whole thing was that I had just had my car detailed a week or so prior to that frozen car wash.  When I mentioned how disappointed I was about what was happening and that I had just paid for a detailing they took it back in and detailed it for free.

Time after time I would bring my messy car in and they would clean it out.  On two or three occasions they kept it for long periods of time.  They replaced seals and removed and repositioned trims  on the outside that surround the windows.  

The roads cleared up.  I had no more trouble for a few weeks and then lots of snow and muck again and WHAMO.  I was back in “Streak City” inside my car.  The thing was, I could never tell when it was happening.  After the water drops dried, the salt streaks appeared.  I could not see where they were coming from.  The mystery of the splattering was like trying to solve a murder mystery with blood splatters.  Where were they coming from?  Exactly where were they intruding?  By this time the consensus was that it was road salt.  I was promised that anytime it happened, until they could find the cause, that my car would be detailed for free.  So, when it happened I was there for a complete detailing job.  Sometimes just a couple of weeks apart. 

Before I left on my trip last year, the car frame around the front car door was taken apart and hopefully repaired.  Well, I never had another chance to test it.  I left on my trip, headed south and did not confront any snow on my entire trip.  Fast forward to now.  Dave has done most of the driving since I’ve been home so we can put the mileage on his car while it is still under warranty.  I have done very little driving in the snow, until this past week.  And BAMO!  The perplexing mystery returns.  It has been quite slushy the past few days and because of our schedules I have had to do my own driving around town.  A couple of days ago I noticed a couple of little splatters but thought that perhaps my foot had splattered something getting in.  I am usually very careful about that but I supposed it could happen.  I was up and out of the house very early this morning for a therapy session on my torn rotatory cuff, then to the gym and on to Aldi’s for last minute cooking items.  When I came out from the store the sun was up and  the light was good.  I opened the door to get into the car and the brightness exposed all that my dark garage could not.  I was in Splattersville again!  All over the sides and underneath everything, the seats, the console, you name it, was splattered.  You may wonder why I don’t feel the splats.  Remember, it is cold here.  I am covered from head to foot, gloves, scarves, long thick coat, pants, two pair of stockings, and to top it off, a doubled over wool blanket covering my legs and lap.  I don’t feel a thing through all those layers.

Well, my car will be the recipient of another free detail job this week.  I must drop my car off tomorrow, pick up a loaner, and one of the service techs is going to wipe the interior down and drive it all weekend.  There is snow in the forecast and hopefully it will be slushy.  I asked him if he was doing it because he did not believe that I was telling the truth about the splatters.  He said no, it is just the policy that everything has to be verified and that he hopes to figure out where the water may be penetrating.  When it first happened I had to verify with everyone around me that they had not splattered something in my car.  So I called Dave and asked him if he had opened my car door and flecked all those spatters into the car.  I really believe that at first they thought I was doing it myself.  Amazing.

So, I pray for snow.  I pray for muck. I pray that they will find the out what exactly is happening and where the droplets are coming from.  Maybe I shall take some more pictures of it before I take it in tomorrow.  I’ve already deleted all of last year’s photos from my phone.

So, the plot thickens.  The good thing is that I will have a detailing before we leave on our next quest.  Just last week I told Dave that I was so happy that I had not had any muck in the car this winter and that I planned to have it detailed when we arrived home from our jaunt.  I had planned to pay just like I normally do.  And then this happened.  And believe me, it is only a detailing job that will take care of this matter.  It is extensive.

So that was my plight this morning.  I came home and have been cooking the rest of the day.  Actually I still have food on the stove cooking as I write this.  I must now leave to take over a pots of soup and rice for my friend Judy, whose husband’s funeral is Saturday.  With her family visiting from out of town I suspected the extra food would come in handy.  I meant to do it yesterday but was waylaid with my vertigo attack.

SPLATTERSVILLE, KIA SOUL

By Kathleen Martens

March 3, 2016

A place of unknown origin

Deep in the planet CAR

A very secret hiding place

Where splatters can go far.

But when or where,

From whence they come?

In they tiptoe

To have some fun.

Splatter lines

From unknown source,

Enter quietly 

With great force.

They do their duty,

Drop here and there.

Decorating profusely

While they share.

To rid my “SOUL”

Of all the muck,

Is my goal

With any luck.

But time again

In happy tune

They laugh in unison

As they ruin.

And the mystery

In secret held

From whence they came

Is not dispelled. 

God bless you and have a great night’s sleep!

Wednesday March 2 2016  DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE

This is my Wonderful Wednesday but it didn’t go quite like I had hoped.  So I am just rolling with the punches.  Since we were not able to drive in the snow yesterday I was unable to collect all the foodstuff necessary for cooking today.  That took many hours away from my STAY AT HOME DAY.  My priority for today was changed and I had to go out.

First thing on my list was to have a fasting blood drawn.  It was only last night that I opened an email from my doctor’s office which informed me that I had to have blood drawn for my physical on Tuesday.  I had to go in today to make that work.  I received the message on 2/25/16 but only opened it last night.  Oops!  I get so many emails that it takes me a few days to get around to everything I need to open.  So my advice to you and any who want to take it, don’t wait until the last minute to do what you could do sooner.

Everything from yesterday caught up with me.  I was up until 11:00 P.M. (two hours past my bedtime), woke at 3:00 A.M. and could not go back to sleep.  I finally got out of bed and was awake the rest of the night.  I never do well if I do not get enough sleep, and 4 hours of sleep is not enough!  By the time I arrived home this afternoon I was barely able to function.  I ate some lunch and then crashed.  When I over extend myself or go without adequate sleep, I absolutely start spinning.  Vertigo comes over me with such force that I can do nothing else but lie down.  That was one concern I had last year before I left on my trip.  I determined I would be as kind to myself as possible and be certain I had all the rest I needed, and never once did I get an attack of the world spinning out of place.  I must remember to slow down and be kind to myself now that I am retired.

I have rested and now I am doing better.  I did not sleep, but just lying down helped a lot, that and the food I ate for lunch.  The only concern I have is, that all the cooking I was planning to do today may be put on the back burner (no pun intended), and it will be waiting for me to do tomorrow.  Tomorrow already has its own concerns because it is already punctuated with appointments.  I actually had planned to have this food prepared today so I could take it over to my friend’s tonight.  She has family from out of town staying with her.  Her husband’s funeral is Saturday.  I plan to cook for the funeral tomorrow after two morning appointments.  Our son called this afternoon and needs emergency childcare tomorrow for both children (about 40 minutes away) and both Dave and I are fragmented with appointments we cannot change.  So my advice, don’t wait until the last moment to do what needs to be done.  You never know what may thwart your plans.  And then again, some things must be done at the last minute when it comes to cooking.  So of course I am torn between the commitments I already have, and wanting to help our son in his situation.  Dave is also tied to certain commitments that he cannot cancel.

So here I am.  My head is no longer spinning.  Dave just arrived home to finish up the work I could not do on some of the food I brought home today, and I am here sounding like a belly aching old woman.  It’s just the facts ma’am, just the facts.

I guess I said all the above so you would know why I can’t write a blog today.  And now I realize I should have just written whatever I was going to write and not belly ached about what is going on in this aging body.  Every single day I forget that I am old.  Only when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror do I remember.  Maybe that short term memory loss is a good thing sometime.  And sometimes I wonder what I REALLY look like, because I don’t see quite as well as I used to either.

DON’T DO AS I DO

DO AS I SAY

By Kathleen Martens

March 2, 2016

Do what you enjoy

Every hour you live.

And to yourself,

Rest do give.

Think things through

And plan ahead.

Go to sleep early,

And be well fed.

When you’ve lived long

You don’t bounce as well.

Balance your life

And you’ll get along swell.

Forget not your limits,

Do not over extend.

Yesterday has

No oomph to send.

Instead save up

On today’s supply,

So that tomorrow

Will comply.

Because the unexpected

Can zap your energy,

Plan hours carefully

To extend your synergy.

Don’t do as I do

Rather do as I say.

Rest and relax

And take time to play.

And wouldn’t you know it, today I had so much I wanted to say.  I’ll save it for another day (that is, if I remember).

God bless you and have a wonderful rest of the day.

Tuesday March 1 2016  IT’S TIME TO GET READY FOR CHRISTMAS (PLANNING FOR THE PERFECT DAY)

When March rolls around (or comes galloping in) that’s when I always tell Dave, “Well, it’s time to get ready for Christmas”.  March seems to come in the blink of an eye once the calendar turns to a new year.  And here I sit, with so much to do, and I know I won’t be able to get it all done before Christmas. You know how you feel those last couple of weeks before Christmas when you are trying to remember all the final details of what must be done by such and such a date?  Well, that seems the way my life goes.  I usually have some sort of deadline looming before me and it seems I only meet my goals just in the nick of time.  And so, I start in March preparing for Christmas and rarely do I even put up a Christmas tree.  I always run out of time!  Oh well, maybe this year.

I have two or three blogs I enjoy reading.  Most of the other bloggers do not write as often as I do, but I check in once or twice a week, to see if there is news on their home front.  One blog I especially enjoy reading is written by an author named Sarah Loudin Thomas.  Her web address is  http://www.sarahloudinthomas.com  if you are interested in following her.  I read her most recent blog this morning while I was on the hydro-massage table at the gym.  (That is my perk each day after I work out).  She was commenting about what it would be like to have a FREE DAY to do whatever she wanted to do.  I enjoyed reading about her dream day.  After I read her blog I put my phone down, enjoying my wonderful back massage, and spent the rest of my time on the massage table contemplating about what would be the perfect day of freedom for me.   Fortunately for me, I have already had some of what I call “perfect days”.  I liked her idea of calling it a FREE DAY.  It connotes freedom and so much more.

Later in the morning Dave and I were coming home after having our taxes done and I asked him the question,  “What would he would do if he could do exactly as he wanted for one entire day?”  First, he said it would depend upon the season.  Living in Wisconsin, that is definitely a key factor.  My previously perfect days have always taken place during good weather months.  As we were discussing the daydream of the perfect day we were driving about 20 miles per hour on icy roads thick with snow.  There was ice on the windshield that the wipers could barely keep up with, and the snow was fiercely swirling around us, causing a hazard, both to our driving, and our visibility.  Hmmm…the perfect day, what would we do on THAT day?

Dave chose a summer day.  He would like to be outside, sitting in warm sunshine, just enjoying the quiet and solitude (notice I am not there with him, otherwise he wouldn’t be in solitude, nor would it be quiet).  I didn’t feel the least bit perturbed about that.  I know that just being alone in nature would make the day perfect for him.  He did say that maybe he would read some too.

In regards to my day of freedom, I didn’t care if it was cold or warm.  Absolutely any day would make a perfect day for me if I could do exactly what I wanted to do.  I would want to go to bed on time (9:00 p.m.) the night before so I would wake up naturally between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m.  Then I would stay in my housecoat and do my getting ready routines for the morning.  However, instead of dressing, I just might stay in my housecoat (ALL DAY).  I would have my favorite breakfast of hot homemade soup with a bit of chicken and wild grains in it.  Then I would eat a fresh orange.  I would then watch for the sunrise through my library windows.  Though my library faces the west side of the house I can see when the sun starts rising as the tips of the trees light up.  I would watch the changing light go from black to an amazing indigo blue, to lighter and lighter shades of azure, all the way to morning’s magic.  I would be in the presence of the Lord in the secret garden of my heart.  I would read my Bible, pray, sing, give praise to God and write my heart out in my hand written journal.  And, I would anticipate the poem God would allow my heart to unwrap.  My next venture would be to go into my craft room and contemplate on what I would like to create.  I have several projects awaiting my attention.  Who knows, I might even work on the photo albums of our family history for my sister Faith.  I have all the old family photos that she chose as part of her inheritance.  I am being entrusted to create an album(s) for her.  I am so looking forward to presenting it (them) to her when I finish the project. 

My next desire would probably be to eat again.  This time a lovely salad with lots of wonderful micro-nutrients to give me lots of energy and that “feel good” feeling.  There is nothing better than feeling good.  Dave would probably be up by then and I would enjoy sitting across the dining table from my very best, life-long friend, of over 43 years.  I get all squishy inside just thinking about how much I love him.  He makes every day perfect for me.  But…on to my fantasy of not having anything to do except that which I would absolutely want to do.  I would get up, leave the dishes, and the kitchen would be entirely clean when I came back to it later (just like on my “usual” days).

Following lunch I would lie down on the couch and watch a T.V. show I recently discovered called “STRANGE INHERITANCE”.  The episodes are always very interesting to me. After the half hour show, I might watch another episode, or choose to watch a “HALLMARK MOVIE”.  I would prop up my feet and just relax.  Then I would sit down at my computer, open up my blog site, and write on my blog page:

“SORRY GUYS, THERE WON’T BE A BLOG TODAY.  I HAVE TOO MUCH TO DO!”  I might also say, “God bless you”, and that would be about it.  There would be no gym time and no phone time.  I would take the wall phone off the hook, turn off my cell, and enjoy the silence.  I think I would then ask Dave if he would like me to win him in a card game.  We both play a competitive game of HAND AND FOOT.  Great card game.  The only thing is, he doesn’t “let” me win.  I have to really work for my wins.  But even if I lost the game, my day would still be perfect.

I would then read until dinner time.  Dinner would consist of Greek vanilla yogurt, fresh berries, walnuts, bran buds, and two prunes.  And then I would read again.  Finally, I would hang up the phone, and climb into freshly laundered purple sheets, wrapped in my purple fuzzy blanket.  Dave would tuck me in, turn out the light, and then go and eat a steak.  Each to his own.

WHAT WOULD YOUR PERFECT DAY BE LIKE?

The question that Sarah asked was: “WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A COMPLETELY FREE DAY?”

Well, Sarah, I think I have answered that question.  Thanks for giving me so much to think about.  Now I think I’ll just pick a day and make it happen.  THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF RETIREMENT!

P.S.  I might somehow get a tub of popcorn included in my day, smothered in coconut oil.

A DAY OF FREEDOM (OR THE PERFECT DAY)

By Kathleen Martens

March 1, 2016

A day of freedom

What does it entail?

How does one plan it

So it does not fail?

How is it possible

To only do

What your dream desires

To be true?

And for each one

What would it be,

To feel that your day

Is totally free?

For each is different

In parallax view.

From an unalike position

All would ensue.

What is right for one

May not be for another

Regardless if married,

Sister or brother.

So each to his own,

Entitled to dream

What is perfect for one

May cause another to scream.

So dream away,

Enjoying your reverie

Plan it your way

Very cleverly.

And enjoy each moment

Regardless what you choose

Your day of freedom?

Might just be to snooze.

Good night and God bless you!