Can I Move to Canada?

  A week ago, I googled if I could move to Canada if Trump wins the election.  The answer is No.  I am too old.  I could not get a work permit.  I could visit for a few months, but I could not stay.  In any case, I would not want to leave my children and grandchildren and I like where I am living--our apartment and our area. 

But when I think of Donald Trump as president, I am ashamed and embarrassed that such a man could be elected and could represent our country.  He lies, he insults others, he is vulgar, he incites violence and he threatens to do terrible things if elected.  Rounding up immigrants, legal and illegal, and putting them in camps?  What a horrible, demeaning idea.  Getting rid of civil service employees and replacing them with his loyalists?  Scary.  It was bad enough when he had some brakes on what he wanted to do in his previous administration. The New York Times listed 91 members of the Trump era who find him unfit to lead our country.   They see how dangerous he could be.   Calling out the military to punish his political opponents?   Would my private little blog be a reason to punish me?  I doubt it but more public folks who disagree with him are called enemies.   Would my giving a small amount to the Harris-Walz campaign mean I am an enemy?  I should have given more if it would make a difference.  

I dread the election.  I dread the days after the election when we await the results.  I dread Trump's winning but I even dread his losing if he incites violence as he did the last time.  He has done many immoral and really illegal things, but refusing to accept his loss in 2021 is maybe the most dangerous one for our country and he is setting the stage to do it again.  

I pray nightly for our country and I pray for Donald Trump--that he could have a change of heart and stop his lies and his insults to others.  Maybe he could even say he was sorry although he has said he has no need of asking God for forgiveness of his sins.  Do I really believe God can work in someone's heart?  I would like to think so and hope he hears my heartfelt prayers. 

------------Then in church last week I realized that among the sins I needed to confess was my near hatred of Donald Trump when I probably should feel compassion for such an unhappy man.  He must be unhappy because otherwise he would not have such a need to disparage and insult others--a need to put others down to raise yourself up. 

-----------October 28--It just gets worse by the day.  Trump's rally in Madison Square Garden was nasty--insulting to Puerto Ricans, vulgar in comments by several including insults to Kamala Harris. He has referred to Arnold Palmer in admiring but vulgar terms.    Trump hints at his "secret" with Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, as to what they will do if he does not win the popular vote. Mike Pence was the hero in 2021.  

November 1  And on it goes.  Now Trump's  desire is to see Liz Cheney lined up with rifles pointing at her so she can see what it is like to go to war.  I hope and pray no one takes Trump's suggestion to heart and goes after Cheney.  She has been courageous in supporting Harris as one of many Republicans who have done so.  It is incredible that he can be so dangerous in his speech and get away with it.  Three more days and the votes will be in and ready to be counted.  I am afraid and have to keep praying and remembering that God is in control.  

November 5  Election Day.  We voted by mail and received notice via a postcard that our votes were counted.  The system is working in Plainsboro, New Jersey and I pray that it is working everywhere in the country and that the votes will be counted and recognized as valid and that the results will be accepted without violence.  

November 6  Trump won.  I am sick at heart.  How could so many people vote for such an immoral man who lied, was vulgar, and insulting to anyone who disagreed with him?  How can he be kept from carrying out his goal of retribution to his so-called enemies?  I download a photo of for this blog but I can't bear to put his face in it.  May God preserve our nation.  

Every Six Months

 I wondered if I had written about Jim's bout with prostate cancer before and looked back to the fall of 2019 and yes, I had done so--and even mentioned the recurring PSA tests he would have for the rest of his life.  So every six months, Jim has blood drawn and sent off to the lab and we await the results with some stress.  And every six months, we have had good news that the numbers are low and within the normal range.  The urologist has told Jim he could make his appointments yearly but Jim has felt he wants to have it checked every six months.  Early detection is probably a good idea.  

The results have been on his portal the very next morning.  Jim greeted me with the good news and we are both so relieved and thankful.  He said yesterday it is like a burden lifted.  I prayed that if the numbers were high, we would get good medical advice and know what to do next.  We are very aware that many people do not get good news after medical tests and at our age, the good news can't last forever.  But this is another six month reprieve.

We celebrated with a happy hour meal at On the Border--where we have celebrated other occasions--even memorably a Covid take-out meal after the last radiation treatment four and a half years ago.  The waitress claimed to remember us and called us her "regulars."  Maybe she did but in any case, it was a good line and made us want to tip generously!  I will remind myself however on the next occasion that a smaller margarita would be a better idea.  

I deal with my anxiety by emailing our children and their spouses.  Jim deals with his anxiety in his own way--but less publicly.  

I wondered if the threat of cancer again would mean that Stonebridge would not want to take us into independent living.  Maybe this good result is a sign that we should pursue that option now.  In the last week there has been another sign--two folks who live there have told us that it is a wonderful place and they are so grateful for it.  Another woman told us that her parents have loved being there.  It's a matter for our prayers because the way is not clear to us yet.  What will I be writing in this blog in 2025? 

A New Jersey Adventure and a Will

The Rug in
David's Office 

Our former neighbor John O'Donnell is a financial planner and was interested enough in our situation to get information about senior housing options.  When he presented them to us (and did this all out of friendship), he strongly advised us to update our wills.  He gave us the name of an attorney he trusted.  So today we made the hour long drive to Morristown, New Jersey to meet with David Lewis in a lovely old house in a historic town.  It was a very good meeting in which David was delighted to tell us of all his Notre Dame connections--his father, his wife's father, he and his wife, and four of his five children are all Domers!  And it was a ND priest who married him and his wife in Puerto Rico. 

David was reassuring about the whole process of settling an estate in New Jersey and gave us good information along with various questions we still need to answer.  Jim will contact our financial planner (aka "wealth advisor") in South Bend and I will gather some addresses for our donations.  I felt overwhelmed but when I googled how to settle probate in Middlesex County the instructions were all spelled out.  One needs to prove that one is married or related to the recently deceased so I was wondering if our marriage license was available.  Jim looked in our strong box and sure enough, we are officially married and can prove it! 

We are really glad we have the process started and feel good that we have lived here long enough that we know folks who can help us out and make good recommendations for people one can trust.  

We had a pleasant ride home on country roads as directed by our Apple maps.  It was good to leave I 287 with all the trucks.  In fact, the only real traffic tie-up was when we had to take turns getting on the one lane bridge that crossed what may have been the Delaware Raritan Canal or Millstone Creek.  

And then to finish the day up well, the Mets beat the Phillies in a close, tense game and will go on to the National League Champion Series.  

-----------I always say Psalm 23 before trying to fall asleep.  Last night I felt the day had been one of "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death."  Too many thoughts about the end for either one of us--stimulated by the day's information and decisions.  Hope I can clear all that away today!

I Can't Find Them!

When we first moved here five years ago, we found ourselves looking for items often.  Even the pots and pans were missing at first until we found them in a box mixed in with Jim's book boxes. I used a wine bottle as a rolling pin when I couldn't find ours--but that showed up later. 

 A recipe I used this week said one absolutely had to sift the flour.  But where was my flour sifter?  I could not find it and wondered if it was in such poor condition that I never moved it.  Not a frequently used item!   The beer bread was fine without sifting the flour.  

We have a wedding to celebrate on Sunday and the invitation specified "cocktail" dress code.  I bought a new dress on Amazon and spent more money having it hemmed than I spent on the dress.  Then I wondered where my little dressy handbags might be--and to my surprise found them easily on a higher shelf in our walk-in closet where they were gathering dust.  But now, where were my black patent leather strappy sandals?  We looked everywhere and found other items we had forgotten about but no shoes.  Jim found me another pair in the bottom of a little used closet that will have to be suitable but I am frustrated by this.  At least we don't need to make an emergency trip to  DSW for new shoes to be worn maybe once.  I think I wore the missing shoes to Dan and Alex's wedding so they must have made the trip to the east coast.  

---------And with Amazon Prime, I was able to order panty hose and a half slip and they arrived one day later.  

----------A note after the wedding--My dress was very appropriate and I was able to walk from the church to the reception a few blocks away without a problem.  I met one other person who said she got her dress from Amazon too!  It was fun to see what "cocktail dress" on the invitation looked like for others! 

The wedding was beautiful and the reception food excellent.  They were a very happy couple who were "smitten" with each other from their first meeting. The photo is of the bride dancing with her dad at the reception at the Nassau Inn. 

Dinner and a New EV Car

Dan and Alex stopped to visit enroute from a wedding in Maryland to their home in the Catskills.  They were eager to show us their brand new EV--on its maiden voyage.  They plugged it into a charging station at our apartment complex which involved downloading an app but seemed to be done easily.  While it was charging, we took our old fashioned Kia to Season 52 for dinner.  Susan was able to join us but Jeff was across the border in Ottawa for a week-long workshop.

Dinner interrupted our watching of the Mets game--sadly a loss to the Phillies in game two of the series.  We like the Phillies too and maybe they will be the team for us to watch as the post season goes on.  So thankful to be able to spend time with our son and two daughters-in-law. 

The Amazing Mets

 

We have enjoyed cheering on the Mets as our local team in the last few years.  And as one of their mottos says, "You Gotta Believe."   After a very rough start to this season (0-5), they have won their wild card race in two out of three games over the Brewers and they are going to to play the Phillies in the next phase of the long play-off post season.

Earlier this week on Monday there was an unusual double header with the Atlanta Braves to make up for the rain delay due to hurricane Helene.  The Mets managed to win one of the two games and thus went on to meet the Brewers.  All three games were at the Brewers' home stadium because they had a higher wild card standing. 

We despaired last night when the Brewers got off to an early lead but our heroes Lindor, Nimmo and Alonso came through with a walk and a hit and then a home run off a great Brewer closer Devin Williams--all in the ninth inning!  Peterson, who is usually a starting pitcher, was called in for the bottom of the ninth, and he took care of the Brewers with a final score of 4-2.   The Brewer fans were stunned into silence, the Mets fans at a watch party at Citi Field were rejoicing and we get to watch the Amazing Mets for another few days at least.  

Contacting Authors

If I have any hobby, it probably is reading books.  I spend quite a bit of time perusing book suggestions and making lists in a little notebook and on a "for later" list at our local library--and a "want to read" list on Goodreads.  I don't bother to finish books that I find boring or unpleasant.  I almost always have one book in process.

And after I read a book that I have really enjoyed and rated five stars on Goodreads, I find it very difficult to pick up another book.   So right now, I am at a loss to get involved in another volume.

I just finished Agatha Christie Mallowan's memoir about being on archaeology digs--Come Tell Me How You Live.  It was great fun to read Christie in a different role than as an author of mysteries.  Her book was funny in parts as she told of the difficulties of packing and also impressive as she wrote about the discomforts of living and working at digs.  

I have developed a very happy habit of contacting authors that I have enjoyed.  But I cannot do that this time!  It can take a bit of effort to write an author.  I have sent messages to publishers who forward the email.  I have left messages on websites.  My last contact seemed hard to reach but Ilyon Woo, the author of the Pulitzer prize winning book Master Slave Husband Wife, had an instagram account so I messaged her there and very quickly got a response.  She was happy I had enjoyed the book and yes, it was a lot of research.  She said she had gotten obsessed with the research.

Because my husband and my daughter are published authors, I know that they appreciate hearing from readers.  It has given me joy to contact authors and to encourage them when they have given me joy in reading. I can't think of any author who has not responded to my note of thanks to him or her.