Tough to Keep Track

 For instance, I had a visit from a long-lost cousin of mine on my father's side. My father was adopted at 3 months old by Sam and Anna Brock, mainly because his mother, Pearl Beason Van Horn passed away. My birth grandfather was a twin, Walter Van Horn. His twin brother was Wesley Van Horn and my cousin Denise Bush is in the Wesley line. We had a great visit Denise and I. She had arranged a visit to the museum so I went along. We learned that southern Greene County was a big coal mining area and 5000 people called SOUTH Greene County home at one time. Our great uncle, Billy Van Horn led a rescue mission with his sled dog Buddy to get supplies to the people in the southern part of our county during the famous blizzard of 1936. 

We then bopped out to the cemetery and I showed Denise where Pearl Van Horn was buried. I learned a lot on that serendipitous day!

My intention a few days ago was to share the above information. 

Today is "last minute get ready to leave" time. We have the Pool Hall all tucked in for the winter. Foodstuffs are whittled down to nearly nothing. Karla and Devon stopped for a visit last night and that helped, along with the fact that we had not seen either of them for a long time. It was good to catch up.

I am doing laundry on clothes and bedding today. Butch has nearly all the things he needs to do before morning done.

Internet will be off and on for us until we arrive in South Texas and that might take a full week. So till next time!!

Hectic

 It has been a hectic two weeks, with some appointment or task on every one of the days. But the day of departure is close.

Yesterday Butch needed to get another cortisone shot in his leg. We went to Ames IA for that, after which we met up with Jason and Laura. Watcha Smokin in Luther Iowa was where we went for lunch. It was our first time there and it was packed! Luther is a very small town and one would never imagine a waiting line in a small Iowa town on a Tuesday! We were told it would be 20 to 25 minutes. Their parking lot was full to overflowing and after we were seated a tour bus pulled in. When going to a new restaurant, especially a busy one it helps a great deal to go with people who have been there and liked it. It was one I would gladly go to again. I had brisket (fatty) mac and cheese and cole slaw. Cornbread is served with all meals. Jason and Laura suggested the fatty brisket.  Fatty Brisket is what I will always order in any brisket place! It makes a world of difference in taste and satisfaction. I was never fond of brisket before, too dry, tasteless and hard to chew.

Just for kicks and giggles I looked up the population of Luther and it is 147!

After lunch we meandered through the Ledges State Park. It is peak time for leaf color and the Ledges are always special! We had a discussion about the name and here is what I found:

Ledges State Park is named after the prominent sandstone ledges that tower above the Des Moines River within the park, which are a result of glacial meltwater carving through the rock, creating a series of distinct horizontal cliffs throughout the area; essentially, the "ledges" are the defining geological feature of the park.

Till next time!

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"If"

 If I don't write a post when I think of it, things can surely get out of hand. We have made great strides in getting ready to head South even though it probably does not appear as such. We have our boosters done. Covid and Flu. We have notified the water guys when to come turn off the water. I have our temporary address change taken care of...almost forgot that one! I do have a list to go by but I haven't checked it yet. For those of you who have never been through this process for multiple years, there is a fine line in getting ready. We don't want to get it all done too soon because then you sit here with nothing to do or worse yet you might "undo" and then "redo" a number of times and that is not fun. So we inch along with it and we are Right on Schedule.

Today Butch goes to see the podiatrist and then next week we get our Fall checkup followed by Butch getting another shot in his leg and then we should be done with appointments. This part of the departure has become different as we age.

I have been filling my spare time with beading, and I can safely say my skills are close to what they were 6 or 7 years ago. It is a great outlet for my creative juices. Planning the next project while working on the current one is a common practice for those who do any artistic endeavor.

These are the last 8 rings I have done and the next one is safely on my planning board.

Starlings

 I had the pleasure of seeing a Starling in full sunlight this morning and what a fantastic picture it was! I didn't catch a photo I am sorry to say. Butch said, "I have never thought of a Starling in that way." So I found this pic on the net but it isn't nearly as pretty as the one I saw. There is some deep purple coloring you can see when they are highlighted with sunlight

Catch me if you can!

 Butch and I are in the getting-ready-to-head South mode. Each year we try to make it a bit easier however something tends to get in the way. I had the plan to take my beading supplies South and that plan remains intact. There was some interest in learning how to bead some rings last season so I am going to be prepared to see that through.

And then I decided to take my Swedish Weaving supplies to sell or donate and finalize that craft I never seem to get back to doing. 

We have a tub marked "Take to Texas" and it has been at the ready all summer. So you see how this can grow. And that is only my end of things. I haven't asked but I do know Butch surely has his list as well.

The pool cues and accessories is a given but that only takes a little space.

This morning as I lay in bed thinking...I remembered I have 2 tubs of yarn that can go too. Oh well! It will be a one-way trip for much of this stuff.

I can hear Butch's low growl when he sees this post. 

Till next time!

The House with Nobody in it

The House with Nobody In It

by

Joyce Kilmer

 

Whenever I walk to Suffern along the Erie track

I go by a poor old farmhouse with its shingles broken and black.

I suppose I've passed it a hundred times, but I always stop for a minute

And look at the house, the tragic house, the house with nobody in it. 

I never have seen a haunted house, but I hear there are such things;

That they hold the talk of spirits, their mirth and sorrowings.

I know this house isn't haunted, and I wish it were, I do;

For it wouldn't be so lonely if it had a ghost or two. 

This house on the road to Suffern needs a dozen panes of glass,

And somebody ought to weed the walk and take a scythe to the grass.

It needs new paint and shingles, and the vines should be trimmed and tied;

But what it needs the most of all is some people living inside. 

If I had a lot of money and all my debts were paid

I'd put a gang of men to work with brush and saw and spade.

I'd buy that place and fix it up the way it used to be

And I'd find some people who wanted a home and give it to them free. 

Now, a new house standing empty, with staring window and door,

Looks idle, perhaps, and foolish, like a hat on its block in the store.

But there's nothing mournful about it; it cannot be sad and lone

For the lack of something within it that it has never known. 

But a house that has done what a house should do,

a house that has sheltered life,

That has put its loving wooden arms around a man and his wife,

A house that has echoed a baby's laugh and held up his stumbling feet,

Is the saddest sight, when it's left alone, that ever your eyes could meet. 

So whenever I go to Suffern along the Erie track

I never go by the empty house without stopping and looking back,

Yet it hurts me to look at the crumbling roof and the shutters fallen apart,

For I can't help thinking the poor old house is a house with a broken heart.

 

This poem is in the public domain.

 

Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886 – 1918) is best known for his poem, "Trees,"  but he actually produced quite a large volume of work. Had his life not ended so tragically early, many believe he would have developed into one of America's great poets. Joyce married young and fathered five children even as he was establishing himself as a teacher, writer, and lecturer. While coping with the illness of one of their children, Joyce and his wife converted from the Episcopal faith to Catholocism and he ultimately became the leading Catholic poet of his time. When World War I broke out, Joyce enlisted and had contracted to write a book about his war experiences. Unfortunately, he was killed on a French battlefield before he ever even began the book; he was only 31 when he died. Interesting side note: Joyce's father worked for Johnson & Johnson and is credited with inventing that company's famous baby powder.

 

Our Peers

 Butch and I went to Darrell's Place in Hamlin Iowa to have lunch with longtime friend Sherri Clark. Darrell's Place is at the intersection of Hwy's 71 and 44.  It had been a long time since we had been there and we came away impressed. The food is famous-breaded pork tenderloins- and delicious! They are not the biggest ones we have ever seen and that's okay. I am not impressed by size. I like mine about a half-inch thick and tender. We three ordered tenderloins and fries. I ordered sweet potato fries and they were also done perfectly. To back up a bit, our first pleasant surprise was the prices. My tenderloin sandwich was $5.25 and I added the fries for $2.50. It is rare indeed to see those kinds of prices these days. They are also famous for their homemade pies. We had lemon meringue and it too was a "wow" experience. The visit, the food, and the drive were all pleasant events. It would not take much coaxing to get me there again.

On the way home Butch and I were talking about different things and I said, "All our peers are disappearing." I tickled myself. Would that be considered a pun? Unfortunately, it is true but also the road we are traveling down.

This is Iowa

"This is Iowa" features Jefferson's own Robby Pederson. Robby's parents live across the street from us. If you are coming to Jefferson you should put this on your todo list. For the really old folk Robby' s place is where Milligan's Lumberyard was located.

Check out this This is Iowa story from Beau Bowman KCCI:

https://www.kcci.com/.../this-is-iowa-jefferson.../62378846

Howard Zimmerle's Work

 Howard is my cousin, his father and my mother were siblings. Photography, among many other things, is his hobby, and I am frequently blown away by the shots he captures. This one knocked my socks off! It has everything going for it.