Feeling Safe!

The wedding afghan is finished and I am quite pleased with it. I know when I am safe in posting on here as the recipients do not keep track of us old codgers. Now I might get caught if I had posted it on Facebook or MySpace.

Jason's Frog

Jason was mowing last weekend and "rescued" a frog. Of course he had to bring it in to show Laura and I his plump little friend.

It has been driven

This was when we picked up the car and were transferring all the junk from the Saturn to the Sante Fe

I drove it today(Hyundai Sante Fe). No problem. A little rough around the edges but it wasn't too bad.


I went on the bike trail this afternoon and got rained on. Thank goodness it wasn't like the rain we were in yesterday when we went to Atlantic to get my mammies grammed...and my hair cut.

Butch's computer finally bit the big one...the really big one. There is no fixing the problems it has. I have mine diagnosed(by me)...sort of. I think the modem quits on occasion and then starts again. Of course there is never a good time for that to happen. Hey, when you want it, you want it. So if you see a big gap in communication from me and I do not answer direct question emails you can bet I am without internet and I am shopping for a new one.

Here we are!

This was taken by Laura at the Brooker Family Reunion. Not often do I approve of pictures we have taken but this one I do.

We pick it up today

Another trip to the big city to get our new car. I laid awake for a couple of hours during the night thinking about "manual transmission". Oh well, what will be, will be.
I am on the final finishing edges of granddaughter Ann's wedding afghan. So stay tuned for pictures of our new and finished stuff around here.
Rode the bike trail again yesterday. Need to take my camera as there are some really cool pictures of shady glens.
Till next time...

Tomatoes and Cukes

Rainy Day in Iowa. Mickey gave me some tomatoes and cucumbers yesterday and then we came home and found some tomatoes on our step from an anonymous donor. So this morning I thoroughly enjoyed a BLT for breakfast and then for lunch I had a tortilla wrap with ham, cucumbers and tomatoes. Plans for supper include diced tomatoes,cucumbers and cottage cheese and a grilled Iowa Chop if it isn't raining!
If you happen to be in a hot weather area a refreshing drink is ice water with cucumber slices. I enjoyed this at a spa in Glenwood Springs CO a year ago. You will want it in a clear glass to get the full cool experience!

Car deal

The car got finalized today. Had trouble finding one. We ended up with a Hyundai Sante Fe-beige in color. The Saturn was used as a trade-in. We cannot get it until Monday or Tuesday because it is currently in Olathe KS. I will have the challenge of learning to use a manual shift again. It has been many, many years since we had the VW. I am hoping it comes back to me easily and quickly.
Settling into life in Iowa is easy as we had mucho years of practice before leaving! We loved the idea of finding a spot to buy in little Cooper Iowa but Cooper doesn't have very good or abundant water so that isn't an easy prospect. We have only begun to look however. Our list of wants are:
1. Good and abundant water supply
2. On or near the bike trail. Within 1 mile
3. Preferably rural so that it would not matter if we didn't mow the yard for 2 months.
I did find a spot at the very end of the bike trail that is intriguing but that would be in the town of Jefferson. I have the name of this spot if we ever find it. Summerset...think about it!


I have been out on the bike trail two times so far and it is the same trail I know and love. The section from Winkelman's switch to the Raccoon River bridge is a 1 1/2 mile downhill float. I really love that stretch.
Today I visited with my lifelong friend Mickey while Butch did his car dealing. That is FAR more fun than car dealing.

He did it.

Butch bought a car- Hyundai Santa Fe- manual transmission. That will be a new experience for me. I used to drive a VW years ago so it isn't like I have never driven one but it has been a good many years. The car happens to be in Kansas so we do not have it yet. Maybe Friday, they said.
We did take a short ride on the Bike Trail yesterday. Rode to Winklemans Switch and back, including the trip to where our home is parked it would be about a 7 mile trip. It felt good to be out there again.

My friend Mickey is in Minnesota with her daughter who had surgery; at least I think she is. May give her a call here in a minute or so to see if she is back in Clive.

Received an email from Marilynn at Snow Mountain Ranch. It seems they are getting along without us!. I knew the new people would be good at it and they are. Graeme celebrated his 11th birthday. She sent pictures so I will get them on the SMR blog.

I have an appointment for a haircut today. It has been about 10 weeks since I have had a professional haircut. Butch does a decent job in a pinch.

Cleaned house yesterday and worked on Ann's wedding afghan. It is getting near the completion end of things.
Oh Yes, Butch golfed yesterday. Anybody surprised?

Ain't it Funny...

...How Time Slips Away.
We have been in Jefferson a week and today. We promised to help Leo clean his large building in preparation for the Brooker Family Reunion so that was the first order of business. And as those things usually go it took the better part of the week.
The family reunion was a big hit and lots of fun. Three fun filled days!
Yesterday was catch up day.(Laundry) And today is also catch up day. (Pictures, Webshots,Blog and computer) It is amazing how quickly it can all get away from you.

Butch is pictured here looking over the display of old photos.


Mexican Train played by family members. JoAnn J., Nancy B.,Nancy C.,Dick J.and Gary C.


Butch is off to the city of Des Moines today to buy a car. He must be serious as he even took a blank check with him. Car buying is way low on my list of fun things to do so I am staying here in the mobile home park on the north side of Jefferson Iowa.
I still haven't ventured to the bike trail but it is about next on my list.

I am not feeling settled in yet. It seems to take longer some places more than others. Maybe once I get all my loose ends tied together...

Here is a link to the Webshots Brooker Family Reunion Album.
http://community.webshots.com/user/barbie1943
Anyone wanting prints of these photos or any other photos can get them directly from Webshots. It is easy to do and the quality is good. Also inexpensive. I recently ordered pictures from them. I ordered 17 pictures including 3 or 4 5x7's and it was less than $10 with S & H.

About Bears

About a week before we left Snow Mountain Ranch a camper approached us in the morning to relate her bear story. She said it was 3:30 AM and she needed to go to the bathroom. Her husband was awake when she left the tent. As she rounded the corner she saw a black shape next to the sinks/garbage cans. The motion light came on and she saw a big bear. The bear ran away from her. She went into the restroom but was afraid to go back to her tent. She was hoping her husband would notice she was gone a long time and come looking for her. He didn't. She finally returned to her tent. When asked how large the bear was she said its back was even with the top of the garbage container. That would be a large bear.
We had a rain storm the day before we left and there was a BIG foot print on the back road in Geronimo Campground. It is pictured here. Butch's hand gives perspective. Click on it for a closer look

Polishing Up

Yesterday we helped Leo do some polishing up getting ready for the family reunion this weekend.
We are staying at a mobile home park on the north side of Jefferson. 108 E Central St. Lot # 2. Being in town I have better and quicker access to the bike trail. I can hop on the bike and go. Haven't been there yet but hope to soon. Maybe Monday...

Been off line

I have been off line for a few days. Traveling is sometimes like that. We are in Jefferson Iowa. Big Brooker family reunion this week end. It will be fun seeing many people we have not seen for ages. Then we will be in Iowa for the next couple of months. We are on a quest. We plan to look for a small piece of property near the bike trail and near Jefferson/Cooper Iowa. We do not know at this time if it will all work out but we are going to look into it. Our plans are to have 2 to 4 RV hook ups so our RVing friends can come visit us and join us in the fun stuff like biking and golfing or perhaps just visiting.
I read the article below and enjoyed it very much. Butch and I are Netflix members and we too enjoy the movies we can see both old and new. When I hear of a movie we might like to see I add it to our queue and we know we will see it sooner or later.
Enjoy this little stroll down memory lane!
AT THE MIDDLE PASSAGE

By Walter Mills


At the Movies

This has been the summer of Netflix, of old movies delivered by mail two
or three times a week. This is like being set loose in the candy store,
like summer nights at the Breezeway drive-in theater with the car
windows down and a pillow to curl up on when I was four years old, the
big screen seen through a shimmer of heat haze.

This is like the old movie house on Krome Avenue in downtown Homestead
with the “We Are Air-Conditioned” sign on the door, a rarity in South
Florida in the 1950s. I saw my first sit-down movie there, in the cool,
something with alien creatures with large brainy heads. I’ll try to
track it down again this summer.

After movies downtown, we could walk past the barbershop where I got my
hair cut and get a soda at the open air cigarette and magazine store
that had no front wall, only a metal gate they closed at night. Coming
into town with a quarter in my pocket on a Friday night with my family,
strolling down the avenue past the drugstore with its big lighted
windows, past the Western Auto store, looking in with longing at the big
rubber tired bicycles hanging on racks and the wall of baseball gloves,
then seeing a movie and afterward eating a purple snow cone at the
cigarette shop up the street, well, I could walk on that street forever
and never be bored. Who needs Broadway? Who needs Manhattan?

This summer is like walking home in the Texas twilight with my older
brother and sister after seeing “Mr. Sardonicus,” a horror movie from
the late fifties, and being terrified by my brother twisting his face
into the horrible mask of Sardonicus to scare me. I’ll leave that off
my movie list.

And it is like going to the 10-cent movie on the naval base in
Millington, Tennessee, with my whole family to see the musical “Li’l
Abner” based on the characters I studied every Sunday morning on the
comic pages. After the movie we took paper sacks to the grove of pecan
trees near the theater and filled them with the windfall pecans. To
this day I associate pecans with autumn in Tennessee and the lost comics
of childhood.

I remember all the theaters: from the rundown movie houses with sticky
floors showing Saturday matinees to teenagers in Key West, Florida, to
the glorious Castro theater with its Mighty Wurlitzer organ rising up
out of the stage in San Francisco. I especially remember the weekend
shows at the Naro Theater on Colley Avenue in the old part of Norfolk,
Virginia, the great double bills, and the restaurants on the avenue open
late and music in the cafès.

This summer is like coming out of the movie house after hours of
darkness on a Saturday afternoon when you are twelve and being surprised
that there is still daylight. It is disorienting like that and a little
self-indulgent, like too many trips to the candy counter, and it is
good, like summer nights at the drive-in theater with your parents when
you were four.




(The above column originally appeared in the Centre Daily Times and is
copyright © 2009 by Walter Mills. All rights reserved worldwide. To
contact Walt, address your emails to awmills@verizon.net ).
_______________________________________

Freeze-Ahead Farmer’s Market Soup Mix

Freeze-Ahead
Farmer’s Market Soup Mix
This takes longer to read than to make, so bear with me. Make a huge soup kettle of this basic mixture and freeze it in batches suitable for your family. Each 3/4 cup of mix makes a two-cup serving of soup after “completers” are added. Enlist the family to peel and chop or just put everything through the food processor.

3 tablespoons canola or olive oil
2 bunches celery, trimmed and chopped
2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
6 medium onions, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2-pound head cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 pounds diced vegetables*
4 cans, 28 ounces each, diced tomatoes in juice
3 cartons, 1 quart each, broth **
Heat the oil in a big kettle and add vegetables gradually, stir-frying over high heat. When vegetables are limp, add the broth and tomatoes, cover, reduce heat and simmer until everything is tender. Soup will be thick. Freeze in batches to suit your family.

* The more variety, the more colorful the soup.
** Chicken, vegetable or beef broth, store-bought or homemade.

To make each serving of soup in camp:
3/4 cup Farmer’s Market Soup mix, thawed
3/4 cup water, broth or tomato juice
½ cup total add-ons (see below)


Suggested add-ons:
* Protein: canned chunk chicken, ham or turkey. Diced tofu. Diced leftover meat. Canned beans (unseasoned). Sausage crumbles, real or vegetarian.
* Starch: cooked rice, diced potatoes, noodles, broken spaghetti, tortillas cut in strips.
* Flavor makers: Add Italian seasoning to taste and garnish with shaved Parmesan. Add chili powder and diced chiles for a Mex-Tex touch. Pass sherry, hot sauce or Worcestershire. Top soup with showers of minced parsley or cilantro. Top with oyster crackers and pass the sherry. Or, just add salt and pepper.

Yesterday at Hot Sulphur Springs

Yesterday I went with Marilynn and her grandson Graem to Hot Sulphur Springs. After spending some time in the pool pictured here I decided to move on to another pool. When I got there a chipmunk was frantically trying to get out! The sides were slippery and he could not get out no matter where he went. I made a loop with my camera strap and followed him around the edge. He grabbed a hold of it and I pulled him out. We were both relieved! He is pictured below shortly after his ordeal.


Below is a rock formation with the seeping sulphur-laden water. After our soak and swim we went to the Stagecoach Bed and Breakfast for lunch. Naomi the owner is no longer serving lunch but she made an exception for us followed by a tour of the historic old hotel. It is a very interesting place.

Butch played golf. I understand he came within 6 inches of making a hole in one. Otherwise what can you say about golf. Same stuff, different day.

An Anniversary Album

These are in no particular order.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Peach Crisp

Betty Crocker
Peach Crisp-Only 3 ingredients!
Honorable Mention - Contest Recipe 2009! Making fruit crisp has just become the easiest! With three ingredients and 10 minutes, you can have a cozy fruit crisp ready for the oven.
Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 40 min
Makes: 6 servings


1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 cup cold butter
5 cups frozen sliced peaches, thawed and drained, or 1 can (29 oz) sliced peaches, drained

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, place cookie mix. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
2. In ungreased 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart round casserole, place peaches. Sprinkle cookie mixture over peaches.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm or cool.

Variation
Why just use peaches? Experiment with other fruits or fruit combos.
Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 650 (Calories from Fat 170); Total Fat 19g (Saturated Fat 10g, Trans Fat 1/2g); Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 440mg; Total Carbohydrate 113g (Dietary Fiber 5g, Sugars 77g); Protein 7g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 20%; Vitamin C 160%; Calcium 0%; Iron 10% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 1 Fruit; 4 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 3 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 7 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Our 50th

Our wedding was 8:00 PM. I spent the day getting ready for it. Butch baled hay all day. It was hot and sunny. Today we are working in the campground but we have had several surprise visitors bearing gifts. A bottle of wine...a new frog planter etc. It has been a good day...but then they all are!

Odd Choices

One of Denvers Homeless


Two Boys Fishing on Grand Lake

Osprey on Grand Lake

Click on picture for full affect.
Note the "face" in the rocks behind the osprey. Sometimes there are surprises.

Rockies Game

Butch and Mike discuss the game


Group Photo

Silverthorne trip

Geez!

My followers may have given up on me! Yesterday Butch and I drove to Silverthorne CO. to the outlet stores. I wanted to go to a Harry & Davids which we did. Picked up some Pepper and Onion Relish. It is a beautiful drive over there and back.
Today we are going to a Rockies game. woo. Do I want to go...hmmm not really. But it is a good place to people watch.
The wildflowers here always knock me out. They are everywhere and very beautiful. Our "yard" looks like a carefully planted garden. Au Naturel!!

Blue Ridge Pinked

Angel in the Light

Baby Delaney Jones

Her grandma is a friend of mine. Isn't she a beauty!

Little Guy

My guess is he learned to walk this past week. Cute!!!

Ballgame in Fraser CO

Teneice gets a hit!


The umpire is drinking beer while calling the game.

Prize Winning Elk Photos

Taken this week at Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park

Gary And Susan

Gary And Susan visit Snow Mountain Ranch. This past week we had visitors and thus no posts. We were busy taking in as many local attractions as possible. This was taken at Adam's Falls in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park

Nina's Baptism by Grandpa Rich

Ethan's on YouTube

7 1/2 months old 07-02-09 Ethan kept spitting his binky out and mama was saying "you keep it in your mouth" and he kept laughing hysterically!

Butch and Gary at Adam's Falls

At the Waterfall

Gary and Susan are visiting and yesterday we walked to the waterfall on Snow Mountain Ranch. It is about a 3 mile walk up and back.

A New Kind of Coleslaw

I took this recipe that a Canadian friend gave me last winter to the July 3rd/4th senior volunteer potluck and many people asked for the recipe. I understand because I love it myself. And it is so easy and quick to fix for a gathering. Enjoy!

Recipe: Coleslaw 7/4/2009
Category: Side dish
Author: Judy Hunt

1 PKG. Coleslaw Mix
1 10 oz. frozen peas
1 small jar of dry roasted peanuts (I used about a cup)
1/4 C diced onion
Dressing:
1/3 C Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4 C sugar or sugar substitute(I used Splenda)
1 C Vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 Tsp poppy seeds

Mix dressing ingredients and pour over salad and toss just before serving.
Yummy!!

Old timey July 4th

I 'borrowed' this old time photo of a 4th of July picnic in 1945 from the Des Moines Register. As a child I attended many of these affairs with my parents as I am sure many of you did as well. There would be a big roaster full of fried chicken, prepared at home by mom. Actually all the food had been prepared at home and then transported to the picnic site.

Declaration of Independence

From friend Judith Raglin:
Ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

24 were lawyers and jurists. 11 were merchants, 9 were farmers and plantation owners; men of means.

They signed the Declaration of Independence knowing that the penalty was death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

The British hounded Thomas McKeam. He kept his family in hiding. He served in Congress without pay. His possessions were taken. Poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., urged General George Washington to open fire on HIS OWN HOME where the British had set up headquarters. The home was destroyed. Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis; home and properties were destroyed. His wife died in jail within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and gristmill were laid to waste. He lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

Some of us take these liberties we have so much for granted, but we shouldn't.
Take a few minutes while preparing for and enjoying your 4th of July holiday.

Silently thank these patriots. Remember: freedom is never free!

Bird Watchers

These three little ones are trying to get a hummingbird to land on their finger. They worked at it a very long time.

Old Ned's Story

This just tells all of us as we MATURE what we have to endure. This man
lives in Washington state.

My Twitter won't Tweet

Things are spiraling out of control. I think I have become lost in a world
of electronic madness.

One of my sons informed me this week that my cell phone has become obsolete
and I must head down to the Cell Phone store and get a phone that is
contemporary with the time.

I pointed out that the fancy Razor/Slim line phone with camera built in that
he made me trade my perfectly good flip-top Motorola cell phone for two
years ago still works perfectly fine. Well, except for the camera thing.
Never could figure that out.. Even the few times I actually did take
pictures I couldn't figure what to do with them and gave up. That is except
when I would push the wrong button and take a video of the ceiling or my
feet.

Seems the issue is that I am unable to text with the tiny little 3 character
buttons. "Hi, son," would come out looking like, "Gh mo." My grandkids
have even spoken to my wife about Poppa's crazy text messages. Give me a
break. Whatever happened to actually talking on a phone? Isn't that what
they were invented for?

They want me to get one of those phones that you can turn upside down and
sideways and has a typewriter keyboard with keys about one-eighth the size
of my pinky finger. One of my four sons is a realtor whose real occupation
is fly-fishing. "Way to go, son." Or in text language, "Xbz um Io, rmo."

We were floating the Yakima River in his guide quality drift boat south of
Ellensburg, Washington. We were miles from anything remotely resembling
civilization. Rock canyon walls were on either side of us. Bear with me, I'll
try to explain this strange thing.

His "Blackberry" rang. It was blue and I asked him why it wasn't called a
Blueberry. He shook his head with that 'dealing with an elder despair' look
I get a lot these days. It was another realtor who called to say that the
sellers he represented had agreed to my son's client's changes and he had
the signed documents in hand.

My son told him to FAX the papers to his office and he would get them signed
and Faxed back, to close the deal that morning. A minute later the phone
rang and he hit a few buttons and looked over the FAX, now on the Yakima
River with us. He then called his clients and told them he was Faxing the
papers to them to sign and asked them to FAX them back to his office. While
he was waiting, he hooked into a fat rainbow and was just releasing this 22
inch beauty as his phone rang again with the signed FAX from his clients.

He called the other realtor and told him he was sending the signed papers
back by FAX. The deal was closed. He smiled and just said, "You are a little
behind the times, Dad."

I thought about the sixty million dollar a year business I ran with 1800
employees, all without a Blackberry that played music, took videos, pictures
and communicated with Facebook and Twitter. I signed up under duress for
Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouse, 13 grandkids and 2
great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I
could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of
space.

That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree,
Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and
something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program
within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything
except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to
live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.

The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost
every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that
in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone I am
supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line
at Barnes and Nobles talking to my wife as everyone in the nearest 50 yards
was glaring at me. Seems I have to take my hearing aid out to use it and
got a little loud.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside was
the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10
minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-ul-ating" You would think
that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would
let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light.
Then when I would make a right turn instead, it was not good.

When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the
cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy,
the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless
phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't
figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around
digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry
baskets when the phone rings.

The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every
time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on
something themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check
out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth re-usable bags
to avoid looking confused but never remember to take them in with me.

Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me,"Paper or Plastic?" I just
say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual." Then it's their turn to
stare at me with a blank look.

Have a nice weekend

Old Ned

Garden of the Gods

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our work week

Our work week (4 days) is half over. The campground is full but these people are busy having fun so not much of a bother to us.
I have been working on backing up the computer and I think I have it done. That means I can sleep a little easier tonight. The proof will be when I have the new computer in hand and I am trying to transfer it all.
Till next time...

Computer problems

I am on Butch's computer. The one I thought was going to die 4 to 5 years ago. Mine is hanging up in start up. It gets to that spot and then stalls. If I try enough times it might start but I feel it has a limited number of attempts left and I do not have my stuff transferred to the new external hard drive just yet. I plan to wait for son Gary to help me. The best computer buys I have seen have been in south Texas around Christmas and I had hoped to wait till then for a new purchase. We will see. I am not sure I have the patience for that long.

Field Trip

We are off to the Garden of the Gods today. You can expect a bunch of photos tomorrow if my computer will let me. A new computer IS in my future.