Happy Birthday Elise!!

She is officially  four, unofficially twenty. 

Today's Project

People frequently ask us about our bed. After living 10 years in an RV and sleeping on an RV bed I decided that was the way to go in our tiny home. That and I could not fathom giving up all that storage space under the bed. Butch took the measurements from our RV bed and duplicated them in the house. And the result is what you see here. The IKEA headboard works very well too.  I do think I need some artistic feature above the headboard and will keep that in mind for the future.

Journal entries

I keep this blog as a journal and on occasion I refer back to it for info concerning time, places and events. I also use my google calendar for that.

Yesterday we had the carpet cleaned in the motorhome. We used the same fellow this year as last. He asked me to give him an evaluation online and I agreed to do so but could not remember his name and all he did was initial my statement. I eventually found it using google search. Business name is Heavens Best and his name is Loren Turner. He did an excellent job. Motorhome is clean and ready for its next excursion whenever that may be.

Next I finally managed to get some organizing done. I worked on inventory and organizing my Swedish Weaving supplies. Next is doing the same thing with my beading supplies. That one will take longer.

Butch has been taking the beginning steps in getting the 3 season room started by contacting the right people for the many steps it will take. He is also getting some golf played in between rain showers. Last year we had a rainy Spring and then it did not rain the rest of the summer. It will be interesting to see if that pattern repeats this year. It would be helpful to us in room building but not so helpful to the farmers.

Panora and Lake Panorama were hit hard with the Sunday night storm. We used to live on Lake Panorama and still have friends in that area. We have been thinking of them and wondering how hard they were hit. The area has been deluged with storm lookers so we have not gone down and added to the chaos. Might today though.

Jason and Laura brought me a big bouquet of flowers and this small one. Jason made it from a light bulb. So save those old light bulbs! Jason has also become a fan of Pinterest. This is my noncomputer son so this was a surprise. All it takes to become computer/Internet interested is the right button!

Safe and Sound

It was a stormy Mother's Day but we made it through unscathed. Not so true for Panora and Lake Panorama, located 26 miles south of us. It is a big plus that no lives were lost. Just things.
We did go out to Leo and Keri's where they have a cozy basement but only because the news guys were telling us to take cover. Our cover spot is not as comfy as Leo and Keri's. We went out and visited for a time and then came home.
Earlier in the day Jason and Laura came over for a visit and flowered me up for Mother's day. Having the kids here is always a treat.
Just a quick note to assure you we are A-Okay.

Butt Roast revisited

First night we each enjoyed sliced roast beast and a salad. The next day I cut up and froze a fair portion into cubes to be enjoyed later either in a stew or beef and noodles and we enjoyed a few more slices of roast beef and au jus along with another salad. So tonight we had quinoa and brown rice.
I first sliced and chopped onion, carrot and green pepper, about 2 cups of it and sauteed them in olive oil until tender. Then I added the package of quinoa and brown rice I purchased at Costco. Lastly I added the final slices of beef and broth to the mix and heated through. Very delicious!

Big Leo's Photos

Leo and Keri are in Omaha for their son in laws graduation. Graduation from what? I really do not know but on Facebook his sister in law Erin says he is a Lab Scientist. So there you go!
Leo sent some pictures:

Joe and Emily- Still newlyweds!

Brady Westergard

Noah and Brady

Brady

Clean and Clear

The moho is cleaned except for the carpet and that will be done on Monday. It feels good to have that wrapped up.
The clear is that we did not get any severe weather. The tornado warning siren did sound but the weather was all around us . It did pour down in buckets for a short time but when Butch checked the gauge there was a mere 3/8 of an inch.

The rain made an interesting picture with the sun coming out while it was still raining. The sun shining created a pretty light effect on the fiber optic strands of the 'head'.

Really there is not much happening around here or it would appear so to the unenlightened. We are both busy and trying to catch up. The uninteresting part is that it is mundane and important only to us. I sort of feel like we are not fully settled in yet. Seems strange since we have been here ... I started to say a month but actually it has only been two and one half weeks. Whew! That makes me feel better! Not as far behind as I thought.

Butt Roast

We bought a big butt roast at Fareway yesterday. They were on sale. So early this morning I prepared it for the crockpot and in so doing used my first carrot from the valley. The ones I wrap in foil that last a very long time. This particular carrot was as fresh as the day I wrapped it around the first of April.
So here is the tip: Wrap celery or carrots in aluminum foil and they will last and be fresh for months. I have done it many times over with great success. The secret is to not wash the vegetables ahead of time or if you do make sure they are dry before wrapping. With celery do take it out of the plastic it comes in before wrapping. The celery I used today was purchased at H.E.B. in Weslaco Texas before we left Texas on April 10th and it was just as fresh as the day I bought it. I used a few stalks and returned the wrapped celery back to the fridge for next time. It has been years since I have thrown out celery because it was 'old'. Thought you would like to know...

Boring...

Still walking and whittling away at making order out of chaos in the motorhome. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I am hoping I can wrap it up tomorrow. Then I can do the same in the house ultimately moving on to something even more fun!
I live on my dreams of getting my ducks in a row. The fuzzy little things keep wandering off on me!
We are also looking at the possibility of severe weather tomorrow. It goes along with living in the Midwest but after being away from it for awhile it takes a little more getting used to.

Catching up

Been getting my walks in and adding trash pick up to the mix. Do they call that cross training? Today was day three for picking up trash and from now on it will be either new trash or perhaps stuff I missed. The county man came by as I was on my return trip and thanked me for helping out. I appreciated the appreciation.

We now have new windshields in the car and the motorhome. The motorhome was finished just a few minutes ago. That big expanse of glass in the front seems to catch rocks all the time. This is the second windshield replacement on the driver side. I hope we do not have a third incident.

Butch has been mowing and golfing, his two favorite activities. My current activity other than walking is cleaning and sorting in the motorhome. I will transfer that to the house soon. So as soon as this post gets posted I will be back at it.
Jason gave me a fountain he had put together a few years ago. It will not be in its permanent home till the new room is completed and the landscaping finished in the back yard but I can still enjoy it. Butch has it running as I write this. It is not quite warm enough to have the windows open to enjoy the tinkling sound of water but it will be soon.

Big Saturday

Butch went out to Leo and Keri's in the morning to mow so I walked on the bike trail. It seems like a very long two miles without my walking buddy, Colleen. I took my camera along and snapped a few shots.

LOCOMOTIVE TURNTABLE-below

Built in 1881. The round block of concrete was used as the center pivot  for a turntable on  which narrow gauge locomotives and tenders were turned around.

The Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific railroad from Des Moines was eventually extended to Spirit Lake.

                                   Spring in Iowa on the trail

                                     Plum Blossoms

                            A mile and a few tenths from this sign to home

                              Asked this fellow to pose and he did.

Butch came home at noon and Jason called asking if I would play golf if Laura came along and played too. Butch had asked me earlier if I wanted him to buy a family membership. $200 as opposed to $150 for a single. After much thought and consideration I said yes. So yesterday was my first day. I have to play at least 4 more times to get my money's worth. So the four of us played. I would have to say I just played at it. I forgot to take water and that was a mistake but otherwise it went fairly smooth.

After golf we came back to Jefferson and had a sandwich. Very enjoyable day with the kids. Always is.

Crime Scene-see prior entry

Bird Incident

Butch was on his computer ...in the closet and I was in the bathroom when something hit the side of the house hard. Very hard. On investigation a small bird of prey, not sure what it was, had grabbed a smaller bird that in its fright flew into our window on the west side door. This place is where the room will be when we get to it. There is a very distinct bird shape on the door window. Can you see it?

Rain

We waited all day for it to dry up enough to get our walk in. It never did. The ray of sunshine in the day is the type of rain coming down. It was an all day slow and gentle rain. Perfect for maximum benefit. We have been in a very dry area for 2-3 years so this was a special rain. I fixed a big pot of chili and it was the perfect meal for the day too. It really hit the spot.
We watched a couple of movies on Netflix to fill in the afternoon. We have plenty to do but it involves trips back and forth to the motorhome and I would prefer to have it dry. Less tracking.
They say there is more of the same tomorrow.

Dad argues with Toddler

I have told several people about this video. No relation to us...just funny and so typical.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMR2aFyt86Q

Getting settled

April in the house is much better than April in the motorhome. I glanced to my right to see the indoor/outdoor thermometer and it is registering a flat 40 degrees outside. Hard to be enthused about getting yard work done at that temperature. We did get a two mile walk in this morning while it was still a balmy 47 degrees. I decided I simply could not wait for it to warm up to start walking.

This afternoon Butch started work on a Bucket cooler AC. We have hopes that it will be getting hot enough to need one in the future. Here is a video of what I am talking about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSLbpAwibg
 I like the one in the video better but we had difficulty locating the parts so Jason gave us an old cooler he had and Butch modified the idea to make it work. Butch could use this in the garage when it is hot if he wants to work out there or we could loan it to a friend of ours who does not have AC in her house. It could possibly give her a better nights sleep some July evening.
So here we sit waiting for warm...waiting...and waiting.

Keri and Brady

              Brady wants to drive. He has a good start. He can blow the horn!

Most unusual

We experienced a Midwestern thunderstorm this afternoon. Most unusual. As a rule the thunderstorms in South Texas are on the wimpy side, at least in the winter months. We have not been there during hurricane season, nor do we want to be. Midwestern thunderstorms are rambunctious in comparison. When it has been awhile since such a storm has been experienced it is cause for pause. Not that we were scared or anything. It wan't quite that bad...just noticeable.

This morning we installed the IKEA headboard. Pictures will be forthcoming when I get the completed package ready for viewing.
There seems to be a fair amount of interest in our bed due to the fact we copied it off our RV bed. I plan to do a "feature" on it. I do need to inventory the storage items hidden beneath it. You take 5-6 months away from half of your belongings and you lose track of what you have and where it is. I do not imagine that will improve with age.

Also I made an inventory and spreadsheet of my canned goods. When your supplies are spread all over the place it is hard to keep track of what you do and do not have on hand, thus ending up with duplicates. For the minute I feel in control of the situation. We'll see how long that lasts.

To back up a bit, Yesterday we ate lunch at Pizza Ranch with Leo and Keri, their daughter Erin and grandson Brady. It had been quite awhile since we had seen Erin and Brady so it was great getting caught up. That Brady is growing like a weed. He will be two in July. We started a game with Brady where he was in control of what we did. He would raise one arm and we would all follow suit. Two arms up and we all complied. He thought this was a real hoot being the leader of all these silly adults.

I snipped a couple of Amanda's photos from Facebook. I found out that Papa Gary counts on me doing that because he is not a Facebook guy but keeps track of the blog. I now feel it is more important to keep that up.
So here they are...

Doesn't this look peaceful...

This boy loves his food.

Up to Snuff

I think I am close to being fully up to snuff. Today I did a variety of boring things, like cleaning out flower beds, cleaning some of the motorhome, resewing the mattress in the motorhome. Some of you know about the last item. The new mattress we bought last summer had a malfunction. The main cover on the basic mattress split on the side. I chatted with Overstock and after much hassling back and forth they gave me a $50 compensation. Hey, it started at $20! At any rate something still had to be done. I decided to try sewing it back together with quilting thread and we did that today. I was amazed and pleased with how well it worked. Looks good as new and it appears that it will hold.
Late afternoon Leo called...that would be Big Leo...and he wanted to get a walk in so we walked on the bike trail. I would say we walked a short 2 miles and then we joined Keri at the local BBQ restaurant for supper. We enjoyed the meal and great conversation.
Butch took the checkbook out to pay his dues at the golf course. He came home and said, "That didn't work." It seems we were out of checks and I had not noticed. Perhaps I am not completely back to normal after all.

I am also in the process of shopping for insurance. Dirty job but every now and then you simply must do it. When we turned in our two claims for the windshield-one on the car and one on the motorhome we found out we have a $500 deductible on comprehensive. Butch did not realize this. In the olden days glass was always taken care of. Somewhere the change went past us, so we are looking at $1000 for the two windshields. It seemed our premium was rather high as well thus the search. That is still a work in progress and most likely will be for awhile. Hey, we are retired. We can do this. Still a pain in the butt.
So that was our Friday.
All days are better for me than last Sunday. Of that I am positive!
Add on: I thought I had already posted this. It went into drafts without me noticing...but its here now!

Overview

It isn't often that I blow off the blog but this week I have blown off the blog. I had much bigger issues going on. And they still are to some degree. I have a minimal appetite and no urge to snack. That alone should tell you that I am not up to my usual self. I am regaining my health but it has been much slower than I expect. Cannot quite say it is behind me but I am closer. Yesterday about a half hour on the computer wore me out. But today I have been on it trying to catch up for much longer periods.
Yes, I did have a flu shot for those who wonder. But I do not think flu shots are supposed to stave off stomach flu...unfortunately.
Till next time...

Off My Camera

After Nap Snack

                                 Leo loves to wrestle bears!

                                and open gates...

                                  Toy construction

                                  Just a swingin'

                                Yup, I am one.

                              Papa Gary naps

Redbuds through window

                                       Mom and Dad went to Mexico

Picture Catch up

Amanda and Elise

Elise shares her art work at school. 

Ethan on his egg hunt. Papa Jason helps Ethan. Ethan is becoming such a grown up!

Elise loves "Frozen".

Siblings and good friends.

Leo at one! Been walking for a month!

Leo loves food.

Easter egg hunt for Leo.

It boggles my mind, the things these youngsters do at such a young age.

I'm Alive! I'm Alive!

I am starting to feel like I may get back my "youthful" vigor. It has not been a fun journey and I do not know how anyone who was the least bit frail could make it through with that ugly bug. I am also way behind on everything and I will not be rushing to catch up. I will take my own sweet time.
So after a bit more healing time you will get another post.
The greatgrands were delightful and there are plenty of pictures available and I will post ASAP.

Easter Sunday stomach flu

I am alive but not perky. Yesterday I thought I would die. Today is better but not good. We are headed for Iowa today. Butch will have to get us there on his own. I am not much help. No more posts till I am well.

Peculiarly Located

We have made it to Missouri! A whole day and one night without Internet. We went out to supper with Marilynn and her grandson Graem in Norman OK last night. Marilynn was our supervisor at Snow Mountain Ranch. Marilynn's husband Sam had a severe stroke last December. Their life has been very different since then. We had a good supper and a nice visit getting caught up.
Butch and I stayed at the Riverwind casino parking lot. We awoke at 4:30 AM and decided to get a head start on our trip to Missouri. My night vision is not good so I prayed that Butch's was better and off we went. We did miss much morning traffic but there are certainly quite a few people on the road at that hour. I was surprised. Our whole trip plan was off on the 2014 north journey. We like to travel on weekends and go through cities on Sunday's- preferably Sunday Mornings. That did not happen at any time this spring and we certainly noticed the difference in traffic.
We will be with our Missouri kids, grandkids and greatgrands for the holiday weekend and head on up to Jefferson on Monday AM.
Getting caught up will take some time so look for kiddo pics in the next few days. One great one I snipped today.