Bug repellant results

I mixed up my first batch of bug repellant today. I think it will work but have not given it a good test yet. There is a BIG mosquito in my house named Butch that is repelled by it! 

He thought he needed to go outside due to the strong odor of the mixture. So you see why I think it will work! 

Leo's Ducks

Big Leo has a love of ducks. His duck order arrived today.

The rest of us do not love ducks as much as Leo. 

This Mornings Trail pics

Room with a view-Day 2

Walls are happening on day 2. We were able to open our west door in the living room and step out for a look standing on the floor of the new room. It is very strange looking at our back yard from a new perspective. I am sure we will love it and can hardly wait to see the finished project.
Here are photos of work in progress.

Russ

One wall up and two to go!

Russ and Butch

The work commences...

Russ came yesterday and placed the boards for the floor. Then Butch and I laid the moisture barrier in the bottom and then put in the insulation. Russ brought his grandson with him today to get the sub-floor down. I have a good view from my computer. I was just now watching Russ as he was waiting for his grandson to saw a piece of wood for him. Unknown to him Russ's hands were making the motions as his grandson was doing the work. Much like a mother works her mouth when feeding her baby. It made me smile. Grandson Tyson is a grown man but Grandpa Russ was mentally guiding him none the less.

Yesterday I tackled my hostas. They are on the north side of the house and have not been doing well. I thought perhaps they were getting too much competition from the grass so I cleaned them out and then placed some landscape fabric around them and laid down mulch. It was a big chore but they look nice now. I am hoping they will thrive. Also Butch will be able to tell more easily they are off limits for mower and weed eater.

Bugs for Breakfast

On my ride this morning I had to keep my mouth closed due to bugs. Not an easy feat  while biking. Also I had no desire to dilly dally at the bridge. I had sprayed myself with OFF! but that is limited in effectiveness. Then I read the magnolia blog and Kay V. had posted this recipe for bug repellant. A very timely recipe!
From Kay:

Mosquito repellant 

Citronella--60-70 drops

peppermint--30-40 drops

eucalyptus--20-30 drops

lemongrass--20-30 drops

1 Tablespoon of vinegar

water to fill rest of container.   Use a colored glass spray bottle size 4 ounce

I got my supplies from a health food store; total cost was around $28---sounds expensive, but I have enough to last the entire summer, and to make some for the kids too! After measuring out all those "drops"--the bottles have very little used.  It is easy to make, just turn the bottle upside down and count the drops!  Kay

More from me:

This morning I spotted a Baltimore oriole, a dead mouse and lots of baby bunnies. The baby bunnies can be a real hazard when they get all panicky. I have taken to ringing my tiny bell continuously from quite a distance to clear the trail of baby bunnies. I bet you did not know that baby bunnies could be a biking hazard.

The day after...

Awoke to a thunderstorm this morning so no walking with Colleen or biking to the river. I am disappointed. There are chores that need done here so I will get an early start on them. Load of laundry is in progress right now.
I keep thinking I should do some lesson planning for the computer classes but winging it seems to work down south so will probably find out how it works up north! I do have a few things in mind for a start.  You knew I would!

Books I have read most recently:
Mother Earth Father Sky (The Ivory Carver Trilogy ,1) by Sue Harrison
 A young woman fights for survival amid the brutality of the last Ice Age
It’s 7056 BC, a time before history. On the first day that Chagak’s womanhood is acknowledged within her Aleut tribe, she unexpectedly finds herself betrothed to Seal Stalker, the most promising young hunter in the village. A bright future lies ahead of Chagak—but in one violent moment, she loses her entire way of life. Left with her infant brother, Pup, and only a birdskin parka for warmth, Chagak sets out across the icy waters on a quest for survival and revenge.

This was a free book  with BookBub when I "purchased" it but I see it is no longer free. It hooked me enough to buy the other two.

Mother Earth Father Sky (The Ivory Carver Trilogy ,1) by Sue Harrison
My Sister the Moon (The Ivory Carver Trilogy,2)
Brother Wind (The Ivory Carver Trilogy, 3)



Always need to throw in a self help book now and then.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom..
Don Miguel Ruiz
In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.
 A New York Times bestseller for over 7 years

Raccoon River

4th of July!!

Keri joined me for a ride to the river and then we joined Colleen for a walk. We saw a deer in the school yard and then it walked across the road right in front of us. Later Butch and I went back to the river and we saw some mink playing on the rocks. That was a rare treat!
And then tonight Keri came in town and we walked to the bike trail with our lawn chairs for the fireworks display.

mink

Lennon and Maisy

Love these girls and their song!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Mr2pmuad4

And then...

They called me very early on this morning that they want me to do computer classes. I am pumped! I will start in mid-July. They want some time for advertising. They will be in the evening at the extension office. They have wifi there. So now when I return to my class down south I will not have to chip the rust off.

The last two mornings have been on the chilly side. This too is very unusual for July. I have come to the conclusion that "usual" weather is no longer possible anywhere.

Some Facebook pics of the great grands today.
Amanda did a pampered day for daughter Elise and she certainly looks like she is royally pampered.

 And we have all seen this from our children. Little Leo wanted his mom's attention and she was busy cooking. She asked him if he needed to sit in timeout. he said "yes" and then sat on the timeout spot. His Dad took his picture.

He is reminding me of his grandpa Gary.

My Ball is Rolling

I finally stopped into the extension office this morning to propose the idea of a beginner computer class for seniors. They were enthused and it looks like it might actually happen. The person with the last word was not in the office today but they will be in touch with me on Thursday. Yes, I can live without doing this and Butch thinks I am crazy but I enjoy it, keeps me busy and engaged and I get as much out of it in my own way than the students do.

On the way home from the golf course Butch encountered an eagle eating its breakfast in the middle of the road. This was on old Highway 30 if you are familiar with our area. He was impressed with the size of this big old eagle! We went back out to see if it was still eating but by then the buzzards were getting their turn.
 Spotted these blooms on the morning walk with Colleen.

Ice Cream

They took the grands for ice cream!

And we have ponds in our backyard but we must consider ourselves very lucky. My sister Myrla lives in Rockwell City and they had grapefruit sized hail! Can you imagine?!!

River down

On my ride this morning I noticed the river is down a couple of feet and the mosquitoes are up a few thousand. It was beautiful this morning with the sun shining brightly and a light southerly breeze. But then... I came home about 8:00 AM and the clouds moved in for the bulk of the day. They say the clouds cleared out this afternoon just long enough to increase the threat of storms. We are so lucky! They are promising some drying out weather come Tuesday. I certainly hope so!

Here are a few pics taken from this week shots. Below are two pictures of our local pickers pickings. See anything that tickles your fancy?

A Bit Bummed

Do not write much when I'm bummed. Had a good time with the "kids" Jason and Laura Friday night but then we always do. Russ was a no show today. Do not know why because it didn't rain until late afternoon but then we got another 1/2 inch. Maybe the mud was a factor. We certainly have plenty of that!

I went to an auction but I am believing that the auction was an accumulation of things that had failed to sell at former auctions. They did not fare much better today. I did not buy a thing.
I have a headache and just do not feel up to snuff. Perhaps tomorrow will have more substance for me.
Later...

Papa Gary sent camping pics from last weekend

Another rainy day...

Colleen and I went to Carroll (30 miles west)  yesterday. She needed a new printer so that was the main feature of our trip.
We also stopped in the Verizon store to talk Internet connection for Colleen. Butch and I have come to the conclusion if we have a connection here and another connection in Texas we can get by in between. The only reason this works is because we can suspend service at little or no cost at each end. On the Texas Time Warner end we pay $4.99 a month for the months we do not use it and on the Jefferson Telecom end we disconnect in October at no cost and reconnect in April/May for a $35 hook-up fee. It has taken us quite some time to get all this ironed out to our satisfaction. The main problem with Verizon is the two year contract and/or the large fee($250) to buy the equipment to not have the contract and then the connection itself does not quite hold up to the others. Streaming video or movies is not going to work well on a 3G mifi. Buffering, buffering, buffering...we have all been there!
We returned to Colleens and hooked up her printer and some other computer issues and maintenance. Full but busy and productive day.
When I came home Butch had enjoyed a day of rest and watching Longmire on Netflix. It looks like today will be another one of those napping -watching the rain kind of days until this afternoon when we are going to Costco and activate our membership. We are sharing a membership with Jason so will pick him up in Boone. He is not at all sure he needs a membership but then I wasn't either until Peggy got me hooked. And MyPoints offered me 1000 points too. And Costco threw in a bunch of free items. It penciled out as they say.
This rain may put another crimp in the room construction. I would out and out cuss using the biggest and nastiest cuss words I could think of if it would do a nickles worth of good. #$%^ it.

Chugging along

We have been doing the ordinary things of everyday life so nothing earth shattering to report.

Russ stopped by last night and says he will be here Saturday...unless it is raining.

Butch is getting some pre-cancerous areas burned off of his face this morning. That may slow him down a bit. Maybe, just maybe. Might need to stay out of the sun until it heals a bit.

I had an echocardiogram yesterday. Have not seen the results yet but expect it to be okay. I had forgotten how long those take- 45 minutes to an hour. Geez!

The river is down a little from where it was a few days ago.

We had unstuffed cabbage rolls for supper last night. I gave it 5 stars last time I made it and the 5 stars still stand. It is yummy!!

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small cabbage, chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender.
Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8

A one-sided conversation with me

Butch found deer prints in our backyard! That would be quite a surprise to get up in the night and see a deer in the yard. Better than some crazy guys looking for a cat!
Butch put some insulation on the inside of our foundation blocks. Brother Bill suggested it and it seemed like a smart move. Still waiting on Russ...

We went uptown for the farmers market tonight. We have been forgetting about it. I will be more anxious when the cabbage, cauliflower, corn and tomatoes come on. I stay away from the baked goods but there is always a great selection.

I rode the trail then walked with Colleen this morning. Too bad you weren't with us because the conversation was fascinating. It always is!

My cactus, the one the boys gave me for mother's day many years ago has grown too big to make the trip to Texas last winter so we left it in the house. We set the thermostat at 52 degrees. Jason watered it once with melted snow water. Next winter I will leave some plant water in the shower so he won't have to wait for the snow to melt. You will be gobsmacked when you see the current picture of it with over 20 blooms on it!
And here it is!

Jefferson's Belltower bathed in a setting sun.

Leo emailed this photo to me. It is a great shot!

taken by Rich Osborn

Today's pics plus

Colleen and I skipped Sunday's walk because the weather looked threatening. I have been biking to the river every morning and then getting back to the depot to walk with Colleen. Later on Sunday Jason came over and we attended an auction. Butch purchased a golf pushcart that had previously belonged to Colleen's husband Jim. Butch was very glad to get it because it is a design that he has wanted to have for quite some time. We picked up a few other items as well and isn't that the nature of auctions.

We had a very good time at the auction but the long hours of standing was hard on both of our backs.

The pictures were taken this morning near the trailhead.

Kid's Camping

Little Leo is loving smores!

Elise enjoys them too!

This and that

Little Leo is excited about camping. snipped from Facebook

Butch and I rode out to the bridge yesterday to see the rising water. Swirls, eddies and whirlpools are abundant.

The Older Ladies Anthem

Cute song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4QzHeUE-CM