Lunch and stuff

I would hate to hazard a guess as to how many tomato knives I have purchased at the Don-Wes Flea Market. They are the best thing ever for slicing a tomato. This lunch of mine was delicious! Fried eggs and sliced tomatoes.

Pictures from earlier: Butch finally got to test drive the new grill. He is thinking it takes longer to cook on this one. Maybe it just takes longer to heat up.

 On my walk this morning Virginia and I were talking about getting copies of pictures so I was telling her about Snapfish (www.snapfish.com) so when I came home I stopped by the website to see what was new because I have not used it for a couple of years. The last time I was there I painstakingly put together some blank cards with my photos so I could put verses on them that were appropriate. At that time they did not have an easy way to do it but to my surprise they now do! So I got carried away and put together a few boxes of blank cards with my own photos. These are the ones I ordered. I had a 50% off coupon.

Behind my Behinder

After my last post, I picked up a virus. Butch had it first, of course, he is usually the one bringing home these unwanted gifts. It was the 'cough that will not quit virus' and it has a longlasting effect. It was even more bothersome because my sister Theresa had open heart surgery last Friday but having a virus I could not go see her. We also had company coming from Colorado Mary (Minnehan) and Brian Carlson on Friday. They were bringing their RV here and then proceeded on to their kids in Minneapolis for the weekend coming back here on Tuesday. We finally were able to see my sis on Tuesday and it was all good news as she is doing great. She had a triple bypass and a valve replacement.  The heart surgeon had said she would not be out of the woods until the one week mark but she is coming along very well and it looks like the surgery is going to be a wonderful success story.
I even took a phone pic of her.

And yes it runs in the family to cut up no matter the circumstances.

We had a fun visit and we have been texting daily. This morning she tells me she gets out of ICU because there is finally an empty bed in the cardiac unit. This is really good news because the controls for the beds are on the outside in ICU but not on the cardiac floor. So now she will have control of her bed. 😁

Oh yes!! I forgot the Brooker boys and their golf tournament in Missouri. I am even farther behind than I thought I was! Oh my!!  Butch left here a little after 6:00am on Saturday and picked up Jason proceeding on to pick up Rich and then hurrying on down to Missouri meeting up with Gary and getting to the golf course with a start time of 2:00pm.

They had a good time playing and played well overall but did not come into the money. 

Maybe next year.

Butch got home at 1:00AM Sunday morning and has been playing catch up on his sleep ever since. None of these guys are as young as they think they are anymore. There may be a different plan next year.

Our friends the Carlson's returned from Minnesota on Tuesday and we enjoyed a Mexican meal together and toured the town a bit. One of our stops was at Leo and Keri's to get tomatoes for the Carlsons to take home to Colorado. They were thrilled to get them. Tomatoes grow best in the midwest as any true tomato connoisseur will tell you. Nothing beats a vine-ripened Iowa tomato. And the season is now! These are the ones Leo dropped off for me last night. They are part of my lunch plan.

 More later... LUNCH!!

Saturday at the park

While Butch and the boys were golfing in Missouri I made good use of the time with cleaning house, doing 4 loads of laundry and attending an impromptu picnic with Leo, Keri, Emily, Jorgen, and Clara. 

Clara

Jorgen

*Solar Fountain

We have really enjoyed our solar fountain this summer. I have been asked about it a time or two so thought I would share where I bought it. We purchased a Hog Pan at Bomgaars to put it in

https://www.amazon.com/Fountain-Standing-Powered-Floating-Decoration/dp/B07D2BCJ39/ref=sr_1_4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1534089330&sr=1-4&keywords=solar+fountain+pump+for+bird+bath&dpID=41HIRomBPYL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Butch and his boys on Gary's Birthday

The four guys played in a golf tournament today in Clinton MO. I heard there was also going to be Lemon Meringue Pie. A birthday favorite for Gary.

Jason, Butch, Gary, and Rich

Sister

My sister Theresa came through her surgery okay, however, the surgeon told me she was far from 'Okay' just yet. He said they would not know for certain for at least a week. I haven't talked to her yet but have thought of her almost constantly. She had a triple bypass and a valve replacement complicated by other organ problems besides her heart. She was a high-risk surgery. This is something she desperately needed and wanted to improve her life.

Rough Week

It has been a rough week. Butch and I have had a rough week because of a virus. He got it first. Lots of coughing. No exaggeration. Lots and lots of coughing and feeling crappy. This is the first day I have felt even halfway decent.
My sister Theresa is having open heart surgery in DesMoines as I write this and due to the virus mentioned above, I cannot be there. She is very much on my mind. It is a risky surgery but without it, there is no life at all. So I am very much hoping she can catch a break, a big one and have several more years of doing the things she loves to do.
Trivia night at the Elks was great. We had a breakthrough with 3 teams, so it is growing and everyone is having a good time. They think I am being too hard on them so I am considering backing off a bit next week. Hmmmm.
Thursday nights trivia was good. We came in 3rd after winning a tiebreaker question. The question being "Of the coins minted in 2005 what percentage was actually copper in a penny." The idea on a tiebreaker is who was closest and we seem to do well with those. Our answer was 8 and we do not know what the other team chose but it is 2.5% for those who like to know.

And now for something completely different...well, maybe not.
I have snapped a few photos lately and here they are:

Dove

I took this shot because I saw a wren in the area and it was "I hope I got it " moment. I didn't get it but liked the photo.

Baby wren I thought might be in the one above. It wasn't.

Robin bathtime.

Admiring my work

6 Pictures on the wall, all of them are photographs I have taken and had put on canvas. 5 0f the 6 were taken on the Raccoon River Valley Trail. The robin was taken in our backyard.

Crafting gone bad

I hope no one I know recognizes this loosely defined artwork. Nope, not telling you where it is. They must have seen it on Pinterest?

Slightly out of order

 This was a day I was feeling like I had neglected my camera. There is always a gazillion pictures to take of everything around me.

The oldest grain silo in town recently given to the city.

This is a very complex metal sculpture near the trailhead. It requires some time to look at all of it.

Backside if there is one!

 Deep Rock Station

 My Uncle Phil Zimmerle is not featured, but he worked here a very long time.

This weeping willow tree is truly a landmark. If I say, "You know that willow tree on Cedar street?" The answer is always "Oh, Yes!".

Waiting for 5 small children

Double Vision

 

                                                              Eclipse

 There has been a nursery school going on in our backyard as the babies recently hatched learn to navigate the bird world. Young Dove

Baby Cardinal has not yet grown into his beak!

I have nearly deleted this photo more than once. See how completely this Finch blends into the background?

The baby House finch sitting on top of the ball is being an impatient little brat bird, stomping his little feet insisting the parents bring him food.

Hwy 141 Garage Sale -First weekend each August

$358

Today Karla, Butch and I went on the Highway 141 garage sale looking for treasures. We did not plan to buy anything but we all know how that goes! The biggest coup of the day was the Weber grill pictured above. Of course, that is merely a picture of it and not the one we purchased. I had to come home and check it out to see just how much of a bargain we snagged when we paid $20! That is right, folks we paid $20 for a grill with cart and all it needed was some cleaning.

Butch is already hard at work on it. He says he doesn't think it was used more than a time or two.

I purchased an ear of corn. Everybody needs another lawn ornament, don't you think?

I didn't get pictures of Karla's finds but she bought a small table perfect for a plant stand on her deck and a small music box for a dollar that was pure nostalgia because she had one like it as a child. We ate at Tojos in Jamaica for lunch. Took a short side trip through tiny Herndon IA where my Mom and Karla's grandmother grew up. My maternal grandfather was a barber in Cooper and Herndon IA. It was a hub for two rail lines and today is a hub for two branches of bike trails over those same rail lines.
I almost forgot one of Karla's buys was a bar she can use in the future so it is easier to get her bike on a rack she will have on her car. She paid $1.50  for it. and they can cost as much as $50! It was a day filled with fun.

Steady as she goes

That is what I am doing. Walking or riding every morning. Watering the parched flowers. Cleaning a room now and then. Doing laundry. I even cleaned 2 windows a day for 4 days.

Window cleaning:
I forget from time to time the easiest routine to clean the windows so I decided to take some pictures to jog my memory. It is really slick when done in the right order.

Step 1. Clean room side panes top and bottom.
Step 2. Clean the dirt from the bottom using baking soda, denture brush, and vacuum.

 Step 3. Lower bottom pane onto a chair or stool and clean external side. Top with a pillow

Step 4. Lower top pane and rest it on pillow. Clean external side.

Step 5. Return upper window to track and raise ensuring it clicks into place. Followed by returning lower window to track also ensuring it clicks in place.

Rest easy. I may be slipping with memory but not to an alarming degree. The last time I had cleaned the windows I took them out of the track completely and created a much more difficult situation. I just want to make sure I do not make that mistake again!

Tonight is trivia night at the Elks Club. Tomorrow night Trivia at Hyvee. Nothing earthshattering on the news side of things so you are getting the mundane version.

Latest pics of interest are below.

 Neighborhood Cat

Winkleman's Switch Holly Hock

Fledging Cardinal. There has been much bird parenting going on in the past week or two.