Using the Trail?

I biked out to the big bridge today on the bike trail.
When I returned to town I decided to go by Mickey's but she wasn't home. So I came home.
I always have a gazillion things I could do. I never lack for imagination.
It is the gumption that may be lacking. I noticed I had an email from son Gary, titled 'Been on your trail '. I knew immediately what he was referring to and answered him right away. Here is our exchange:

From Gary-Was shocked to see this paragraph when reading about the suspect who stabbed to death the Iowa State golfer from Spain.

Two other witnesses told police that Richards asked them for a ride to Jefferson, Iowa, and had given them a knife, according to the complaint. While driving to Jefferson, Richards told the men he needed to return to the homeless encampment because he forgot his tent, according to the complaint.

My answer to him-Yeah, it kind of rocked my world. Ironically, I have just returned from a bike ride, alone, on the trail. I have been reasoning with myself ever since it happened on why I should not be afraid. And then to have two very similar stabbings targeting women in isolated areas doesn't help. But why should it change my way of life? Another instance of male intimidation of women. Maddening to me! Your Dad would not let it stop him from riding the trail if he wanted to and it didn't hurt his man parts.  Did you read how they caught him so quickly? The police were searching the trail next to the golf course. One of the homeless people approached them and asked, "What did he do to her?" So they had name and info almost immediately. This stupid-ass kid was REALLY stupid but obviously quite dangerous. I will continue to ride the trail. After all, he will be in prison now.

Here are pictures I took on the trail and a couple after I returned home.

Northern Flicker

RRVT Bridge

Raccoon River

Colleen gave me the geraniums she had decorated graves with on Memorial day. They were a little worse for wear when I recieved them but have recovered nicely.

"The Pig"

Written yesterday-posted today

Now that I have found this nifty Voice typing tool it has changed the way I do the blog.

Before I would type it directly on the blog entry and then publish it but now I will type it in a
Google document using this voice-to-text tool and then copy and paste it into an entry.  
I then have all my entries in two places, the blog itself and in Google Drive. I like this idea!
Should probably have done it this way for a long time. It is the perfect backup for the blog.
Way back in the early days of doing the blog I would make an extra copy because of losing
it a few times just from accidental deletes.
That doesn't happen so much anymore but it's still nice to have two copies of it.
Paper is cheap on the internet.
Every now and then I think about when I'm actually gone as in deceased and realize
it is probably true that nobody's ever going to look at that blog again.
I have had a great time adding to it all these 16 years. I've done the blog since 2002.
I have kept a journal periodically throughout my life but never for as long as this one.
 Blogger.com and the internet have made it so easy to do journaling.
I have always thought that everyone ought to do it.
It would so be so easy to catch up on people's lives if they had a journal, even if they used it for just mundane things. I know how it goes though.
I used to keep up with everybody's blog if they had one but as I get older I get busier.
It seems I have less free time. Why I have not yet figured out.
If you are one of my friends who has a Blog, I still check in occasionally. I promise!

There is a learning curve to this tool. However, the more I use it the easier it gets.
That is true of most things.

Humerus

Best Voice to Text

The Voice typing in documents on Google Drive works 100% better than talk to text on
Microsoft  Dictation. I can even say Peculiar Missouri!

Type with your voice
You can type and edit by speaking in Google Docs or in Google Slides speaker notes.

Note: This feature is only available in Chrome browsers.

Step 1: Turn on your microphone
To use voice typing or voice commands, your computer microphone needs to be on and working.

Devices and microphones vary, so check your computer manual for instructions. Microphone
settings are typically in the System Preferences on a Mac, or the Control Panel on a PC.

Step 2: Use voice typing

1. Start voice typing in a document
2. Check that your microphone works.
3. Open a document in Google Docs with a Chrome browser.
4. Click Tools and then Voice typing. A microphone box appears.
When you're ready to speak, click the microphone.
Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace.
When you're done, click the microphone again.

I must thank my Great-nephew Devon Hiller for this tip. I think I might have known about it but didn't remember it. It works so much better than Microsoft Dictation. I think Devon may be my go-to guy in the future for techie stuff. He plans to make that his field of expertise and he is getting a great start.

On to other things.

 I should be getting rid of this heart monitor in about an hour and I am ready. Done deal now!

I just notified Discover Card of our trip plans. It is hard to believe that in 3 weeks we will be on the road. It can give me a panicky feeling knowing it's only 3 weeks out.  Lots to do between now and then. But Hey! It's not like we haven't done it all before. New destination makes it slightly different but only slightly. Having Keri and Leo use our house for their "townhouse" last winter simplified our leaving but now it is back to full winterization of our tiny house.

Heart Monitor

Last Spring my heart doctor, Dr. C, wanted me to wear a monitor for 24 hours. He had put me on a new med and he wanted me to take it for a while before the monitoring. So today is the day. I went for a walk and then walked to the clinic for the installation. Got an A1C while I was there so I could kill two birds. No, I do not consider myself diabetic. I have had only one elevated A1C in 20 years but that one, the very first one labeled me pre-diabetic. You know how hard it is to get rid of labels!
The A-Fib is a bit harder to shake. I used to be able to tell when it was happening but not so much anymore thus the monitor.

This morning did my heart good. Beautiful day!

*Trip South info 2018*

We have our winter trip itinerary planned. Our first night will be in Peculiar, Missouri.
 And that will be on October 12th and 13th. Staying at the Peculiar RV Park Place. $33 a night because we are Lifetime Good Sam members. If I had known what I was doing back in 2000 when we were planning our retirement years I would have saved our money. It cost around $300 for a lifetime membership and at $2 savings per use, I am not at all sure we have recouped our money. I expected a much bigger payback when I purchased it. Life lesson.

We will be there until Sunday morning when we will be going to Quapaw Oklahoma and the Downstream Casino. Free stay if we go in and show them our player's card. It is only a 149-mile trip that day but it makes our stops work without having a 500-mile day in there somewhere. We like to take it easy on ourselves. Staying overnight and then proceeding to the Winstar Casino at Thackerville Oklahoma on that Monday night. Our last stay here was $20 and I think it was because we had a players card.  Did not reserve and we were lucky to get a spot. That is happening more and more often. Our route from Thackerville is taking I-35S to Gainesville TX and Hwy 51 to Decatur TX picking up 380 to Jacksboro TX. We do not go all the way to Jacksboro as we turn south instead of north on Hwy 281 south to I-20W, then to hwy 16 south following it all the way to Llano TX and the River Way RV park. It is a Passport America park so it will be $17 a night because we are Passport America members. Staying 16th and 17th leaving on the 18th, a Thursday. We will be leaving Llano Texas and going to Alamo Texas unless the plans change.
Plans could change because we do not have to be in Trophy Gardens until the 20th. That too could change with a phone call.
When we leave Llano we plan to go south on hwy 16 to Fredericksburg and then on hwy 87 to Comfort TX and I-20 E, joining up with hwy 1604 southbound to I-37, followed by hwy 281 south to Alamo TX. I have checked all my directions...twice.

All that above is for my future reference.
Now if you have read all that CONGRATULATIONS! And as a reward, I will tell you that I tried to use the dictation on the first part of this and when I said Peculiar it translated to several different phrases without getting it correct. The last one was the funniest and when I quit using it. Peculiar translated to "we can kill ya".
Oh, and my asterisk trick does work. I did a search after the fact and it found every post with an asterisk.

*RV Journaling

I sure wish I had been more diligent about the info below. I have used the blog to find info because I know I wrote about it. The only problem is the searching for it. I have thought of one way to make it better. If a blog entry contains info I think I may need to reference later I have decided to put an asterisk in the title. Time will tell. Will I remember to asterisk? Will I remember that I did asterisk? Time will tell.😀

RV journal writing
A journal is not a diary with your innermost thoughts. It’s a chronological list of what happened in your life. Not everything, of course, just the things and events that you think you might possibly want to know a year from now.

Here is a partial list of the kind of things and events that you should consider recording. What went wrong with your rig. What you did to fix the problem with your rig. What date you installed that new refrigerator. When you replaced that tire that blew out and how much you paid for it. (Of course, if you keep a maintenance log for your RV, you don’t need to put this information in your journal. There’s no need to list things in two places.) When you bought that new keyboard and how much you paid for it. The names of the camp hosts where you stayed when you were in AZ. The names of people and the names of their dogs you met at different campgrounds. Nothing impresses people and makes them feel like you really remember them than knowing their dog’s name.

Basically, jot down anything you think you might possibly want to know a year from now. Three to five minutes a day is all it will take, and you will be surprised how much you will use and appreciate this information. From — RVing: Less Hassle—More Joy: Secrets of Having More Fun with Your RV—Even on a Limited Budget.

*13 year old Iowa Kid builds his own house

Someone shares my fascination with tiny homes.

https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/13-year-builds-1500-tiny-house-familys-backyard/story?id=50132212

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=332&v=dJ-9i88O6MI

Can you relate?

So many can relate to this on so many levels.

Two Ripe Bananas

I rescued/repurposed two ripe bananas this morning. I used the recipe I posted the other day. I have a hard time throwing overripe bananas away when these muffins are so easy to put together and good for you too.

Milkweed Vine

This morning I pulled a vine out of our evergreen in the front of the house and these pods were attached. So I had to find out what they were and they are a milkweed vine. Didn't know there was such a thing but I do now. You can find out more here:
http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/climbing-milkweed-vine-honeyvine/

Failed

I failed to get all my list done. I didn't get to my outdoor plans. Some days are like that. Today I went with Mickey to Fort Dodge and Menards so I didn't fulfill my today's list either. Some days are like that.
Virginia and I walked this morning despite the mosquitoes. They are saying West Nile is on the rise here in Iowa and early morning is the worst time of day to be outdoors. I know what you are thinking. That is when I am out there. I have been spraying up before I go. Virginia will be gone next week so I may switch to biking. I can outrun them on a bike.
I took some pictures this morning.
Here they are: At the Fairgrounds in the Early Morning

Baby Beggar

My to-do list

My to-do list

1. Cook a Turkey-
Jason brought me a turkey from their freezer that needed to be cooked. Sometimes being retired has extra benefits. Basically, I have the time. It is in the oven

2. Divvy up the hamburger I purchased yesterday at Costco. It is in a 10-pound tube and that is way too much to deal with in one hunk. LEAVE HERE WITH A LAUGH
Q: What do you call a cow with no legs?
A: Ground beef
3. Use up the two too ripe banana's I have by making Greek Yogurt Muffins. Oops! Requires a trip to store for Greek yogurt first. This one may slip into tomorrow's to-do list.

Greek yogurt muffins

Ingredients

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

2 cups rolled oats

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare muffin pan by spraying with cooking spray or lining with cupcake liners. (You may want to spray cupcake liners with spray so they don’t stick to the liners).

2. Put all ingredients except blueberries into a blender or food processor and process on high until oats are broken down and it becomes a smooth and creamy batter.

3. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins.

Push 5 or 6 blueberries into each filled muffin cavity and bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins set 5-10 minutes before removing and placing on a cooling rack. Makes 12.

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or baggie.

http://www.iowalivingmagazines.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Greene-Co-July-2015.pdf

4. Cut the tops off the iris out front. If I do this in the Fall it makes cleanup so much easier in the Spring.

5. Read the clue for tonight's trivia. Each week we can go to and read up on the info about one of the questions. First- https://www.facebook.com/woodystrivia and that leads you to  https://woodystrivia.com/ We do not have the specific question but the answer will be in there somewhere.

5. Post this website so people can see all the neat RV ideas. Many can be used in other places too.

http://rvcoutdoors.com/37-rv-hacks-that-will-make-you-a-happy-camper/

Attention crocheters!!

I would be greatly tempted to buy a couple of these if you were tempted to crochet a couple. Need one for each side.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bicycle-skirt-guard

Most unusual

OK, Yesterday I told you about a cat on a fence post. Today I have another strange story. Virginia and I planned on walking this morning. And As I neared the gazebo at the end of the trail, I noticed someone sleeping in the gazebo. He had a sleeping bag, a bicycle, and a trailer that looks like a full-time RV thing. Small trailer. One you would pull behind a bicycle. It had lots of stickers on it from the places he has been. It was a well-used vehicle. I was rather surprised to see someone laying there. But even more surprised was I to see a cat snuggled up to this person also sleeping. I thought how strange to be traveling with a cat.
So I met up with Virginia And we continued on our walk. I look ahead on the trail and I see an animal and I cannot quite discern what it is. We came to the conclusion it was a fox and it was far enough ahead that I could not get a good picture with my phone. As we got closer you could see there was a fox and there were 2 of them. Quite a surprise! Earlier in the summer Virginia had seen a baby fox near the culvert where these 2 were standing this morning. So we think that this family has been there all summer. They skedaddled when they saw us and headed into a field south of the fairgrounds.. Those were the only living things we saw on the trail this morning. All of them unusual.
Back to the cat. When I turned around and came back home I noticed that the cat was missing but the person was still sound asleep. So I'm not so sure this is a person traveling with a cat. I'm thinking maybe it's a neighborhood cat that found this warm spot to sleep. Even more strange. I think I will take my camera for tomorrows walk.

Also this morning I was reminded of a feature in Windows 10 that many people do not know they have or like me, they forgot they have it. I used the program to dictate this entry.
Here is more info about it.

How to Use Dictation in Windows 10 

Did you know that beginning with the Windows 10 Version 1709 (April 2018 Update) it’s easier than ever to use your voice to take a note, write your thoughts or it’s now easier than ever to take a note, write an email or even write a story or an essay, just by using your device’s microphone and your voice?

To use the new and improved dictation feature in Windows 10 Version 1709 (April 2018 Update) and newer versions of Windows 10, press and hold down the Windows Key and tap the H key, then place your cursor in (almost) any text field and start talking. It works with almost any app including MS Word, WordPad, and Gmail.

Here’s an example of Windows 10 Dictation being used with MS Word. See?

Above: You can see Windows Dictation is “Listening…” and in Word, you can see what I’ve dictated. You can add punctuation by saying comma, period, etc.  And you’ll find that the more you use Windows Dictation, the better it does at understanding your voice.

When you’re done dictating just say “Stop dictating”.

Car fixed and Party time!

Butch took the car to Stew Hanson Hyundai in DesMoines to get a warranty job done on the car. As luck would have it they were still missing a part so they sent him home with a loaner car. A 2018 Hyundai Elantra. Don't want to trade for one of those. Actually, as long as we are towing we don't want to trade for anything. I think that was on Thursday. As I look back there were all kinds of things I wanted to remember to tell you.
So we'll see how it goes. With the rainy week it was hard to get a walk in but we managed a few days. I think it was Wednesday when Virginia and I walked and on the way home I saw a guy or gal sleeping on a couch outside a church near the trailhead. I didn't notice him or her until I was walking home. I took a picture with my phone. With my camera, it would have been much better but here it is.
This was at 7:30 AM

One of the cartoon clips this week that held a special meaning for me.

Friday we went down to Jack and Jan Tallmans so Butch could mow and then we could party. We had so much fun playing cribbage with the Tallmans and Marv and Judy Smith that we all wanted to repeat it. It was just as much fun.
Backing up a bit on Tuesday night the McQuillens had us over for a deck party. It was supposed to happen on Labor Day but it rained out so we tried Tuesday night but it rained again. We had to move the deck party inside and it worked out. We had a really good time despite the downpour. The party commenced at 4:30 and didn't break up until after 8:00. That is always a sign of a good time.

Butch went to Des Moines on Saturday morning to pick up our car and return the loaner. Saturday evening we went to Paton to eat supper at 209 Main in Paton. The food was quite good as it usually is. Butch had Broasted Chicken Breast and I had Chicken Alfredo. It was very tasty.
On the way up to 209 Main, Butch and I saw a cat sitting on a fence post. This was 2-3 miles out in the country. It was sitting there watching the traffic go by, The nearest house was quite a distance.
We remarked that neither of us had seen that before.
Today we hosted a biscuit and sausage gravy breakfast for 16 members of our Deja Vu group. We ran it for any time after 8:00 am. It really worked well with people trickling in and leaving when ready. Much easier than trying to seat everyone at the same time in our tiny home.

 Flower of WWII

Texaco

Butch worked here during his high school years and perhaps one of our married years.

I waited for Butch to get up before posting this to perhaps add a few facts. Seems both of us are not completely clear on this time period.

Rain

Yes, it has rained every day in what seems like forever. No, we do not like it!

He still has some hair!

Jigzone Fan

I am a fan of Jigzone. Butch and I have had an ongoing competition for years. They have a puzzle of the day that you can sign up for and have it come into your email every day. That is the one we compete on. But you can also make a puzzle with your own photos and that is what the one below is. Jason made this sunflower for me years ago. This picture was taken in Cumberland Iowa when we still lived there. Obviously, it was Spring because the lilacs are in bloom.
http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/E81C85292E?z=0
Butch and I always do the 48 piece classic. You can set your own preferences.

This should tell you I have had some extra time on my hands. We have been in a rainy period whereby it is raining every day. Not all the time but often enough you can not rely on it not raining.
I think we are on day 4 of 'raininess'. It might even be 5. On the good side, I have not had to water anything. I like that, especially this time of year.

I started doing my own version of trivia back in January at Magnolia Park. I continued until the season ended putting together 11 games. When we came back to Iowa I asked permission to write down the questions we answered at HyVee on Thursday nights. Permission was granted and I have continued it. In addition, I started at the Elks Club in the middle of June and will continue up to and including the first Wednesday in October. So counting all of them thus far I have put together a total of 48 games, 6 of them not yet used. I do believe that is without duplicating any questions. Not 100% sure on the last statement because early on I used questions I could remember from HyVee on the first ones I did for Magnolia Park. When we finish with HyVee for this season I will have 5 more for a total of 53!! That is a years supply!! I obviously enjoy doing it.

My House

RVers will relate to this catchy tune.

https://www.facebook.com/AudreyMusic/videos/1986903788001868/

Quote

Reading today's issue of the RV Travel newsletter and came across this quote. It was at the bottom of an article written by a woman who is writing about her journey with terminal cancer. Seemed appropriate for many situations.

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
- Soren Kierkegaard

Mish-Mash

The light was just right when I ended my walk with Virginia one day last week so I took these two pictures of the tank at the end of the bike trail. I was reminded of a day last winter in Magnolia park when my friend Kay S. was looking for a picture of a tank to print out for Larry E. Larry needed it for a project

This is an old picture I saw on Facebook. The young girl in the middle is a picture of Marlene and Bernards Granddaughter-in-law Marie Kelley long before she was a Kelley. I assume the ones on either side of Marie are siblings. This one really tickled my funny bone and that is why I snipped it

And this was in my collection of cartoons I get each morning and it will not need any 'splaining to my women friends.

Last week we had a trivia question about Schrodinger's cat. I would not have known anything about it if I were not a fan of Big Bang Theory. This was on a T-shirt I could have bought but didn't.

End of Mish-Mash,

Seasonal

School starts and a day or two in the seventies and the mind starts moving on down the line. It has taken all summer but finally, I have done some things that have been on my todo list all summer. It was either too hot or too wet or too something. A cooler day now and then has boosted the incentive to get a move on. Also, the Spring and Summer were overloaded with trips to Ames for spot checks, biopsies, surgeries to remove the nasty little cancer spots, or follow-ups after the procedures. Now that we have caught up I am hoping next Spring will be a one-stop one step thing and we can do what we please with our summer without interruption.   We are both using hats and applying sunscreen much more faithfully than ever before. My last biopsy was a week ago and no phone call for a return visit which is a good thing.

Butch has had an early case of hitch itch but all I have to do is remind him that many days are still triple digits in the deep south and that chills him out a bit. He has been tinkering around on the Motorhome taking care of details, little repairs that do not amount to much as far as time. That is a very good thing! We like having our winter home in tip-top shape.

Beckett goes to Pre-school

Take my word for it the next 20+ years of this boys formal education will be quite the ride for all concerned.

Sunday Morning Biking the Trail

Jason, Keri and I rode the trail this morning. It was more than bit humid. Jason and Keri were ahead of me at one point so I suggested to Jason that he start looking for Hops and slow down a bit to do so. Early in the season, Jason had asked me to look for Hops on the trail and I was unable to find them. This morning we found them EVERYWHERE however they do not bloom until late August. Hops are used in the making of beer. So if you plan to find them on the trail it is so much easier when they are blooming.
Here are pictures taken this morning:
Hops are vining up this tree.

 Keri and Jason

Closeup of Hops

And these are plums- also plentiful along the trail. Jason mentioned how many people whiz on by the trail and never see any of these things.

I told Butch and Jason they better not dilly-dally if they wanted to play golf because it was supposed to start raining around 11:00AM. It is currently a little after 10 and it is thundering. Mama knows best!!

Reposting of New School Year 2018

New School Year

These are the new start of school year pictures of the kids we know. Will add more as they come my way. Do not be afraid to nudge me if I miss one. My school days were a very long time ago unless you count the school of life. On that one, we are always learning.

Granddaughter Ann and Anthony's 3 girls: Nina Grace

                                       
                                                Scarlett

                                           Skyler

Nicoles son -Ethan, The oldest joy of Jason and Laura's grandparenting days. We have all learned a lot from this boy already.

Granddaughter Amanda and Brad's two- Elise the future actress

 And her super hero brother Leo!

And now we are adding Leo and Keri's oldest grandchild Brady, son of Greg and Erin

And we simply must add Beckett as he is the spitting image of his grandfather Leo. And that new haircut accentuates that even more! Beckett just turned 3.

Devon!!! Devon is my nephew and he is a freshman this year and starting on a whole new adventure of learning and he is excited about it.

Emily and Joe's pair of preciousness! Happy 1st day of school for Jorgen!
(Clara was more eager for the photo op than Jorgen 💙💜)