Trivia Night in the Pool Hall

 

Dee, Sharon, Jan and Sue-The girls

Butch, Larry, Denny and Jack-The guys

Stuff continued

 A week or so ago Amanda asked me for handwritten recipes from my mother. I went through my recipes and sent her a few and then yesterday I happened onto Mom's recipe boxes and I spent far too much time taking a walk down memory lane. I picked a few to send to Amanda. The craft project she is starting has to do with handwritten recipes and I assume white dishcloths. I am anxious to see the result.

In my perusing, I found this article from a newspaper. I am guessing it is the Fort Dodge IA paper. It may be a bit hard to read. (Later) I decided it was too difficult to read so I took what I thought might be a better picture of it and when I started to enhance it Google asked me if I wanted to "Copy Text?" and even though I was dumbfounded I said yes!

So here is the text of the article above! Thanks, Google!

Rhubarb, a versatile plant food

Rhubarb, a plentiful plant this time of year, can be canned or frozen. Freezing rhubarb is easy-no blanching or adding sugar. Just trim the stalks, wash, cut to fit the container, and freeze. What could be easier for winter pies and cobblers, says Martha Jacobson, Webster County extension home economist.

Ben Vance, the extension specialist at Iowa State University, says to keep those rhubarb plants healthy; pull the stalks-don't cut them. When stalks are cut, the base often rots causing decline or death of the plant. For a better rhubarb crop, grasp the base of the stalk and pull, don't cut.

A Hamilton County homemaker shares this rhubarb cake recipe with you: 

RHUBARB CAKE

(or cupcakes)

Beat together: 1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup shortening

1egg 

Add:

1 cup buttermilk (or 1-2 tablespoons vinegar with sweet milk to fill cup let stand 5 minutes)

1  tsp. soda 

2 cups flour

1 tsp. vanilla

 1½ cups rhubarb (cut fine) 

Pour ingredients into a 9½ x 13-inch cake pan or 24-26 cupcake fillers. Before baking, sprinkle with: ½ cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes; cupcakes at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

RHUBARB JAM 

Mix together 3 cups of rhubarb and 1 heaping cup of sugar. Cook until rhubarb is done. Add 1 small package of strawberry raspberry or gelatine. Mix well and pour in small glass or jars.

And then... chit chat

The weather has quickly changed to be on the cool side. What is wrong with MEDIUM, Mother Nature? I know you are ticked off at what we have been doing with your favorite planet. I will try to do my part to make it better. Still, we are grateful we are not dealing with the messes they have in other places.

The situation does turn our thoughts southward but it is still more than a month before take-off.

Stuff's been a-happening...

 We bought an 8-foot pool table from friend and classmate Jan Durlam Mitchell. Butch and I spent part of a day getting it disassembled as much as we could before calling in the strong arms of Jason and Zach who will be helping us shortly to bring the rest of it home. Then we will be doing the reassembly. Not nearly as scary this time as last.

We sold our extra lot that Butch bought to keep the alley open. The irony is we sold it to the guy who was plugging it up! For more than we paid for it AND he has promised to keep the alley open. Butch made friends with him and we think he will abide. We received the check today. Bottom line: Butch can get out with the motorhome if it is blocked, it is just more work.

We took the demo hearing aids back today and decided not to use them. Butch did not like them nearly as much as he does the ones he has had for the past 6 years. And when he replaces will probably go with the same brand he has had.

Continued tomorrow.

Trivia Replay

 

So,we are back to trivia. In the pool hall on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm. I am taking it easy on myself by using questions I have put together in the past. It has been close to two years since we have done any trivia. I am finding that it is still being enjoyed by most of us. Last night it fell into place that it was the guys against the girls. And I was feeling sorry for the guys because they were way behind in points and it looked for sure that they were going to lose. But then the 4th round is double down round and the guys came roaring back to win by answering the last two questions correctly. A Big surprise to us all.

Come join the fun on Tuesday night in the pool hall. Teams are put together by drawing numbers, odds and evens. So far we have had two teams.

Read Where's Eldo

 If you are reading this on your computer look to the left and see where it says "Links". The top one is a blog titled "Where's Eldo". Sparky is a friend of mine I met in Michigan for 15 minutes and we have stayed in touch, so to speak, ever since. All RVers should read her latest entry.

The RV industry is not what it used to be. If there is a well-built RV anywhere, I would be very surprised. Unfortunately, what Eldo discovered is not at all uncommon. They are shelling out new RV's as fast as they can. This has been true for a few years now. Look at RV lots that have them for sale and you will find they are 'short of product'. You might see ones that look well stocked but if you asked the dealer many of them might be waiting for a part! A part that is unattainable.

Not a good time to buy a NEW RV.

Yup!

 “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of the intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the beauty in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier because you lived here. This is to have succeeded.” ―Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sherri was telling me

 ...about her drive up from Atlantic. She said this big truck came up behind her and she wanted it to pass her but it didn't, so finally she slowed way up so they would pass her and finally they did, and as they went around her they waved and flashed their lights. She was puzzled by that and then in the telling of it, she said they had Texas plates. I said, OOOOH, they were thanking you! In Texas, they have Texas pullovers and if you are going slow or slower than the folks behind you expect, they want you to get over ASAP and let them by. It is considered a courtesy. 

This is something many Iowans might not know about.

And Then...

 Yes, it has been one of those weeks. Busy as can be but having fun throughout. Sunday morning Keri and I finally got a walk in, and that felt very good and we had lots to catch up on. I came home to Jason being here and then shortly my friend from Atlantic, Sherri Clark, arrived as well. We had an exceedingly fun day talking, playing pool and more talking. The guys went to play golf in there too. Sherri's husband Randy passed away a year ago( not Covid) and with that and the pandemic we had not been able to spend much time together. She just might come to Texas and spend some time with us this winter. I certainly hope so. We miss them both.

 

Colleen's Column of August 25th

 I am sharing Colleen's column for many reasons; I know lots of widows these days and I am sure there are more to come, maybe her column will be comforting to some, and the story of her 3-year-old son made me smile.

Much Love,

Barb

Widow words

August 25, 2021

 ~a column by Colleen O’Brien

Writing, for me, is an inquiry into what I think. When I write, my thinking clarifies. I learn things I didn’t know I knew. I can even get well, writing.

I therefore think that writing is magic. I think writing not only can get the story out of me but reveal to me why I’m telling it.*~~~

In the piece I’m writing right now, I’m thinking of a friend struggling with the recent death of her husband. She tells me she is okay, she is not okay. She is doing fine, she is scared to be alone. She doesn’t know how to pay the bills, she paid her own bills for years.

My friend is a writer. She has published several books, both fiction and non-fiction; and many poems. Until the day her husband died, she wrote every day toward a goal – a new novel usually. Now, in alarm, in crisis, in numbness, in adrenaline panic, she says she can’t muster the energy.

But her habit of being nudges her. Writer that she is, she dredges up words that culminate in an obituary for her dead lover, and eloquently, she remembers him, defines him, explains his oddities, eulogizes him in a way that brings him alive to her, and to us, once again. “. . . acts do little to convey his multiple virtues—and an equal number of quirks. He was that rare thing, a man who talked wisely about his and others’ emotions. . . intuitive, generous, and patient….”

Many years ago, I too used the handy – unbeknownst to me just then as reliable – outlet of writing to understand my widow’s plight. After my husband’s death, I wrote poem after poem; scraps of paper littered the floor. I questioned how I was to survive alone, exactly was I to do to take care of the car, the maintenance of an old house, the going out into the world without his having my back? I wrote memories, about how I’d been pole-axed the first time I saw him: it was on the playground in first grade, and I never got over it. I wrote about how his absence made my toes feel as numb as my heart and how was I to survive either weirdness? I wrote a poem about our son who called me “Honey” because that’s what his dad called me. One day in the grocery story, my 3-year-old wandered off, and soon I heard his little voice calling, “Honey, honey, where are you?” The rest of the poem was about me at 64, a fresh widow, calling for his dad – “Honey, honey, where are you?”

I look up my fat packet of poems from that time and read them through – tears and laughter, embarrassment at my poor-me-ness despite my arrogant vow long before I was there that I would not play the role of weeping widow; and a now-and-then wonder at my occasional clarity. The words I used then to describe myself – “terrified, isolated, dumbstruck”; the words I used to condemn him for leaving me – his “vanishing trick,” his “slick disappearance,” his “abandonment” – were all true. Then.

After 13 years, I return to writing again of that once gray area of my life, that were it not for my poems would remain gray, perhaps completely inaccessible. I believe that because I wrote about such a common plight – part of the fear being the ineffableness of it – I am at ease in my solitary life today that is full of endearing substitutes: they are books and friends, trees. Writing. And the memories that writing elicits. Not all-consuming memories, just good stories. The man I love did not abandon me, nor vanish. He was somewhere near me when I first wrote the terror. He remains.

“Keep writing,” his voice said then and says now. “Especially about me.”

This story that I just wrote reminds me – he always did make me laugh.

*Seventeenth-century French philosopher, Rene’ Descarte wrote it much more succinctly– “I think, therefore I am.”

Wonky?

 Every now and then I will experiment with the blog...or I might make an error and then correct it. So if the blog does not work as you expect that most likely is the reason. Just sayin'...

The latest happenings

or until I get tired of typing... Trivia night went well. It did seem that our Deja Vu friends are also very busy with their own fire irons but 8 of our friends showed up and we had a great time. I used one of my trivia questions from 2 years ago and told them if they could remember the answers more power to them. We decided to change the night we meet to Tuesday at 6:30 so some who could not make it on Thursday might be able to on Tuesday. I need to get back in the groove before heading south and that time will be here very soon. 

I had one item that I saved that did not sell on the garage sale. An older NuWave Pro Infrared oven. It is the round one and I prefer the rectangle one. My pans fit better. I posted it on the Facebook Marketplace and sold it today. I got my asking price! I am used to haggling a bit so I set it high enough to do that and then didn't need to. Going to Progreso for 20 years trains you well in the dickering business. I even find it kind of fun now.

Years ago my good friend and coworker, Connie Jones, gave me a small replica of us as a memento and I ran across it the other day. Thanks, Connie!

And it seems there is another fan of the Gary chair! 

Miss Elise.

Irons in the fire

 

We have had several irons in the fire lately and fortunately things are beginning to fall into place. First off, we THOUGHT we had purchased an extra lot on our block to assist in keeping our alley access open for our RV comings and goings. In fact, we thought we had owned it for 6 years and it turns out we have not owned it at all but we soon will. The good news is we have a buyer and the bad news is we have paid for mowing and snow removal for the past 6 years. Big mess!  Well on the way to being fixed.

The second "iron" is the motorhome. Maintenance is required on whatever homes you own whether you live in it or not. And the motorhome has been overdue to have it serviced. And then another issue arose with the airbrakes. So we have a local place that we trust to a great degree and although RV's are not his main line of customers he was willing to take on the task. Saving us from having to take it out of town or stopping somewhere on our trip South this fall. The airbrake issue was pricey but we know we got the best deal we could have found anywhere and it was done right. We and many of our friends speak very highly of 

Danielson Auto Service Inc

(515) 386-4915

101 E Harrison St

Jefferson, IA 50129.

 

Next up...I promised a friend of ours that I would start trivia in the pool hall this summer and I have procrastinated until now. I am signed up to do it again in Trophy Gardens, the park we winter in, so I need to brush up on my skills anyway and it is asked of me often when we were going to get to it. So tomorrow night is the first one in the pool hall.

Next up...We might have a second pool table, an 8 footer, coming our way. No, we do not need it. We would be doing a favor for a friend. Not at all sure of this iron yet...

Chair...next chapter

 Here are pictures of the chair in its new home in Missouri.

Gary enjoying his new-to-him chair

The chairs new setting.

The guy most likely to inherit the chair: Little Leo.

Audiologist

Yesterday Butch and I went to the Audiologist in Carroll IA so he could perhaps try out a new hearing aid. The jury is still out if he will go with the new ones or stay with the old ones. But that is not what prompted this post. In our conversation with Doug the audiologist he was telling Butch about an attachment to his current hearing aids that would behave like headphones while watching TV and that sounded like something he would very much like to have, BUT they are not available because of a chip that is extremely hard to find. It is affecting the tech field and the automotive field to a very large degree. These chips are in short supply globally and could take years to catch up.

Fast forward to today and the following article was one of the first I laid eyes on this morning. Good News!

Intel just signed a major chip-making deal with the Pentagon, and it could help the US solve its semiconductor problem | ZDNet

High Trestle Trail Bridge

 High Trestle Trail: Iowa Tourism Map, Travel Guide, Things to Do: Travel Iowa 

On Facebook I placed an old photo of myself on the High Trestle Trail Bridge near Madrid Iowa and it sparked a lot of interest. It is a very special place and very popular. It happens to be 38 miles from our house but we have made the trip over there a few times. It is particularly beautiful at night when it is lit up.

We do have an extra RV site if you are thinking about it.

Ten years ago today

 I thought I would give you a blast from the past, so I went back to 8/23/2011. And this is what I found.

Barb and Butch's Big Adventure: Sunday Ride (brooker3.blogspot.com)

AARP Article

 Interesting article:

The 7 Worst Habits for Your Brain (aarp.org)

Butch's supplemental insurance is through AARP so I signed him up for daily articles and this is one of them. Just skip on by if you feel like it.😉

The Butch and CrewTourney

 The Annual Randy Clark Tournament is over in Atlantic IA. Sherri did send me a couple of pictures. I did hear that they played well and felt good about it.

The word is in and they came in 2nd place in the First Flight. That is PHENOMENAL!! No wonder they are all smiling!

Just because it is printed on the box

 doesn't make it true. Wet Wipes are never okay to flush. It would be the same as flushing a sock down the stool. It doesn't matter if you live in a castle with a brand new sewage system. If you are consistently flushing those babies, at some point someone will have to deal with it.

https://www.rvtravel.com/a-volcanic-eruption-butt-wipes-1014/

If whatever you use doesn't break up in the water, it can and most likely will cause a problem at some point.

They've even developed an at-home test for it: fill a jar with water and put a couple of sheets of your favorite brand of toilet paper inside, then put the lid on and shake it. If the TP starts to dissolve after a few seconds of vigorous shaking, it should be fine for RV use. If not, don't use it!Jan 7, 2020

Good Lord it's Friday

 An old lady once said, "The older you get the faster time goes!" Wait. That old lady was me! It is not just time that goes fast, it is everything and everyone. This week sneaked past me. I walked the trail alone last Monday morning and I took some photos at the trailhead and said to myself I would go home and post on the blog. 

Colleen made it home safely and is back at her editing work. 

Butch has been golfing every day as he is in a tournament in Atlantic IA on Saturday. Gary, Jason, Butch, and Sherri Clark whose filling in for Rich this year. 

So what have I been doing? Cleaning, cooking, yard work and walking while obviously not blogging. Butch has given up on the puzzle, The Girl with the Pearl Earring. I have not so that is another thing I have been doing. While visiting Bill and Bev Gunderson a while back, Bev was telling me she had been working on a 1000 piece puzzle that was quite challenging, and the puzzle I am working on falls into that category. Butch tells me to burn it. That is far too harsh.

Here are Monday's photos of the trailhead.

2020 was better than you think

 I sure hope this is accurate.

Our Floridian Guest

 Our friend Colleen has been here the past two weeks staying in what she calls the Alley Penthouse (Motorhome). It is the ideal way to have a houseguest. They have the freedom to come and go as they please while our life goes on as before without significant interruption. This morning we took her to the airport in Des Moines to catch her flight back to Florida. I wanted to get a photo of her the entire time she was here but didn't think of it ever at the right time. I did get one at the last minute as we dropped her off and she proved how naturally photogenic she is! Or is it my ability to get a candid shot on the fly? Hmmm

Headed back to Florida

Cartoons

 I get cartoons every day in my email. (https://www.gocomics.com/) Yes, I pay for them annually. I forward them to Butch so we both get to enjoy them. He has to put up with my taste but then we have been married 62 years so he should be used to it by now.😊

When I see one that makes me literally smile or laugh I usually "snip" it. Today was one of those. Oh, and by the way, Butch doesn't cheat. He's the other guy! Update: Butch says he does whatever he wants because he is 80 now.

My list of cartoons includes Pickles, the one above with Cul De Sac, Aunty Acid, and For Better or Worse being my favorites.

Our Town

 is a very, very, very fine town...

https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/coffee-shop-raises-pay-for-all-employees-to-15-dollars-an-hour-minimum-wage-increase/524-debc1f61-b6cc-466d-a61d-58083f9288c7

Latest additions

 This is Gary's chair and he asked if it fully reclined in the same way Butch's chair did and this photo is to tell him, Yes, it does.

Butch was gifted with a new hat from Pete B. after Butch admired one that Pete was wearing. Butch loves his new hat and I do too. He looks old but dashing!

There is more historical info about this fiber optic ball. My mother gave it to Scott Acklin, son-in-law, for Christmas one year. Scott passed away and Myrla, my sis, asked if we would like to have it for a while. We said yes. That was several years ago. Recently I asked Myrla if she would like it back. It was when I was going through things for the garage sale. She said "no" because the perfect place for it would be in the pool hall and once again she hit it on the nose.

A Morning Treat

I am behind in my laundry. It happens. I have been hanging my clothes to dry on our new clothesline to save on the electric bill and put it on Mother Nature for a change. As humid as it is I may regret it...but oh well. As I was hanging up clothes a few minutes ago a butterfly caught my eye. I did not think it would stick around long enough to get my camera but it did!  After seeing it on my computer screen I see it is in pretty bad shape...but still beautiful.

Here is what a youngster would look like.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly: Butterfly symbolic meanings: Inspiration, intuition, higher consciousness, transformation, resurrection, flashes of insight, power of beauty, strength in vulnerability.

Iowa Countryside

 On our way home from Fort Dodge...

Chair Story

 In the beginning, Colleen gave us a chair that had been her husband's. I liked it because for a recliner it had a small footprint. Butch likes it because it fits him. Our son Gary has fallen in love with the chair and has offered as much as $400 to us for it. Each time he comes to visit he naps in the chair...and tells us how much he loves it. He has asked us to will it to him and we promised we would...and then! I had an item I wanted to put on Marketplace on Facebook. I was having trouble getting it posted so I was trying to find the posting to see if I had succeeded when I ran across this post.

I sent the post to Susan, Gary's wife as Gary doesn't do Facebook. She said he would be thrilled and she would show it to him when he got home from playing golf. I know how fast items can be sold on the Facebook Marketplace so decided to see if I could make a deal for him. I first asked the seller if it was still available and he said yes, as he had just posted it a few minutes earlier. So I dickered a bit and we bought it. Butch and I drove to Fort Dodge and picked up the chair. Gary's birthday is Wednesday the 11th. The whole sequence of events seemed meant to be.

A Magnolia friend, Lynn Cornell, asked me on Facebook if I knew how much those chairs were worth and we had previously looked them up, thinking that Gary might want to buy a new one.

Here is the posting from the La-Z-Boy website. They are a couple of hundred more than they were a few years ago.

And here is the chair that started it all, firmly planted in our living room.

Thanks very much, Colleen!

Take a minute...

 THIS IS RIGHT ON THE NOSE. .......READ IT SLOWLY... I DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE IT, BUT I AM GUESSING IT WAS A SENIOR!!!

AND THEN IT IS WINTER You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change....Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's NOT over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

REMEMBER:....

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

"LIVE HAPPY IN THIS YEAR AND EVERY YEAR!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

~Your kids are becoming you.......

~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... "what?" . ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.

~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!

It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

Playing Pool! and other stuff

 Butch and I play pool every day, which usually takes about an hour. Yesterday a few of our Deja Vu friends joined us! It was a spontaneous, impromptu event. Those are the very best kind!

A few years ago our old garage flooded due to an inconsiderate neighbor who was aiming his sump pump water in our direction. This happened while we were in Texas of course. So we decided to fill some sandbags and place them around the garage door to see if it would help in case they did it again. It hasn't happened again but we found there were additional benefits such as the snow did not build up in that area, mice found it harder to enter, etc. So we decided to use the same method for the new pool hall. The problem is what do we do with them off-season? Still haven't solved that one. I told Butch I was going to decorate them as little snowmen and I may go with that but I am open to suggestions. 

My niece Karla and her son Devon recently vacationed in Omaha and had fun at the zoo. Here they are, having fun!

Cheep Bird Pics

 

And a baby Bunny!

Happy Birthday, Rich!

 Today is our oldest son's birthday. I texted him to see if he wanted to play golf with Butch. He said he would love to but had to work today. We had our kids young and on more than one occasion we have voiced that we could hardly wait till they retire so they could play with us. That should happen fairly soon in the scheme of things. Oh, Happy Day!

Curious?

 I came across this article explaining the why and how of Guest and Incognito functions. It is a well-written explanation.

Enjoy if you are of a mind to.

https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/why-and-how-to-use-guest-mode-and-incognito-mode-in-google-chrome/

Updates...

 The Saturday garage sale went well. I had too much stuff leftover but will make a decision soon to give it to charity or try again. In the meantime, it is covered with a green sheet so I don't have to look at it.

My friend Colleen is visiting for the next two weeks. We took our first walk this morning just like old times. It was a beautiful cool morning. We used to walk the trail in about 40-45 minutes. Today it took over an hour. We have slowed down as time marches on!

Butch is gearing up for a golf tournament with the guys on the 21st. Rich cannot make it this year and Sherri is taking his place so it will be 3 guys and a gal. Sherri is a good golfer and can hold her own. If I had replaced Rich it would not have been a good thing but this arrangement should be workable. Sherri has been the women's course champion on at least one occasion.

Anyone have a Ford Taurus?

 Buying the cheaper cuts of beef is the only way to go these days so I found this RV newsletter thought-provoking and entertaining. Personally, we eat a lot of Pork! We had a most delicious Iowa Chop a couple of days ago.

https://www.rvtravel.com/surprising-ways-tenderize-steaks-1654/

It is too darn hot!

 I try to keep water in the satellite dish. Especially when it is as hot as it is. Supposed to reach 100 today. The squirrel is taking a break, loving the water even if it is warm water.

Link didn't work (jigzone)

 My experiment didn't work for posting the puzzle on my blog. So just go to www.jigzone.com and click on puzzle of the day. You can change the cut if you so desire. 

Hmmm...

 

Half Black Squirrel

 The underside of this squirrel is black. This was noticed and photographed the same day as the bald-headed cardinal. Some days are like that!

Bald Headed Cardinal?

 This bird pic was taken by me as it perched on our feeder. Research on the subject says it is not unusual.

Garage Sale next Saturday

 We are having a garage sale next Saturday the 31st of July. I have had things tucked away in nooks and crannies ever since we left Magnolia Park for just such a sale. The magnolia garage sales were so simple! It has been a mixed blessing getting ready for this sale. It has been quite nostalgic at times. It has also kept me awake for a few restless hours here and there.

This sale will be held with 4 participators and that alone should make it a good one. So stop on by if you are in the neighborhood next Saturday. All-day or until we are sufficiently sold out.

Blogging!

 My friend Deon and I have been in the blogging business for a while now. When we were in Magnolia it would sometimes be overwhelming trying to keep up with my personal blog-www.brooker3.blogspot.com and the www.Magnolianews.blogspot.com. So I asked for volunteers to help me with it and Deon stepped up and has been helping me out ever since. She recently added some info to the Magnolia blog that could be very helpful to many of us. You can read her entry here: https://magnolianews.blogspot.com/2021/07/barbs-blog.html

She has some very useful advice in there. Thanks, Deon!

To continue: I have let the Magnolia Blog slip away from me. I still, at times, have diificulty keeping up with my own. I started off doing the blog in 2002. At that time getting photos on it was not an option. I remember how excited I was when I could finally post pictures! For one thing I could explain things better and if I was dried up so to speak I could add pics and get by. I now have the ability to add to the park we are in now too. https://trophygardens.blogspot.com/ Sadly, I still have trouble keeping up with my main one so the trophy one also gets ignored unless we are in the park and even then it does not get the devotion and enthusiasm I had for them in their beginnings. I still have a warm spot for my first one and it has been researched on more than one occasion when we could not remember things- When did I buy that computer? -or my camera? 2017. What year did we go to Old Guerrero in Mexico etc, a quick look didn't bring that one up.😕 So anyhow,I can spend hours looking at posts from the past. Fun, but doesn't get the dishes done!

62nd Anniversary today. Leo and Keri will be coming by later! It seems we can talk for hours and never get done! Another Happy Anniversary!

Poof!

 The days seem to go 'POOF' and they are over. Butch is mowing...he loves to mow. I am gearing up to get ready for the garage sale...recognize the procrastination in that sentence. That is what is wrong with the whole process. There is way too much thinking! Okay, enough already, gotta get started.

Feedburner? (%@^&)

 I have been notified that Feedburner is being done away with. It is not something I had been thinking about. As near as I can figure it means that those of you who read the blog and get notified of new entries in your email will no longer get notified. BUMMER. I relied on that as I know many of you have as well. They say I can get a 'new one'! I know little to nothing about this-what one is best-how to enact it-etc. So another learning curve!! And in the meantime, you will have to go directly to the website to read the new entries...as I understand it. Also, I assume you will have to go through the process of signing up again. Nuther Bummer! Stay tuned if indeed you can. www.brooker3.blogspot.com is and will be still available. The only thing affected is the manner in which that happens.

If you want to know what I am dealing with you can read here:

https://support.google.com/feedburner/answer/78982?hl=en

One of those days!

 First off I learned that Donna Gabbert, visiting her sister, Mickey, fell at the car wash and broke her arm! She said the floor was slick as snot! Many of you know Donna because she lives in Rio Valley Estates in Weslaco, Texas, and keeps a blog going year-round and I know there are some of you that keep track because she writes about things happening in the valley while we are all up here. She will be staying in Iowa for at least a little while until she can safely drive home with her arm in a cast.

The next thing was hearing from my sister. Let's just say it didn't go well. Then I found out from my other sister, the pool table sister, that her sister and brother from her father's first wife, their mother, was near death and they were seeing to that. Don't ask! It's complicated but makes perfect sense to me. Then I heard from a niece about more family info. Some days are just like that! This whole paragraph is going to create more questions than answers...and more phone calls! It seems these kinds of days come up all in one short period of time. One thing about it I am about talked out so should sleep well tonight...I hope. 

Meanwhile...Butch and I are getting odds and ends done around here. I am gathering stuff for the garage sale. It is always a relief to have garage sales in your past instead of the future. It will soon be over!

Funny?

I get comics every day in my email. I thought it was strange that this one showed up after the blog entry yesterday. This particular one came from a site called "That is Priceless". It is old-time paintings with new captions underneath. Warning! Sometimes they are racy. 

https://www.gocomics.com/that-is-priceless

 

Gary and Leo

 

Reminder

 This morning I had a text message that said "They" had tried to deposit my stimulus check 5 times but had not been successful and to please contact them right away or lose it. I know that I will never be contacted by either the IRS or any other government entity by text message, phone, or email so I quickly dispensed it to blocked numbers/spam. But my heart sank at the number of people who might unwittingly fall into their trap.

Please stay alert to these tactics!!!!

Little Man's Disease

 For many years we have talked about "Little Man's Disease". You all know what I mean. One of the more famous examples is Napoleon. Another label we have given it is "Badge People". You know this one too where someone is given a "Badge" along with more authority than they usually are afforded and gets great joy from expressing it in whatever form it happens to take for the occasion. Well, Let me introduce you to our own Mr. Attitude! For a few weeks now I have used his picture as the wallpaper on my computer and his determined look and obvious attitude make me smile every time I see his little puffed-up chest and the determined look in his eyes.

                                                         Mr. A.

He is not intimidated by much. He dive-bombs anything he perceives as a threat. When we had our house painted a couple of years ago he tried to chase off the painter. Haven't seen much of the squirrel lately nor Mango the cat.

The "New Birds" or fledglings are in abundance right now and they are also fun, watching them try to learn the ropes of birdom!

Optical illusion

Relax! It is a safe site. Don't be put off by the print.-Barb

https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/its-saturday-and-time-for-another-optical-illusion/