Busy and fun weekend

 The Missouri kids came here on Thursday night so there were games, walks, biking, eating, Devon's graduation party, a trip up the tower, and repeat.

I know that was a condensation but help me out here, okay?

The 8ft pool table has been recovered and it is perfect! I love it! It plays beautifully. The color is Gold where it was beige before. And the smoothness of the Simonis cloth is so worth the effort.

Went with Gary and the kids up in the tower. I haven't been up there for quite a while. Our town looks very well taken care of and we are all neat and clean.

This pic looks east to the Jefferson cemetery and its many, many flags for our veterans.

This is Jefferson Gardens, a tribute to our President Jefferson and the namesake of our town.

There are paintings on top of the buildings around the square. There are new ones appearing all the time.

The one above is a patchwork quilt on the old J C Penney building. Southeast corner of the square.

The one below was done by a man who has a contract with Disney so he can paint anywhere he wants but if he gets a call from Disney he has to stop whatever he is doing and go where they request him to go. He also leaves a Disney Mickey Mouse symbol on all of his paintings. The symbol is not in a good place to see from the tower as it is in the lower-left corner.

These are photos of the painting they have in the tower so you can get a better view of what you see out of the window.

This one is on the Peony Restaurant, Jefferson's Chinese restaurant on the southwest corner of the square. The son of the owner is the artist and he happened to stop by while we were up there. Unfortunately, I did not get his name.

This is looking southwest from the tower. This view will change quite a bit in the next year because the old high school gym will be taken down among other changes.

This is a view to the west.

 

Art on the Courthouse grounds changes on a regular basis and these are the current ones.

Miss Elise looking it over.

Elise and Leo plus art.

Devons graduation party

Devon's name was part of the table decorations and Jason helped Leo make a friendship bracelet out of it. Then EVERYBODY wanted one!

 

Keri Brooker catered it and the food was wonderful! Ham and cheese sliders, salad, two kinds of meatballs, and pickle wraps. Wonderful!

Pareidolia

 What is it called when you make shapes out of clouds?

We are just as likely to see familiar objects in trees, toast, or Cheetos. This tendency is called pareidolia, and it's a byproduct of the peculiar way we process visual information.

Does anyone else see the owl? He is winking... The picture was taken in our back yard.

Perfect Cartoon!

 

Requested...Keto No-Bake Caramel Cookies

   Butch and I went to a wedding this weekend. It was for Anna Kelley (Marlene and Bernard Kelley's Granddaughter) and Andrew Scott. And in one of the many conversations I had with people a request for my favorite Fat Bomb recipe was one of them. I have been on Keto or a modified Keto for 4 years or more and for the first time in my life my weight has stabilized. But aside from that, this recipe has remained one of my favorites and I would make it for no other reason than I like it. More like a Candy than Cookie

Enjoy!

Keto No-Bake Caramel Cookies

8 TBSP Butter (4 oz)

⅓ C Swerve Brown Sugar substitute

⅓ C Heavy Whipping Cream

1 1/2 C Pecan halves or pieces or nuts of your choice.

2/3 C unsweetened coconut flakes (I use 1 1/2)

1/8th C. Keto-friendly chocolate chips( I use Lily)

Parchment paper or silicone cups

Instructions: 

Place the butter into a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. 

When the butter is melted, whisk in the Swerve brown sugar substitute until completely dissolved. Wait until it bubbles before adding the cream.

Stir in the heavy whipping cream until well combined.

 Cook,  stirring frequently for 10 minutes until it begins to froth up and thicken. Do not try to hurry this step.

Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the pecan halves and coconut flakes, stir well to combine, and let sit to cool slightly for a few minutes.

Use a large spoon to drop spoonfuls of the cookie mixture onto parchment paper. do not worry if some of the extra liquid leaks out from the mound of cookie batter this should make 11 cookies. 

Sprinkle some keto-friendly chocolate chips on each cookie and lightly press them down.

Place the cookies into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to harden.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe Notes:

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook time 10 minutes

Notes from Barb:  Admittedly, these are tricky to make and get right the first time.  I would suggest using silicone cupcake holders as opposed to parchment paper because they do tend to run, but either can be made to work. Butch loves them and would eat them every day if I would let him but these are labeled keto and therefore they're mine. 

 I have a silicone mini cupcake “pan” and it works very well. I put them in the freezer for about an hour and they pop right out. Warning: easy to overindulge. I try to hold them down to one a day.

OMG! Where are my posts!

 Even I was shocked by how long it had been since I posted. 

1. I still have not found new homes for all the stuff we carried around for 20 years in the motorhome but I peck away at it every few days.

2. We have the motorhome listed on Facebooks Marketplace and Craigslist. Getting some action but not overrun with offers. Have a few stories but cannot share them yet. We have someone who is supposed to be coming today.

3. We are repairing one rail on the 7 ft. pool table. (It was dead) and recovering the 8-foot one with 760 Simonis Cloth instead of the fuzzy-wuzzy stuff on it now. It should be done by next Tuesday and then we need to let it rest a day or two. And then let the games begin!!

4. Our son Gary from Missouri likes to bring his RV here to get it ready for summer camping. We have a good facility for that and if he might need a part, our two RV dealerships in town would likely have any parts he might need. He is coming next Saturday and staying for a week. Maybe I should have the Deja Vue trivia players here while he is? I will think about that!

5. Speaking of trivia...Karla and Devon used to join us when we were playing at the Casino and Devon is graduating not this weekend but next in Ogden. Karla would like all of the Deja Vue folks that they are invited to join us at the Leonard Good Event Center in Ogden on the 28th from 3:00PM to 6:00 PM. 

Summing up... I am so anxious to get to some semblance of normal! Hope to see you soon!

Some Progress

 It sorta feels like an avalanche of to-dos.

 Progress is being made but not nearly as quickly as I would like.

There is the inside stuff and the outside stuff. To top it off temps in the 90s slow up the outside. Spring is late this year and then I saw a blurb on Facebook that said Spring happened Sunday, May 8th. It was a one-day event. 

We have had a family saying for years, usually aimed at Butch about not going after a project as though you were killing snakes. He has always had that tendency. We have slowed down considerably in the past few years knowing that it is counterproductive and can put you out of commission for far longer than it would if you had stopped to smell the roses now and then.

Butch is getting some golf played. For so very long his back was giving him trouble and he wasn't sure he could play. That crisis has passed.

We are getting back to our routine of playing pool every day at 4:00 pm for an hour. Progress for me on that has been slow as well or might I say like a roller coaster.

Bottom line? It has been a stressful month. And the end of the tunnel seems to be a ways off yet.

All this too shall pass...

Here are some phone pics recently taken:

In many of the past years, we have missed the blooming of our tulips. They would be done with by mid-April when we arrived. Not this year! It has been one of the pleasant surprises.

This one was taken at Costco where we were trying to buy gas. There were at least 9-10 cars in every lane. Patience prevailed and we were able to fill up. Don't ask me the price! Butch is the one who keeps up with that stuff.

Before Butch found out his back would sustain golf, he was walking with me on the bike trail. This was our find a few days ago.

.

Busy woman am I

 But I couldn't resist sharing this limerick with you.

And if you like this one you may want to go to this site.

https://www.rd.com/list/funny-limericks/

I especially liked the Nantucket one...and NO it is not the naughty one.

Soren

 This is Soren. He is my niece Tara and her husband Mark's almost one-year-old son. He was helping daddy with his tools on one of the first warm days Iowa has had.

My sister Theresa's obituary

 Obituary for Theresa Arts of Creston, Iowa

Date of Death: May 4, 2022

Theresa Arts passed away on May 4, 2022, at the age of 69 of heart failure. No public services are planned. 

Theresa Marlene Arts was born on September 30th, 1952 in Greene County, Iowa, the daughter of Francis Duane Brock and Bertha Fern (Zimmerle) Brock.

Theresa was united in marriage to Steven Arts. Two children were born to this union, Tristan Arts and Tara (Arts) Steinbach

Theresa was an Art Teacher and taught in schools in Nebraska and Iowa. 

Theresa was preceded in death by her parents, Francis and Fern, her brother Richard Brock, and sister Jayne Turley. She is survived by her children, Tara Steinbach and her husband Mark, Mt Ayr IA, and Tristan Arts, Portland Oregon. One grandchild Soren Steinbach. Sisters Barbara Brooker of Jefferson, IA, Myrla Kloster of Rockwell City IA.

Breakfast anyone?

 

For a Ride

 Butch and I went for a ride in the country yesterday and we checked out his favorite golf course (The Hill) and then went to Spring Lake to see if the campers had landed yet. They haven't! Most definitely too cold to camp. We spotted this tree that was hit by lightning. 

And some geese who do not seem to mind if the water is cold

Looky Lou's are Welcome

 I finished up the inside of the motorhome and took pictures in the prospect of getting it on the market. 

For sale by owner: 2004 Newmar Kountry Star 38 ft Motorhome. See Photos:

Refrigerator is a double one and only slightly visible in this photo

Washer and dryer

Kitchen table has a leaf and can easily seat 4 people

Bedroom closet is roomy

Progress!

 We have been home for a week tomorrow and we have accomplished quite a bit! Today Butch finished going through all of the outside bins (the basement), vacuumed, and did maintenance on everything that needs it. I am 95% getting the inside drawers, closets, and cupboards emptied and cleaned throughout the inside of the Motorhome. Imagine completely vacating a home you have lived in for 20 years! What do you do with all these things? I know, right?  Mindboggling and old people do not deal well with this stuff!

But we are doing our best. We have most of it dispersed in various locations. Our next big step will be sorting, tossing, donating, and selling. It will be a big deal when we can say "DONE"!

Today, for the first time we played 3 games of pool. Felt good to get back to it. I feel as though I played well for the most part. I most likely am the only one who thinks so.

I will take pictures tomorrow if the weather cooperates...

I am back!!!

 

A Whole Week!

It is unbelievable to those who know me, but I have not been on the Internet to post for a WHOLE WEEK! It used to be someone who would call me to see if I was well if I went that long. These days it takes me lots longer to do anything and everything.

Butch and I left Trophy Gardens last Thursday the 14th of April and we made it to our friends Terry and Lisa Linders’s place in Canyon Lake Texas without incident. Our original plan was to stay a few days so Butch and Terry could get some golf played. That didn't work out too well because the move from MoHo to Park Model and back again did a number on Butch’s back. He still isn’t moving up and down or even sideways too easily. 

On Friday at Canyon Lake, we went shopping for recliners in San Antonio at a new place, Living Spaces. We found some recliners that might have worked BUT they didn’t have them with fabric and we were told it isn’t smart to get faux leather for anything in South Texas because the heat will take it right off the surface and we have seen this happen. This particular store will ship anywhere in the US free of charge so it sounds good until it isn’t so we are still looking. Terry and Lisa did find some for their 5th wheel at a great price so the trip wasn’t a complete bust.

On Saturday we hung out at their place, played lots of cribbage and, you aren’t going to believe this, did lots of bird watching! Their place is ideal and is one of the best natural bird sanctuaries I have ever been to. I have some great pictures and will see if I can get them posted.

Sunday was Easter Sunday and we were invited to Terry and Lisa’s family gathering and had a great time with excellent food!

Early Monday morning we headed for the Winstar Casino in Thackerville OK. Sometimes we have coupons for free play at the casino but that wasn’t the case this time. Between the two of us, we walked out with $180 plus. Butch did win the bulk of that amount. We were surprised and pleased!

The next leg, Tuesday, was to the Downstream Casino near Joplin MO. We also walked out of there with a few extra dollars. Again we were surprised and pleased. Wednesday we made our way to Peculiar MO and our family who live there. We stayed at the Peculiar Park Place for the last time. Yes, it might be the last time because we are selling our motorhome however it would be the last time because it is now $57 a night to stay there. We were surprised and not pleased. We thought last year was high when it was $45 but this year it jumped to $57 and in our mind, they are milking the situation. We pull into a spot and go visit the kids, return to the RV to sleep, and leave first thing in the morning. We didn’t even turn on the TV! And for that, we paid $57.

Our drive through KC to get on I-35 North was a piece of cake. We woke to a foggy morning so we took our time getting ready and by the time we left, close to 9:00AM. It was clear and the traffic was light, light for a city that is. That leg is usually one of the better ones for traffic. The weather was perfect as well.

During the night the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed and the rain poured down. It was the first time in a very long time for us to experience that kind of weather. It was cool! The negative part of it is trying to move things from the MoHo to the house in very damp conditions after the storm. We would wait for a completely dry situation but it is supposed to repeat again later today or tomorrow. So we will just wait for a little while! 

 The next day-Woman Interrupted. That always seems to be the case and most likely will be until life settles into a pattern once again. We managed to get lots done once the water settled into the earth.

Pool Hall situation: Last spring and again this spring when we open the pool hall the frost that has settled into the cement floor comes to the surface and we have an extreme amount of moisture. It is much worse this year than last. I think it has something to do with the difference between inside and outside temperature. We have it opened up and the fans running and hope it will equalize and dry up. Will be looking for solutions for this.

I hope to have time to work with pictures soon. I have lots of new bird pictures. Many I know, and many I will need to have identified for me by my birding friends.

These were taken at the Terry and Lisa Linder residence at Canyon Lake. Terry and Lisa have a perfect place for taking bird pictures. 

Hummingbird

Dickcissel

 

Tufted Titmouse

First Leg

 We arrived in Canyon Lake, yesterday (Thursday) at about 3:00 PM. We fought with the wind a bit but our MoHo has always handled the wind well. It has been great seeing our friends the Linders. We have always had a good time with them. We will be here until Monday before we meander north once more with a reservation at the Fun Town RV Park connected to the Winstar Casino in Thackerville OK. Exit 1. in case you wondered.

Till next time...

Departure

 Tomorrow morning we will be headed for Canyon Lake( north of San Antonio) and we will be there until Monday the 18th.

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of getting ready but we are hours away now and we can breathe a sigh of relief very soon. Butch is playing his last games of the season with his pool buds.

Monday was one of the most fun days for me I have had in quite some time. Jerry, neighbor to the south is a photographer/ birder and he and his wife Roseann invited us to join them for a day on South Padre. Our idea on these invitations is always to go along with whatever our hosts have planned and we are never disappointed! Jerry showed us many, many wonderful birding locations and I took over 200 photos!  I have never taken that many pictures of different birds in my life. I will have to count later how many different birds I saw. I have been able to look at them but have not been able to do much with them yet but I am itching to do so.

I will leave you with a few samples before getting back to work on getting the park model ready to leave.

Blue Heron

Green Heron

 

Baltimore Oriole

Before it starts

 Next week is a busy one for us, with Tuesday and Wednesday being the busiest. We have never been in this position before and new territory can be interesting. We do have neighborly help on the unknown parts. It will be a relief to get back to what we have done every other season which is getting the MoHo ready to roll. We can almost do that in our sleep. Butch was just angsting over which tools to leave here and which ones to take. Next season should take care of all this indecision stuff.

This is the weekend for the Masters and it is the one weekend of the entire year whereby I can not make ANY plans for him. I did just have the thought that I could phone some friends who I need to be in touch with and haven't been of late. This weekend would be great for that.

The night before last we visited with our neighbors to the north.  Night, I say? It was 4 PM. Happy hour in any RV park ever! It was a nice get-acquainted situation. Our North neighbors are Bill and Sandi from Minnesota.

On Monday we are going to South Padre with our neighbors to the South, Jerry, and Roseann from Illinois. Jerry and I share an interest in photography and birding while Roseann and Butch share an interest in Bridge. Getting such good neighbors was a happy accident.

The trivia friends we have made gifted Renie, Butch, and me with a gift certificate for a meal and of course, Alex was included.😊 So last night we went to Cheddars and enjoyed a wonderful meal and topped it off with a stop at Dairy Queen. Renie and I walked almost every morning we could all season.  I will miss my walking partner until we get back to Jefferson where Keri and I can pick up where we left off. Finding someone to walk with on a regular basis is not all that easy. It is a great way to become friends in a different way. We try to solve all the world's problems, share ideas and make some funfilled plans.

It won't be long now till we are back in Jefferson. On April 21 if all goes as planned. We look forward pretty much equally to each location. See ya' soon!

Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs

 For many years, I would say at least 10, this is the method I have used to hard cook eggs. It is so simple and foolproof that it is nearly unbelievable.

I ran across the source of where I first discovered the method. So click on it and read through the directions and you will then know one of my favorite kitchen tips. If you already own an Instant Pot you are halfway there and if you don't own one make it a priority for your next garage sale list of things to buy. So many people give up on their Instant pots after a use or two.

https://kalynskitchen.com/how-to-make-perfect-hard-boiled-eggs/

Goodnews/Badnews

 The good news is that the head cold was short-lived. 4 Days and it was mostly gone. The bad news is the temperature and humidity is on the rise. They are predicting triple-digit temperatures tomorrow. Only one day, but one is enough.

...forgot that I had not finished this...oh well...this too shall pass. We did have one day of extreme heat. 107 and it was a shock to the system. Both Butch and I remember the days of our youth when we would traditionally have a week or two in the summer where it would be at or near triple digits and this was before AC! We have not had this occur in many years. This one-day wonder that we experienced on 4/6/2022 was quite the surprise and everyone hunkered down in their tiny homes.  And then in the evening of the very same day, we watched the thermometer drop from 105 to 82 in a matter of an hour and by the early morning of the next day, it was a pleasant 61. Mother Nature had a TIA, I suspect. The weather for the past decade or so has been a roller coaster ride.

On to other stuff...trying to live in 2 places is not easy and I will be ready to close this chapter and head on up the road to Canyon Lake next Thursday. We will be staying with friends Terry and Lisa Linder and that is always a good time. We will be heading north from their place on Monday(19th). This will depend on the weather of course but that is the plan for right now.

Today I am doing laundry in the Park Model and I miss my front load washers! I have front-loads in Jefferson and in the MoHo and I am a convinced converter from the top loads. Clothes are cleaner and dryer when they come out of the front loader by a considerable amount. I most likely will put up with what I have for the foreseeable future.

And that, my dear friends, is enough bellyaching for one day! See ya'all soon!

Cracker Barrel Meatloaf

 The generous person that he is, and part of a twenty-year tradition, Butch brought home to me from the pool hall, a head cold. And no, it is not Covid. I thought I was going to dodge it because 3 to 4 days after Butch suffered from it is when it paid me a visit. So no luck there. I think in all the years we have shared colds, there were only one, maybe two times when he got one but I didn't. This too shall pass...

In the making of supper I made a discovery concerning the pans and dishes already here and the ones still in the moho and there will be some serious exchanging going on and the time is getting shorter to get that done.

Here is the new-to-me recipe I tried it today. It is worth passing along.

Cracker Barrel Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 small finely diced onion

1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper (optional)

1 1/2 sleeves of crushed Ritz crackers (48 crackers total)

4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar or Colby cheese

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

For the topping:

1/2 to 3/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. mustard

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Place it aside. This will be used later as the topping.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, crushed Ritz crackers, cheese, milk, onion, bell pepper, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.

Add in the ground beef. Mix well just to combine. Do not overmix.

Form into a loaf and place inside a baking pan or baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and spread the topping over the meatloaf.

Bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until the center is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Let it cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Starting

 We are starting to feel at home in our new place. That probably will not be complete until next fall and even then we have so many plans that we intend to wait until then to implement. One of the big things is finding each of us a comfortable recliner and getting shed of the oversized one and the big bulky loveseat sofa we have now. That is number one on our list. Another one is getting the TV situation solved to our satisfaction. And a new one installed in the bedroom. When there is a difference in what we each want to watch we use the bedroom TV as an alternative.

Today, I walked with Renie, did a load of laundry, and hung it outside to dry. It is so very dry here it is like having a quick-dry dryer. Add a little wind and it works like a charm.

Last night was our last Trivia night and Renie and I were gifted with a generous monetary gift so we could go out to eat with our other halves. It was a surprise. The entire group is fun to work with and we will take it up again next fall.

Our days are full and fun and I don't see that ending anytime soon. We will just go north and pick up where we left off.

Sunday Pool on 3/27/2022

 

Winter Doctor Marathon...

 ...has come to an end...we hope! A while back Butch looked into having a wisdom tooth pulled in Mexico. He went to the usual place he goes for dental work and his regular guy wasn't there because he had broken a leg. His replacement was a recent grad from dental school and said she was up to taking out his wisdom tooth. Butch did not believe her because his 3 other wisdom tooth removals have been a challenge for big burly dentists with lots of muscle. So months go by and our friend Alex comes across an Orthodontist father and son team in Mexico and has some work scheduled. In council with these two, he decides he would be in good hands to proceed with the work he wished to have done. And so the process started. Alex continued to feel confident with his choice so Butch called to make an appointment for March 24th at 4:00 PM. He was told the fee would be $50 in cash and more if things got complicated. So yesterday he had the tooth removed. It took two hours and lots of muscle as Butch had predicted it would. All precautions were followed and Butch said as he was 10 minutes into it he felt confident he was in the right place. The final bill was $70 because an x-ray was needed. He is on antibiotics for 7 days, Ibuprofen for pain, and filled a script for a med in case the bleeding wouldn't stop. It did stop after one dose. I think Butch has found a dental facility that meets all of his needs.

And then today I had my follow-up appointment for the gastric procedure I had in February. All is well on that front so now I feel appointment-free!!