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...