Crowded

Lucy, Mama and Stubby all in one small box. I think they like it that way...and then Stubby left the nest.

On My List...

Cream Of Sweet Potato Soup   

Ingredients
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 
2 c chicken broth 
1 tsp sugar 
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 
1 1/2 c half-and-half or milk
Salt and pepper to taste  

Directions
Place sweet potatoes and broth in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 2
to 3 hours or until potatoes are tender. Puree potatoes and liquid in
blender. Put back in slow cooker with remaining ingredients. Cover and
cook on high 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot or chilled with a dollop of sour
cream if desired. Makes about 1 quart. 
_______________________________________

YooHoo

We are back in Jefferson! Butch landed on the lawn mower right away and has been busy ever since. We will most likely be here till we head south to Missouri. Butch will help Gary and Susan with an auction in Savannah MO on October 5th. I will stay with Susan's mother Eloise and help out in that way.
So we will be in Jefferson until the 2nd or 3rd. It is getting so crowded at the Peculiar campground and the Carthage campground that those are places we should remember to call for reservations. Haven't done that yet.
Anyway...if you are in the Jefferson Iowa area stop on by...we would love to see you.
One of my plans for the near future is to go through my address book and nudge those I haven't heard from in quite some time with a personal message. It is amazing to me the people that travel through my mind as we are traveling through the countryside and I will think, I sure haven't heard from them in a very long time. I wonder how they are doing and then we stop and I get busy and you know the rest. But rest assured if you haven't emailed me in awhile, you are on my list!!

Fisherman on Lake Anita

Ann Graduates

Granddaughter Ann of Georgia/Florida graduated this Spring. I am just a little late!!

Make a Smilebox greeting

For those few

who asked for more Clay County fair pictures...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Forgot to mention...

Forgot to mention that we played in a golf tournament this past weekend. Naturally the weather was as crappy as it has been the entire month but we endured. It was a three couple team, alternating shot format so it went fairly quick. We played with Randy, Sherri, Chuck and Corinne and we came in first in the second flight. Not too shabby considering the conditions.

Whew!

My Internet connection has been giving me fits again but I may have made a discovery this AM that helps...we will see. But I have not been able to post pictures or much else web related however email has not been a problem so you can see why I was puzzled. I took this one yesterday afternoon.
We went for a walk yesterday afternoon and I did not have my camera so after returning home I grabbed my camera to try and get some of the shots I had missed. One was of a crane sitting on a dock...well he had moved but it was still a good shot if I could get it. So I went down the hill and he held the pose the entire time it took me to get there. I turned on my camera and he instantly scrunched his head down into his shoulders making one ugly looking bird. So I waited...and waited but the d--- bird stayed scrunched so I took a shot of the geese instead.

Gemstone

At Lake Anita

We are at Lake Anita in our favorite spot (site 109). We are always amazed when it is open for us and it has been the last two times we have been here. The park is fairly full for this time of year but there are lots of wind turbines being installed in the area and I am sure the workers are camping in all of the parks around here. It was raining when we arrived and continued to rain most of the day and evening. I took this picture this morning because I liked the raindrops on the window and the lamplight behind.
We have doctor appts. this next week. Nothing serious. Checkups before we head south is all. We also will be stocking up on favorite items from local stores that we are most familiar. Like Iowa Chops from Fareway. Hyvee brand catfood for Angel. We do the same thing in South Texas before we head north!
I finished an afghan yesterday that has been in the works for perhaps 3 years. I would do a few rows and set it aside, even doing many other projects in between. So now I will have cleaned up all my unfinished projects. This one is a dense pattern and quite spectacular now that it is done. I will post a picture asap.

Another Swedish weaving project finished

Lukas with his blanket

Here is Lukas with his blanket. Lukas is the son of Melinda and Ian Koenig and the first grandchild of our friends Sherri and Randy Clark.

Clay County Fair

Make a Smilebox postcard

Butch and I went to the Clay County Fair which some people compare to the Iowa State Fair. It is indeed a very nice fair on a grand scale. The most fun, of course, is being with friends. Pictured here are Dale and Norma Cooklin from Spirit Lake Iowa and Dick and Leslie Cleaveland from Oakland Iowa.

Changing Iowa Landscape

The changing face of Iowa's landscape. There are hundreds of these across the state.

Two Different Mornings...

Both of these pictures were taken through the Motorhome window as I sat at my computer in the early morning north of Jefferson Iowa. What a difference a day makes...

Yesterday was...

Yesterday was warm, windy and on the humid side. Leo, Keri, Butch and I rode our bikes to Cooper and back in the cool of early morning. No time taken for picture taking so I will show you one from an earlier more leisurely ride.
It is one of Butch on the trail near Yale IA.

Went to Atlantic IA

Yesterday Jared and Emily Hall were married in a country church near Oakland. They then hosted an Open House at the SF Martin House in Atlantic. It was a very fine party as you might imagine if you know the couple. Butch and I attended.
The last few months my spare time has included working on Swedish weaving projects and an afghan for Emily and Jared was among those projects. Also a baby blanket for Jared's new nephew Lukas.
I didn't think I should post these till after the event...so now I can.

A quiet Saturday

The laundry is done, flowers watered and our little home on wheels is fairly clean so we are having a leisurely Saturday.
Yesterday we watched a Netflix movie. License to Wed with Robin Williams. Don't bother...it just plain irritated me for the first half and the second half was only a tad bit better.
Last night we went to the new Mexican restaurant in Jefferson....don't bother...we were there approximately 2 hours and that was understandable because they were newly opened and extremely busy but then when we were served our CHICKEN Quesadilla Fajita it was a miserable disappointment. The tortilla was like dried out white paste. I am accustomed to bubbly browned almost flaky tortillas which is how they are when properly prepared and my first slice contained NO chicken. There may have been a total of 10 pieces of chicken in the whole thing each the size of a nickel. Butch can go there if he chooses but they have lost me as a customer. I will wait till we go to the land of real Mexican food where they do not disappoint.
Till next time...

Lucille Ball

She is no longer nameless...meet Lucille Ball or Lucy for short.

Nameless Kitten

This kitten needs a name...any suggestions? Email keep.movin.on@gmail.com
She...we think...is very active, likes to tumble,play ball and fight with her Mamas tail. She plays a mean game of soccer too. She is shy preferring her Mama's company to that of big scary human's with big voices.