And then...

They called me very early on this morning that they want me to do computer classes. I am pumped! I will start in mid-July. They want some time for advertising. They will be in the evening at the extension office. They have wifi there. So now when I return to my class down south I will not have to chip the rust off.

The last two mornings have been on the chilly side. This too is very unusual for July. I have come to the conclusion that "usual" weather is no longer possible anywhere.

Some Facebook pics of the great grands today.
Amanda did a pampered day for daughter Elise and she certainly looks like she is royally pampered.

 And we have all seen this from our children. Little Leo wanted his mom's attention and she was busy cooking. She asked him if he needed to sit in timeout. he said "yes" and then sat on the timeout spot. His Dad took his picture.

He is reminding me of his grandpa Gary.

My Ball is Rolling

I finally stopped into the extension office this morning to propose the idea of a beginner computer class for seniors. They were enthused and it looks like it might actually happen. The person with the last word was not in the office today but they will be in touch with me on Thursday. Yes, I can live without doing this and Butch thinks I am crazy but I enjoy it, keeps me busy and engaged and I get as much out of it in my own way than the students do.

On the way home from the golf course Butch encountered an eagle eating its breakfast in the middle of the road. This was on old Highway 30 if you are familiar with our area. He was impressed with the size of this big old eagle! We went back out to see if it was still eating but by then the buzzards were getting their turn.
 Spotted these blooms on the morning walk with Colleen.

Ice Cream

They took the grands for ice cream!

And we have ponds in our backyard but we must consider ourselves very lucky. My sister Myrla lives in Rockwell City and they had grapefruit sized hail! Can you imagine?!!

River down

On my ride this morning I noticed the river is down a couple of feet and the mosquitoes are up a few thousand. It was beautiful this morning with the sun shining brightly and a light southerly breeze. But then... I came home about 8:00 AM and the clouds moved in for the bulk of the day. They say the clouds cleared out this afternoon just long enough to increase the threat of storms. We are so lucky! They are promising some drying out weather come Tuesday. I certainly hope so!

Here are a few pics taken from this week shots. Below are two pictures of our local pickers pickings. See anything that tickles your fancy?

A Bit Bummed

Do not write much when I'm bummed. Had a good time with the "kids" Jason and Laura Friday night but then we always do. Russ was a no show today. Do not know why because it didn't rain until late afternoon but then we got another 1/2 inch. Maybe the mud was a factor. We certainly have plenty of that!

I went to an auction but I am believing that the auction was an accumulation of things that had failed to sell at former auctions. They did not fare much better today. I did not buy a thing.
I have a headache and just do not feel up to snuff. Perhaps tomorrow will have more substance for me.
Later...

Papa Gary sent camping pics from last weekend

Another rainy day...

Colleen and I went to Carroll (30 miles west)  yesterday. She needed a new printer so that was the main feature of our trip.
We also stopped in the Verizon store to talk Internet connection for Colleen. Butch and I have come to the conclusion if we have a connection here and another connection in Texas we can get by in between. The only reason this works is because we can suspend service at little or no cost at each end. On the Texas Time Warner end we pay $4.99 a month for the months we do not use it and on the Jefferson Telecom end we disconnect in October at no cost and reconnect in April/May for a $35 hook-up fee. It has taken us quite some time to get all this ironed out to our satisfaction. The main problem with Verizon is the two year contract and/or the large fee($250) to buy the equipment to not have the contract and then the connection itself does not quite hold up to the others. Streaming video or movies is not going to work well on a 3G mifi. Buffering, buffering, buffering...we have all been there!
We returned to Colleens and hooked up her printer and some other computer issues and maintenance. Full but busy and productive day.
When I came home Butch had enjoyed a day of rest and watching Longmire on Netflix. It looks like today will be another one of those napping -watching the rain kind of days until this afternoon when we are going to Costco and activate our membership. We are sharing a membership with Jason so will pick him up in Boone. He is not at all sure he needs a membership but then I wasn't either until Peggy got me hooked. And MyPoints offered me 1000 points too. And Costco threw in a bunch of free items. It penciled out as they say.
This rain may put another crimp in the room construction. I would out and out cuss using the biggest and nastiest cuss words I could think of if it would do a nickles worth of good. #$%^ it.

Chugging along

We have been doing the ordinary things of everyday life so nothing earth shattering to report.

Russ stopped by last night and says he will be here Saturday...unless it is raining.

Butch is getting some pre-cancerous areas burned off of his face this morning. That may slow him down a bit. Maybe, just maybe. Might need to stay out of the sun until it heals a bit.

I had an echocardiogram yesterday. Have not seen the results yet but expect it to be okay. I had forgotten how long those take- 45 minutes to an hour. Geez!

The river is down a little from where it was a few days ago.

We had unstuffed cabbage rolls for supper last night. I gave it 5 stars last time I made it and the 5 stars still stand. It is yummy!!

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small cabbage, chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender.
Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8

A one-sided conversation with me

Butch found deer prints in our backyard! That would be quite a surprise to get up in the night and see a deer in the yard. Better than some crazy guys looking for a cat!
Butch put some insulation on the inside of our foundation blocks. Brother Bill suggested it and it seemed like a smart move. Still waiting on Russ...

We went uptown for the farmers market tonight. We have been forgetting about it. I will be more anxious when the cabbage, cauliflower, corn and tomatoes come on. I stay away from the baked goods but there is always a great selection.

I rode the trail then walked with Colleen this morning. Too bad you weren't with us because the conversation was fascinating. It always is!

My cactus, the one the boys gave me for mother's day many years ago has grown too big to make the trip to Texas last winter so we left it in the house. We set the thermostat at 52 degrees. Jason watered it once with melted snow water. Next winter I will leave some plant water in the shower so he won't have to wait for the snow to melt. You will be gobsmacked when you see the current picture of it with over 20 blooms on it!
And here it is!

Jefferson's Belltower bathed in a setting sun.

Leo emailed this photo to me. It is a great shot!

taken by Rich Osborn

Today's pics plus

Colleen and I skipped Sunday's walk because the weather looked threatening. I have been biking to the river every morning and then getting back to the depot to walk with Colleen. Later on Sunday Jason came over and we attended an auction. Butch purchased a golf pushcart that had previously belonged to Colleen's husband Jim. Butch was very glad to get it because it is a design that he has wanted to have for quite some time. We picked up a few other items as well and isn't that the nature of auctions.

We had a very good time at the auction but the long hours of standing was hard on both of our backs.

The pictures were taken this morning near the trailhead.

Kid's Camping

Little Leo is loving smores!

Elise enjoys them too!

This and that

Little Leo is excited about camping. snipped from Facebook

Butch and I rode out to the bridge yesterday to see the rising water. Swirls, eddies and whirlpools are abundant.

The Older Ladies Anthem

Cute song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4QzHeUE-CM

This mornings ride

Quite a day on the trail. First off a raccoon crossed my path headed for the backyard of a Jefferson resident. A rabbit was a few feet from the raccoon. Neither were concerned. I rang my little bell on my bike and he quickly waddled away from me. The rabbit hopped off the bunny trail.
When I arrived at the bridge I was surprised how high the water was up. I took a few photos. The sound and the rushing water bothered me a bit so I walked my bike back across the bridge. I turned to look back wondering if there might be a biker. It is hard to hear approaching people either on bikes or on foot. The trail is a quiet place. There stood a deer! She was in the shade so getting a picture would have been difficult on several levels. So I went on my way.

The contrast of color was the attraction.

Hands and Mower

Butch had an appointment with a hand man today. He has had trouble gripping  and drops things frequently. He thought it was carpal tunnel. The hand guy doesn't think so. He says he thinks it is tendonitis so first we will try treatment for that. He had steroid shots in both hands. It hurt much worse in the hand that has been bothering him most. (left)
After that we stopped by Jason's to "look" at his mower. 2 hours later we left. Jason has a nice mower despite the fact it is going to take much fixing to get it just so. Jason can do it-no problem.  It is a Cub Cadet.

There is more but I won't go into it. Suffice it to say I had not had my morning coffee or breakfast.

On a lighter note.

My friend Colleen is home! We had our first walk this morning against a pretty stiff wind. It is great to have her back so now my walk will seem so much shorter and informative. We have much to catch up on.
No more progress on the room but Butch has been in touch with Russ and he said maybe next weekend.
Butch is off to the golf course. We had a windstorm last night with much rain. He checked the rain gauge before he left and there was 2 inches in it.

Saw this on my walk this morning. The nearest tree was quite a distance from the machinery.

 
We may go to the lumber yard and pick out windows when Butch gets back.

Not my Circus

Strange Things Happen!

Sunday night I rolled out of bed at 12:15 AM to make a bathroom trip and looking out the front door I spotted 3 garbage cans sitting behind our car. They were not ours and it was not garbage pick-up day. I hollered at Butch and woke him up. Meanwhile in the backyard there are people with flashlights wandering around, looking under our locked motorhome. Butch turned on our outside lights and that did not concern them at all so he opened the window and yelled,"What the H--- are you doing?!!". They said looking for a cat. I look again and the garbage cans are gone. Never did find out what that was about. They had an 8 year old with them. Supposedly his cat. I called the cops and they came by with their spotlight. Strange, very strange. There is something wacky with our neighbors to the south. It is a house of men. 3? 4? Not sure. Sometimes there are kids there. Rarely a car. Rarely a woman. They are nocturnal. It is always all closed up. No window is ever open and you cannot see inside anywhere. AC is always running. Weird. In the light of day they are friendly and will visit if asked but still very odd.
It took me two hours to get back to sleep!!

A Special Fathers Day

Yesterday was the 2014 Belltower Festival and one of my classmates was the Grand Marshall- Dr. Jim Hanson. He and his wife Elizabeth hosted a party at his house and we were invited. It was a big fancy tado-catered-open bar etc.
Butch and I were eating at a table and some "older folks" joined us and we began talking. The Brooker name is well known in Jefferson so all those connections were acknowledged and then a fellow asked me my maiden name and where I came from. I said I am from Jefferson but my family hasn't been here for many years. My maiden name was B-R-O-C-K. He said, "Francis Brock?". I said yes, Francis was my father. He said he knew him and remembered him very well! My dad died in 1956 at the age of 33 so this gave me goosebumps I kid you not! He shared a story about my dad working at a hamburger joint. It was named 4 Star or something like that. Open 24 hours. He was training a new employee one night and stepped out for a break. I am guessing a cigarette break. A customer came in and ordered 5 hamburgers and it flustered the new guy. As he was slicing open the buns  he cut into his hand and there was blood all over the place but when my dad came back he was cool as a cucumber and handled it all seamlessly. It was a special treat for me to run into someone who knew and remembered my dad.


Bob Owen remembered my Dad:

Here is a picture of my dad, Francis Brock.