Rain

Yes, it has rained every day in what seems like forever. No, we do not like it!

He still has some hair!

Jigzone Fan

I am a fan of Jigzone. Butch and I have had an ongoing competition for years. They have a puzzle of the day that you can sign up for and have it come into your email every day. That is the one we compete on. But you can also make a puzzle with your own photos and that is what the one below is. Jason made this sunflower for me years ago. This picture was taken in Cumberland Iowa when we still lived there. Obviously, it was Spring because the lilacs are in bloom.
http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/E81C85292E?z=0
Butch and I always do the 48 piece classic. You can set your own preferences.

This should tell you I have had some extra time on my hands. We have been in a rainy period whereby it is raining every day. Not all the time but often enough you can not rely on it not raining.
I think we are on day 4 of 'raininess'. It might even be 5. On the good side, I have not had to water anything. I like that, especially this time of year.

I started doing my own version of trivia back in January at Magnolia Park. I continued until the season ended putting together 11 games. When we came back to Iowa I asked permission to write down the questions we answered at HyVee on Thursday nights. Permission was granted and I have continued it. In addition, I started at the Elks Club in the middle of June and will continue up to and including the first Wednesday in October. So counting all of them thus far I have put together a total of 48 games, 6 of them not yet used. I do believe that is without duplicating any questions. Not 100% sure on the last statement because early on I used questions I could remember from HyVee on the first ones I did for Magnolia Park. When we finish with HyVee for this season I will have 5 more for a total of 53!! That is a years supply!! I obviously enjoy doing it.

My House

RVers will relate to this catchy tune.

https://www.facebook.com/AudreyMusic/videos/1986903788001868/

Quote

Reading today's issue of the RV Travel newsletter and came across this quote. It was at the bottom of an article written by a woman who is writing about her journey with terminal cancer. Seemed appropriate for many situations.

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
- Soren Kierkegaard

Mish-Mash

The light was just right when I ended my walk with Virginia one day last week so I took these two pictures of the tank at the end of the bike trail. I was reminded of a day last winter in Magnolia park when my friend Kay S. was looking for a picture of a tank to print out for Larry E. Larry needed it for a project

This is an old picture I saw on Facebook. The young girl in the middle is a picture of Marlene and Bernards Granddaughter-in-law Marie Kelley long before she was a Kelley. I assume the ones on either side of Marie are siblings. This one really tickled my funny bone and that is why I snipped it

And this was in my collection of cartoons I get each morning and it will not need any 'splaining to my women friends.

Last week we had a trivia question about Schrodinger's cat. I would not have known anything about it if I were not a fan of Big Bang Theory. This was on a T-shirt I could have bought but didn't.

End of Mish-Mash,

Seasonal

School starts and a day or two in the seventies and the mind starts moving on down the line. It has taken all summer but finally, I have done some things that have been on my todo list all summer. It was either too hot or too wet or too something. A cooler day now and then has boosted the incentive to get a move on. Also, the Spring and Summer were overloaded with trips to Ames for spot checks, biopsies, surgeries to remove the nasty little cancer spots, or follow-ups after the procedures. Now that we have caught up I am hoping next Spring will be a one-stop one step thing and we can do what we please with our summer without interruption.   We are both using hats and applying sunscreen much more faithfully than ever before. My last biopsy was a week ago and no phone call for a return visit which is a good thing.

Butch has had an early case of hitch itch but all I have to do is remind him that many days are still triple digits in the deep south and that chills him out a bit. He has been tinkering around on the Motorhome taking care of details, little repairs that do not amount to much as far as time. That is a very good thing! We like having our winter home in tip-top shape.

Beckett goes to Pre-school

Take my word for it the next 20+ years of this boys formal education will be quite the ride for all concerned.

Sunday Morning Biking the Trail

Jason, Keri and I rode the trail this morning. It was more than bit humid. Jason and Keri were ahead of me at one point so I suggested to Jason that he start looking for Hops and slow down a bit to do so. Early in the season, Jason had asked me to look for Hops on the trail and I was unable to find them. This morning we found them EVERYWHERE however they do not bloom until late August. Hops are used in the making of beer. So if you plan to find them on the trail it is so much easier when they are blooming.
Here are pictures taken this morning:
Hops are vining up this tree.

 Keri and Jason

Closeup of Hops

And these are plums- also plentiful along the trail. Jason mentioned how many people whiz on by the trail and never see any of these things.

I told Butch and Jason they better not dilly-dally if they wanted to play golf because it was supposed to start raining around 11:00AM. It is currently a little after 10 and it is thundering. Mama knows best!!

Reposting of New School Year 2018

New School Year

These are the new start of school year pictures of the kids we know. Will add more as they come my way. Do not be afraid to nudge me if I miss one. My school days were a very long time ago unless you count the school of life. On that one, we are always learning.

Granddaughter Ann and Anthony's 3 girls: Nina Grace

                                       
                                                Scarlett

                                           Skyler

Nicoles son -Ethan, The oldest joy of Jason and Laura's grandparenting days. We have all learned a lot from this boy already.

Granddaughter Amanda and Brad's two- Elise the future actress

 And her super hero brother Leo!

And now we are adding Leo and Keri's oldest grandchild Brady, son of Greg and Erin

And we simply must add Beckett as he is the spitting image of his grandfather Leo. And that new haircut accentuates that even more! Beckett just turned 3.

Devon!!! Devon is my nephew and he is a freshman this year and starting on a whole new adventure of learning and he is excited about it.

Emily and Joe's pair of preciousness! Happy 1st day of school for Jorgen!
(Clara was more eager for the photo op than Jorgen 💙💜)

My Sis

My sister Theresa is home following her heart surgery and doing well. She says she will be doing even better when she can get back to her water aerobics at the Y. She misses them. How she did them with a 95% heart blockage is another miracle. So waiting the 6 weeks to get back to fun in the water is the next big thing.

Bike ride and other stuff

Keri and I rode the trail this morning. It has been awhile. We saw several deer. It is the time of year when they become more visible. Lots of people on the trail too. Bikers and walkers. We rode out to Bullhead farm and the goats were munching away. They do make great lawnmowers.

And tree climbers!

Last Wednesday was trivia at the Elks. Only two tables but those who do come do seem to enjoy it a great deal. We will keep it up until we take off for the southland in mid-October.
Thursday nights HyVee trivia was a rare one for me as I happened to know several of the answers. We did not come into the money due to our own mistakes in point management. But what the hey, that happens to everyone now and then. We always have fun at it regardless of the outcome.
One of the answers that I knew was Trebuchet and the reason I knew it was because of a cartoon I read on regular bases. Cul de sac by Richard Thompson

And this one is about cookies with raisins. I like Alice but she would have been a hard one to raise.

New School Year

These are the new start of school year pictures of the kids we know. Will add more as they come my way. Do not be afraid to nudge me if I miss one. My school days were a very long time ago unless you count the school of life. On that one, we are always learning.

Granddaughter Ann and Anthony's 3 girls: Nina Grace

                                       
                                                Scarlett

                                           Skyler

Nicoles son -Ethan, The oldest joy of Jason and Laura's grandparenting days. We have all learned a lot from this boy already.

Granddaughter Amanda and Brad's two- Elise the future actress

 And her super hero brother Leo!

And now we are adding Leo and Keri's oldest grandchild Brady, son of Greg and Erin

And we simply must add Beckett as he is the spitting image of his grandfather Leo. And that new haircut accentuates that even more! Beckett just turned 3.

Devon!!! Devon is my nephew and he is a freshman this year and starting on a whole new adventure of learning and he is excited about it.

Emily and Joe's pair of preciousness! Happy 1st day of school for Jorgen!
(Clara was more eager for the photo op than Jorgen 💙💜)

Serendipitous

We used to have a serendipitous experience on occasion but it had been a long time or seemed as though that was true. Yesterday we went to Panora with the idea of attending Bob and Connie Safley's 50th Wedding Anniversary. Bob was Butch's catcher for many of the years he pitched for the Cooper Iowa fast-pitch softball team. At one time, ball games were a big part of our life. It seems we showed up for the party on the wrong day! So we switched gears and decided to see if Jan and Jack Tallman were home. They live on Lake Panorama and were a big part of many of our square dancing years. I called them to see if they were home but they were headed to DesMoines to have their son show them how to put new line on their weed whacker. Jan asked if Butch could do that and of course, he could so they came back home.
We waited for them on their deck. They had not yet traveled very far.

 Busy day on the lake.

 The lesson

After the lesson, Jan called Marv and Judy Smith.  They were going to be our next stop. We met them at the Owl's Nest in Panora for a sandwich followed by a spirited game of cribbage back at Jan and Jack's house. A good time was had by all!! A Serendipitous Day!!

Uses for ORIGINAL BLUE DAWN-Thanks Mickey S.

ORIGINAL BLUE DAWN . . . IT’S NOT JUST FOR DISHES ANYMORE

Wild Life
Ever wonder why Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is the wildlife cleaner of choice after an oil spill? According to the International Bird Rescue Research Center, Dawn effectively removes grease but does not cause harm to the skin of the birds. It’s also biodegradable and contains no phosphates.

BUBBLES
According to Bubbles.org, Dawn dishwashing liquid makes great homemade bubbles. Here is the Giant Bubble Recipe used in bubble makers at many children’s museums: 1/2 cup Ultra Dawn 1/2 gallon warm water 1 tablespoon glycerin (available at any drug store) OR White Karo syrup works too! Stir gently. Skim the foam off the top of the solution (too much foam breaks down the bubbles). Dip bubble wand and get ready for some good, clean fun!

GREASY HAIR PROBLEMS
Kids get into the darnedest things! Like Vaseline and baby oil rubbed into their hair! Dawn is mild enough to use on their hair and strong enough to remove the most stubborn grease.

HAIR PRODUCT BUILDUP
Once a month use original Dawn as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any build-up of styling products without any damage. Perform this once a month and you won’t have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing.

MANICURE SECRET
Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere very well.

REPEL HOUSEPLANT INSECTS
A safe, effective way to repel insects from your houseplants, including aphids, spider mites, and mealy bugs. Put a drop of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the bottle with water, shake well, and mist your household plants with the soapy water.

CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS
Try this recipe from Merry Maids: mix 3 drops Dawn in 1-gallon water and fill a spray bottle with the solution. Spritz and wipe as you would with any window cleaner.

PETS AND PESTS
Use it to bathe the dogs. It kills fleas on contact and is much cheaper than expensive dog shampoos.

CLEAN AUTOMOTIVE TOOLS
After you have finished your automotive repair project, soak your dirty tools in Dawn before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. Dawn also helps prevent rust from forming on the tools.

ICE PACK
Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.

TUB AND SHOWER CLEANER
Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Heat in the microwave. Fill the rest of the way with blue Dawn. Put a lid on and shake to mix well. Spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will totally melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.

REPEL ANTS
Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray.

STRIPPING CLOTH DIAPERS
Add a squirt or two of original Dawn dish soap to your washer and run a hot wash, then rinse until there are no more bubbles. Dawn is a degreasing agent and helps to strip by removing oily residue. Be sure to rinse, rinse, rinse until the water runs clear.

UNCLOGGING TOILETS
A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet.

POISON IVY
Poison ivy spreads through the spread of the oil within the blisters. Washing the affected area with Dawn, especially on children who keep scratching the blister’s open, helps dry up the fluid, AND keep it from spreading.

DRIVEWAY CLEANER
If you have gasoline or motor oil stains on your driveway, you can use the kitty litter method to clean up the excess oil and then use a scrub broom and a solution of biodegradable Dawn dishwashing detergent and warm water to safely and effectively remove excess motor oil from the pavement.

OILY SKIN
Dawn makes a great facial cleanser for oily skin. A drop or two combined with warm water will do the trick.

PAINT OR GREASE REMOVER FOR HANDS
Dawn combined with corn oil makes for the perfect paint or grease remover. Simply combine a little bit of both in your hands then rub it over affected areas. The corn oil and the dishwashing liquid both help to dissolve the grease and paint – yet leave skin soft, unlike harsher paint removers.

CLEANING THE KIDDIE POOL
Plastic wading pools can get very gunky, very fast. Dump the water, then scrub the pool with Dawn and a sponge. More potent cleaners like bleach will weaken and dry out the plastic in the sun.

MULTIPURPOSE CLEANER
Merry Maids recommends using a drop of Dawn in water to clean ceramic tile and no-wax/linoleum floors. You can also use the spray on:
• Bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks.
• Woodwork, e.g., baseboards, shelves, and wainscoting. (Dry as you go–wood doesn’t like prolonged contact with water.)
• Tubs and toilet seats.

LAUNDRY PRE-TREATER FOR OILY STAINS
For oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, motor oil, cooking oil, and some pen inks, simply apply some Dawn dishwashing liquid directly to the stain and scrub with a small brush or toothbrush until the oil is removed, and then launder as usual.

NON-TOXIC LUBRICANT
Sliding glass doors, door knobs, hinges etc. It lasts much longer than any aerosol type spray that I have tried. And It's non-toxic! It does a great job of cleaning the parts that it's lubricating as well!

SIDEWALK DE-ICER
For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon hot/warm water and pour over walkways. They won’t refreeze. No more salt eating at the concrete in your sidewalks

POOL CLEANING
Squirt Dawn down the middle of the pool and all of the dirt, suntan lotion, etc. will move to the edges of the pool for easy cleanup! AND it makes the pools sparkle.

EYEGLASS DEFOGGER
Simply rub a small drop of Dawn on eyeglass lenses, and wipe clean. It will leave a very thin film that will prevent them from fogging up.

SHOWER FLOORS
Cover greasy footprints on shower floors with a coating of Dawn; let sit overnight. Scrub away the gunk in the morning with a stiff brush.

APHID CONTROL ON FRUIT TREES
Mix two tablespoons Dawn to a gallon of water and put in your sprayer. Try to get spray both sides of the leaves, branches and the tree trunks. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse the trees THOROUGHLY!

AND FINALLY……..
Here’s a brilliant idea! Need a hostess gift when visiting friends and family this summer? Print off this post and include it with a bottle of Blue Dawn! Talk about USEFUL!
______________________

Hoop Hop Showdown

I saw this game on Facebook and wondered what the rules were so here they are. You can see the game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=PcIord7RNAI
What a fantastic way to get kids up and moving while having fun.

How to play Hoop Hop Showdown

A video of 4th graders playing a game called Hoop Hop Showdown has gone viral in recent days amassing over 8 million views. What a great twist on the game of rock, paper, scissors. I couldn't find the rules anywhere online so here they are. 

How to Play:

Set up a game board using multiple hula hoops. This should zigzag across your meeting space.

Split your group into two teams - with teams at either end of the hula hoop playing board lined up one behind another.

On the first whistle, the first member of each team hops from hula hoop to hula hoop until they meet somewhere on the game board.

They play a round of rock paper scissors until someone wins.  The winner keeps advancing on the gameboard and the loser goes to the back of their team line. Meanwhile, the second player in the losing team becomes active and hops onto to the hula hoop play area until they meet the first player from the other team where they play another round of rock, paper, scissors.

The aim of the game is to reach the last hoop on the gameboard which scores your team one point. The game can be played for a certain period of time and the team with the most points is the winner.

Lucky

Butch was noticing a noise on the right front of our car that was unfamiliar. So he took it to our most trustworthy and favorite mechanic for fixing or whatever might be needed. It was a part connected to the right front wheel, part of the drive-train that has some wear showing and needs to be replaced. Here is where the luck comes in. We have a 100,000 mile or 10-year warranty and we are sitting at 9 years and less than the big number on the miles so it is covered! This is not the first time this kind of luck has been bestowed upon us and we are very grateful. This would have been an $800 plus expenditure if it were not covered. We will have to take it to Stew Hansens Hyundai in DesMoines for the repair. Sure wish we could have stayed local and taken it
back to our trustworthy and favorite mechanic. Of course, you want to know who that might be. Highly recommended!
https://www.facebook.com/Danielson-Auto-Repair-190287217688450/