Front yard. These branches had to blow over the top of the house and garage.
And by the way-No damage on the new structure.
Tuesday, August 11
Derecho pics
News on Derecho
A derecho that hit a wide swath through the midwest hit us. I am using my Google Fi Internet to write this entry and it will be brief. We do not have electricity yet because the line from the pole to the house is broken. Hard to tell when we will get it back. The town of Jefferson has it but we don't.
We are currently using the generator on the moho to run our refrigerator and I made coffee in the moho this morning, It would be so helpful to know how long this will last but that is not to be. I have taken pictures and will see if I can get them posted. A tree branch came down and pierced a hole in the moho roof. And one of the skylights (kitchen) was annihilated. And another branch came down and took out one of our windows in the new room. We were not home at the time, We went to Mickey's when the siren went off. We are fine. Lots of cleanup in progress. Leo and Keri have been helping us. Also one of the guys on our construction crew was instrumental in getting the big log off the top of the motorhome without instilling more damage.
Pictures will be available when I can figure out the transfer from phone to Blog. Things just are not working in the usual manner.
Monday, August 10
Keep up with Technology?
Or anything else! When I was a teenager I vowed to keep up with all the latest music. My mother was woefully ignorant of all of it and I certainly wasn't going to let that happen to me! Well, it did.
In 1998 or thereabouts when my good friend Mickey got me hooked on computers and the Internet I vowed I was going to keep up with all the new developments and learn as much as I possibly could and I did...to a degree. But somewhere along the line, I got behind a little and then I got WAY behind. Now a great deal of it is very foggy.
A while back Google offered me a Google Mini Nest for free. So I took it. I had a vague notion of what they were and I really didn't see any need for one but thought, "What the heck!"
It arrived and I set it up and it gathered dust. This was while we were in Texas. So I packed it away when we headed North and moved it into the house. On a whim one day I set it up as the Bedroom Speaker. And when we were ready to sleep I would say, "Okay Google, play relaxing music for 20 minutes." And sure enough, it would happen. Then when Gary visited and we were playing cards we would say, "Okay Google play some Bluegrass at volume 8." Gary and Butch like Bluegrass, me less so. And if we wanted to know something, like the mileage to South Texas, we could simply ask and get the answer. It is amazing how often that happens.
So I decided to get an additional one for the pool hall, our pool hall, the one currently being built. Yes, our pricy Internet connection will function there and if it proves to be weak we can get a booster. I have checked it out and do not believe we will have a problem.
Then this message below passed my way so I set it up and picked out some radio stations we might like.
Online Radio Box
Here is the list we can ask the Google Mini Nest to play for us.
Bluegrass Jamboree
Classic Country 1630
San Francisco 70's hits
Classic Rock Florida
Oldies 94.9
Radio Classical
Radio Tunes Meditation
Hippie Soul Cafe
NPR
These are all radio stations in the USA. I am sure there are many more I could find but the problem of remembering what you need to ask to get the desired one becomes a factor.
This is my post of the day!
Sunday, August 9
Bye,Bye,Birdie?
I at first thought there was something wrong with this "guy". Standing on one foot? Seemingly clumsy?
Latest pics on Project
From MY spot
Friday, August 7
Trail pics of today
Buzzards
Project update 8/7/2020
Yup! another 3 days have passed
There is a bunch of stuff going on around here and it is more than a bit distracting. It's a good thing I do not get too excited about chaos and disorder.
Russ,81, putting up rafters.
Monday, August 3
Road trip
Time slips through my fingers like water through a sieve! My last blog entry was on the 29th and it seems that I went to sleep and woke up in August! So now we glance back and try to figure out what I did when and is it worth telling.
Aha! I remember with a bit of help from Butch. Gary was here from Monday through Thursday. Friday we didn't do much but Saturday we went to Marlene and Bernard's place in Terril Ia. I had picked up some meds for Marlene in Mexico and due mainly to the Covid-19 situation we had not taken them to her until Saturday. Yes, we were careful... Bernard said he had only been off the farm three times since March and those were for doctor appointments. Dwight and Carolyn were there and it was very pleasant getting caught up, enjoying a wonderful meal, and being treated to pies by Keri and many of you know what a treat that was. And then we also played cribbage! When Marlene and Bernard wintered in Harlingen TX we would see them several times throughout the season and eat and play cards so it has become a tradition with us. And we still miss them when we are in South Texas and remember them whenever we visit places we went to with them.
On our way home we stopped in Rockwell City to see my youngest sister Myrla. Myrla is the one who gifted us with her pool table and thus started our building something to house it. So we looked over the table again and got caught up on what was happening with "Mouse", that was her nickname as a child. She has always been a tiny thing.
You can see this hole in the trees as you approach Lohrville from the west. It accommodates the power lines which is perhaps why Butch always notices it
Friday, July 31
Busier than Normal-Gary, Golf, Etc.
It has been a busy week. Son Gary came on Monday from Missouri. He has more time off than normal and his RV is in our extra spot so he has his accommodations readily available. Butch and Rich had a golf outing set up but Butch had reinjured his leg/hip and was unable to make it so Rich and Gary played and Jason joined them. The three brothers have been enjoying their time together and it warms my heart to see it.
While Gary has been here he has helped out with this and that and in the evenings we have been playing CrossCrib, a cribbage board game. That game can get my blood to boil and I do not like my reaction to it. I remind myself it is always a good thing to be aware and to work on one's character flaws so it serves a purpose.
On Thursday Gary and I went to Atlantic so he could play the Nishna Hills Golf Course as he, his brothers, and Butch are signed up for a tournament on the 15th. I went to see my good friend Sherri Clark because I had not seen or talked to her since her husband Randy's passing on April 25th. We played many, many rounds of golf with Randy and Sherri during our Cumberland IA years.
Sherri and I followed along as Gary played the course and we talked while Gary played. Gary played VERY WELL and it was fun to watch him. Sherri and I enjoyed being outside and the conversation. It seems whenever Sherri and I are together there is always so much to say and we are never completely finished. Sherri shared her last minutes with Randy and it is a very moving and meaningful story. (The question always comes up, so I will say he did not die of Covid-19 but the complications of Covid being in all our lives in one way or another did play a part.)
Randy had 4 holes in one throughout his life. This bench commemorates three of them while the fourth took place on another golf course during a tournament. In case you do not notice the dates, his first and second holes-in-one took place on the same day, on the same hole exactly 5 years apart. This bench is on that hole, number 15.
Gary headed back to Missouri today and Butch and I are putzing around. I am trying to get caught up and a whole day away sends me into a bit of a tizzy.
Wednesday, July 29
Project update 7/28/2020
Things are happening even though it might not seem like it. My days seem to fill up quickly whether I am doing anything special or not.
The walls are up and sheeting has been applied. The rafters will be in next week, at least that is what they say at the lumberyard, the only one in town. Things have been moving along in a timely manner so far but those of you that have been through this kind of process in the past know how quickly that can change.
I ordered the sinks for the bathroom and the makeshift kitchen this morning.
Here are the latest pictures:
Monday, July 27
Electrical bill from 1967
Butch's dad was in the electrical business and a relative of one of his customers gave Leo a receipt/statement she found in the bottom of a box. It is now a very interesting family artifact.
Hurricane in Texas
Donna Gabbert is Mickey (Sanders) Starr's sister, and another Jefferson Iowa girl and she lives in Weslaco Texas. Many former Magnolia Park people follow Donna's blog as she keeps all of us updated on happenings in the Rio Grande Valley as well as the happenings in her own park. She lives there year-round and has for many years.
Here is what she had to say about Hurricane Hannah.
Saturday, July 25
Bike trail
This morning I walked the trail alone. I have Keri's company usually on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday but today Keri has two of her grandson's visiting. I must admit I have only been walking the trail on the days I have Keri's company so today was an exception. I listened to a book and took some pictures. It is very hot with a heat advisory so I pretty much had the trail to myself.
Mother Nature's artistic touch.
Some people avoid this canopied section just ahead. But I look forward to it.
Project update 7/25/2020
The wood part has begun. Butch helps Russ as much as he can but the truth of the matter is that he tends to do too much and then not only suffers but is unable to help and feels as though he is making no progress as far as his repaired femur is concerned. They told him at the git-go it would be at least 6 months before he could consider it healed and I am certain that meant if he behaved himself. I know it is hard for him to sit back and let others do stuff he was always able to do but he needs to learn or his old age is not going to be as much fun.
Our friend Russ is cut from the same cloth and does far more than he should as well. Hopefully, between the two of them and some help from others along the way, they will get this building built.
Here is the last series of pictures.
Wednesday, July 22
Project update 7/22/2020
Today was the day for the cement poor. The first big step has been taken. The first workers arrived shortly after 6:00 AM this morning. I knew Butch would want to know what was happening but I waited till 7:00AM to wake him.
Butch was focused and didn't have any idea I was taking his picture. That is his sparsely haired head in the center bottom of the picture
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