Our Floridian Guest

 Our friend Colleen has been here the past two weeks staying in what she calls the Alley Penthouse (Motorhome). It is the ideal way to have a houseguest. They have the freedom to come and go as they please while our life goes on as before without significant interruption. This morning we took her to the airport in Des Moines to catch her flight back to Florida. I wanted to get a photo of her the entire time she was here but didn't think of it ever at the right time. I did get one at the last minute as we dropped her off and she proved how naturally photogenic she is! Or is it my ability to get a candid shot on the fly? Hmmm

Headed back to Florida

Cartoons

 I get cartoons every day in my email. (https://www.gocomics.com/) Yes, I pay for them annually. I forward them to Butch so we both get to enjoy them. He has to put up with my taste but then we have been married 62 years so he should be used to it by now.😊

When I see one that makes me literally smile or laugh I usually "snip" it. Today was one of those. Oh, and by the way, Butch doesn't cheat. He's the other guy! Update: Butch says he does whatever he wants because he is 80 now.

My list of cartoons includes Pickles, the one above with Cul De Sac, Aunty Acid, and For Better or Worse being my favorites.

Our Town

 is a very, very, very fine town...

https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/coffee-shop-raises-pay-for-all-employees-to-15-dollars-an-hour-minimum-wage-increase/524-debc1f61-b6cc-466d-a61d-58083f9288c7

Latest additions

 This is Gary's chair and he asked if it fully reclined in the same way Butch's chair did and this photo is to tell him, Yes, it does.

Butch was gifted with a new hat from Pete B. after Butch admired one that Pete was wearing. Butch loves his new hat and I do too. He looks old but dashing!

There is more historical info about this fiber optic ball. My mother gave it to Scott Acklin, son-in-law, for Christmas one year. Scott passed away and Myrla, my sis, asked if we would like to have it for a while. We said yes. That was several years ago. Recently I asked Myrla if she would like it back. It was when I was going through things for the garage sale. She said "no" because the perfect place for it would be in the pool hall and once again she hit it on the nose.

A Morning Treat

I am behind in my laundry. It happens. I have been hanging my clothes to dry on our new clothesline to save on the electric bill and put it on Mother Nature for a change. As humid as it is I may regret it...but oh well. As I was hanging up clothes a few minutes ago a butterfly caught my eye. I did not think it would stick around long enough to get my camera but it did!  After seeing it on my computer screen I see it is in pretty bad shape...but still beautiful.

Here is what a youngster would look like.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly: Butterfly symbolic meanings: Inspiration, intuition, higher consciousness, transformation, resurrection, flashes of insight, power of beauty, strength in vulnerability.

Iowa Countryside

 On our way home from Fort Dodge...

Chair Story

 In the beginning, Colleen gave us a chair that had been her husband's. I liked it because for a recliner it had a small footprint. Butch likes it because it fits him. Our son Gary has fallen in love with the chair and has offered as much as $400 to us for it. Each time he comes to visit he naps in the chair...and tells us how much he loves it. He has asked us to will it to him and we promised we would...and then! I had an item I wanted to put on Marketplace on Facebook. I was having trouble getting it posted so I was trying to find the posting to see if I had succeeded when I ran across this post.

I sent the post to Susan, Gary's wife as Gary doesn't do Facebook. She said he would be thrilled and she would show it to him when he got home from playing golf. I know how fast items can be sold on the Facebook Marketplace so decided to see if I could make a deal for him. I first asked the seller if it was still available and he said yes, as he had just posted it a few minutes earlier. So I dickered a bit and we bought it. Butch and I drove to Fort Dodge and picked up the chair. Gary's birthday is Wednesday the 11th. The whole sequence of events seemed meant to be.

A Magnolia friend, Lynn Cornell, asked me on Facebook if I knew how much those chairs were worth and we had previously looked them up, thinking that Gary might want to buy a new one.

Here is the posting from the La-Z-Boy website. They are a couple of hundred more than they were a few years ago.

And here is the chair that started it all, firmly planted in our living room.

Thanks very much, Colleen!

Take a minute...

 THIS IS RIGHT ON THE NOSE. .......READ IT SLOWLY... I DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE IT, BUT I AM GUESSING IT WAS A SENIOR!!!

AND THEN IT IS WINTER You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change....Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's NOT over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

REMEMBER:....

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

"LIVE HAPPY IN THIS YEAR AND EVERY YEAR!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

~Your kids are becoming you.......

~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... "what?" . ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.

~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!

It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

Playing Pool! and other stuff

 Butch and I play pool every day, which usually takes about an hour. Yesterday a few of our Deja Vu friends joined us! It was a spontaneous, impromptu event. Those are the very best kind!

A few years ago our old garage flooded due to an inconsiderate neighbor who was aiming his sump pump water in our direction. This happened while we were in Texas of course. So we decided to fill some sandbags and place them around the garage door to see if it would help in case they did it again. It hasn't happened again but we found there were additional benefits such as the snow did not build up in that area, mice found it harder to enter, etc. So we decided to use the same method for the new pool hall. The problem is what do we do with them off-season? Still haven't solved that one. I told Butch I was going to decorate them as little snowmen and I may go with that but I am open to suggestions. 

My niece Karla and her son Devon recently vacationed in Omaha and had fun at the zoo. Here they are, having fun!

Cheep Bird Pics

 

And a baby Bunny!

Happy Birthday, Rich!

 Today is our oldest son's birthday. I texted him to see if he wanted to play golf with Butch. He said he would love to but had to work today. We had our kids young and on more than one occasion we have voiced that we could hardly wait till they retire so they could play with us. That should happen fairly soon in the scheme of things. Oh, Happy Day!

Curious?

 I came across this article explaining the why and how of Guest and Incognito functions. It is a well-written explanation.

Enjoy if you are of a mind to.

https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/why-and-how-to-use-guest-mode-and-incognito-mode-in-google-chrome/

Updates...

 The Saturday garage sale went well. I had too much stuff leftover but will make a decision soon to give it to charity or try again. In the meantime, it is covered with a green sheet so I don't have to look at it.

My friend Colleen is visiting for the next two weeks. We took our first walk this morning just like old times. It was a beautiful cool morning. We used to walk the trail in about 40-45 minutes. Today it took over an hour. We have slowed down as time marches on!

Butch is gearing up for a golf tournament with the guys on the 21st. Rich cannot make it this year and Sherri is taking his place so it will be 3 guys and a gal. Sherri is a good golfer and can hold her own. If I had replaced Rich it would not have been a good thing but this arrangement should be workable. Sherri has been the women's course champion on at least one occasion.

Anyone have a Ford Taurus?

 Buying the cheaper cuts of beef is the only way to go these days so I found this RV newsletter thought-provoking and entertaining. Personally, we eat a lot of Pork! We had a most delicious Iowa Chop a couple of days ago.

https://www.rvtravel.com/surprising-ways-tenderize-steaks-1654/

It is too darn hot!

 I try to keep water in the satellite dish. Especially when it is as hot as it is. Supposed to reach 100 today. The squirrel is taking a break, loving the water even if it is warm water.

Link didn't work (jigzone)

 My experiment didn't work for posting the puzzle on my blog. So just go to www.jigzone.com and click on puzzle of the day. You can change the cut if you so desire. 

Hmmm...

 

Half Black Squirrel

 The underside of this squirrel is black. This was noticed and photographed the same day as the bald-headed cardinal. Some days are like that!

Bald Headed Cardinal?

 This bird pic was taken by me as it perched on our feeder. Research on the subject says it is not unusual.

Garage Sale next Saturday

 We are having a garage sale next Saturday the 31st of July. I have had things tucked away in nooks and crannies ever since we left Magnolia Park for just such a sale. The magnolia garage sales were so simple! It has been a mixed blessing getting ready for this sale. It has been quite nostalgic at times. It has also kept me awake for a few restless hours here and there.

This sale will be held with 4 participators and that alone should make it a good one. So stop on by if you are in the neighborhood next Saturday. All-day or until we are sufficiently sold out.