HWY 141 garage sale

Butch wanted to 'do' the hwy 141 garage sale today. Last year Sherri Clark and I rode bikes from Redfield to Jefferson while Butch did the garage sale alone. This year I am going with Butch. So we left bright and early this morning. We started off in Bagley, then Bayard then headed back east catching Jamaica, Dawson and Perry before returning home. There are many bargains out there for sure!
Here are our treasures.

We didn't buy it of course but this is a zither and my mother played one. Nostalgia.

 On the trail...

 These are hollyhocks-zerbena. We had some of these in Cumberland and I didn't know their name at that time. Ran into these while looking for hollyhock seeds and recognized them. They are shorter by far than regular hollyhocks. So I planted them and now they are taking off...more nostalgia!

 Already looking forward to these perennials next year.

Gary went south

Gary was up bright and early with plans to do the high trestle trail before heading for home...and he did!

I asked a favor of Keri to make a Lemon Meringue Pie for him as his birthday is next Tuesday and that was always his request every year. It was a special treat for all of us. Very yummy!

These were this morning's trail pics.

Gary uses an app on his phone called MapMyRide. I now have it on my phone and used it for the first time today. You may want to check it out.

Another bit of tech news that set me off the wrong way; Microsofts new Windows 10 that has been getting rave reviews has a new browser named Edge. The browser is not getting rave reviews so a person might say no big deal, neither did Internet Explorer that no longer exists once you have Windows 10. At first I was not concerned in the least because I use Chrome for a browser anyway and had no plans to switch. So the bad news is they have made changing your default browser extremely difficult to change from Edge! That is a mighty underhanded trick Microsoft! Sure we will give you Windows 10 absolutely free and aren't we wonderful for doing that! The price you will pay is not being able to set your default browser to what you want without a gurus help and jumping through many hidden hoops. It has to be what we want you to have. And to top it off worthless no-good Bing is also part of your package. I will not be downloading Windows 10 until I am very familiar with what it takes to have Chrome be my default browser.

Today's Ride-a day late!

Jason came over and met up with Gary for a ride to Waukee from Jefferson using the southern route through Panora. He arrived early and they took off at 6:30 AM. As an added gift to me he brought his tubular art! I love it! He also brought a new burn barrel for his dad.

Here are the guys getting ready for take-off.

6:30 AM

The conditions were perfect. Overcast, calm winds, and cool temperatures.

It started to rain in Jefferson so Butch got a bit antsy and thought we should make their pick-up vehicle more readily available if needed so we drove to Redfield and waited for them. This tar design in the pavement caught my artistic eye. It didn't rain anywhere else it seems.

They made it to the Waukee trailhead in good time in less than 5 hours, 52 miles.

They were a little worse for wear today. Gary said it was bit more challenging especially the last 8 miles. We enjoyed lunch at Patricks Restaurant in Adel Iowa. It is right on the trail and a very popular place for lunch. 

Latest...Tuesday

Son Gary is here from Missouri for a few days. Today he rode the bike trail from Jefferson to Waukee, 45 miles taking the Perry/Minburn route. He left here at 8:00 AM this morning and we drove to Waukee and picked him up before noon. I think his exact time was 3 hours 43 minutes. That is impressive to many people who ride. He says he averaged 13 mph on his bike. At first Butch and I thought we might leap frog, taking turns riding with him. Son Jason said we would have trouble keeping up with him so we decided not to hold him back. Good move on our part.
Tomorrow Jason is coming over and they are riding to Waukee again but this time by way of Panora.

By the way, I need to get word to my cousin Phyllis who lives in Minburn that they need better signage for bikers coming from the north. Gary did not know he had even gone through Minburn. I know she cares about this info having taken part in celebrating the trail when it first opened last year.
We are very lucky to have this great resource so near to us for both biking and walking.

Old Lady Syndrome

It is a natural thing to slow down as you age. I have both observed this and experienced it. It seems to be my year to realize it on many levels. Younger people look at you differently and can be condescending. Less tolerance for the petty things in life. When you look at pictures of yourself from your past and are not at all sure it is you and others do not think so either. At any rate, these are things I have given much more thought to lately. Not sure if it is good or bad but let us just say it is what it is and I will do my best to enjoy each day as it comes and live in the moments.
 Geez! Trying to remember 3 days back without much luck! Sunday Karla came over and we rode to Winkleman switch and back. We had a great ride and a good visit.

This was taken near the river bridge.

And here is the latest project.

It needs more flowers and embellishment, but it is a start. My friend Sherri Clark in Atlantic donated the bicycle. Thanks Sherri!

Busy week continued...

Monday's computer class went well. We were a bit down in numbers and I am aware by now that it is a natural phenomena on occasion. It is working well to take the smart TV and hook my computer to it. Everyone can see that way and it works well all around.
Wednesday we went to the audiologist in Carroll and Butch pays up deciding he likes to hear.

Thursday we went on an early morning trip to my Atlantic Iowa dentist for a bottom plate repair. I really thought it would be an all day deal because it always has been in the past but I suspect he has new whiz-bang equipment and we were only there for an hour. Great fix, good news all around and the price was right. Made an appointment for next July to have my implants cleaned.
We found we had extra time so stopped in on the Gundersons, visited and then went to lunch. After lunch we headed home so Butch could mow.

A couple days ago on our early morning walk I told Colleen I was mildly thinking about a trip but could not think of where I might like to go. She said, Wow! How about Denver, Chicago or Atlanta? I said, That is where we differ. I was thinking more like Death Valley. I am an introvert and proud of it. 

Busy week-But aren't they all!

Our squirrel decided he wanted a bit of variety in his diet. We had a container of stale peanuts, that we now and then threw a handful on the ground for the birds. We left the container on the 3 season room back step and it was on the platform. One day I noticed it was down a step or two but didn't think too much about it as Butch has been known to move things a bit, then one day I caught the culprit. Resourcefulness is definitely in their DNA so I know in time he could get the lid off and enjoy the peanuts. We seem to interrupt his progress just often enough to keep him from his treasure.

John and Alice Hamilton Party

I know you may find it hard to believe, but John is another member of the class of '61. Big surprise huh? John didn't leave Jefferson. He stayed and created a very successful concrete business. 

Pictured below from left: John, Jack H., Dwight T. and Butch.

 Darrell Millard and his wife Linda and Mickey.

 Jerilyn Denman and Judy Peacock Wills

 Pat, Judy, ?, Jayne

 Mickey talking to Jerilyn and Judy. Ed Lawson, Mardel getting a short nap and Kay Taylor.

 Jack L. waiting for John to finish up with those burgers.

 Colleen enjoying her cone.

                          And visiting with Darrell.

And last but not least this morning try at getting pics of a beautiful morning and a spray plane.

This mornings walk...

I checked the radar this morning and I thought it would miss us once again. Fooled me! Colleen and I were walking and Mickey was riding her bike. She met us on her way back and told us to turn around and look. That little spec is Mickey and this is the view we looked at when we turned around. We decided we had better pick up the pace and we did. We got about halfway back when Mickey came in her car and rescued us. A friend indeed!

The heat and humidity persist. The good news about this is that we are getting much good use out of our new room.

I am fairly certain I have posted  this before, but  it is good enough to post again!

Give this another star-It is what's for supper!!

Creamy Burrito Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped

1 package taco seasoning

6 large flour tortillas

1 can refried beans

2 -3 cups shredded taco cheese or cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

4 ounces sour cream

Directions

Brown beef and onion; drain.

Add taco seasoning and stir in refried beans.

Mix soup and sour cream in a separate bowl.

Spread 1/2 sour cream mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Tear up 3 tortillas and spread over sour cream mixture.

Put 1/2 the meat bean mixture over that.

Add a layer of cheese.

Repeat the layers.

Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 20-30 minutes.

Barb Battles Bugs!

We were invaded by ants, teensy weensy little brown ants that were barely visible. They were in the kitchen all over the counter. When Mickey saw them she said she had never seen such a heavy infestation. I first tried Terro, feeding the little devils all they wanted. After 3 days, I gave up on that and went to google. There were many different solutions. Two of them captured my attention basically because I had the items on hand. Peppermint oil and borax. So then I mulled over the application process. Also, I remembered I had a new product that is supposed to be safe that I have found most effective for keeping mosquitoes at bay and wondered if it would also work for ants.
https://www.simplysoothing.net/bug-soother/natural-insect-repellent-deet-free-for-kids-and-pets/


It is an Iowa product. So along toward bedtime,a couple of nights ago, I cut up a coffee filter into strips and sprayed them with bug soother. I then laid the strips all the way around the counter top. Next morning? NO ANTS!!! Or at least they were down to less than 10 hardy survivors! But then I decided to tackle the bigger problem of keeping them from getting in to begin with. I sprinkled borax around all door openings inside and out working it into all cracks and crevices with the broom. This morning I went on the search for bugs, ants or anything resembling them in any way and found not one solitary insect of any kind! I was gobsmacked and pleased.
Of course, I talked to Mickey and Colleen about this on our morning jaunts on the bike trail.

Colleen does this to keep bugs out of her house in Florida and I have written it down so I will remember. She assures me she doesn't have bugs in her house. If this keeps them out in Florida it should certainly work here.
1. Borax all around the outside of the house.
2. Bay leaves in kitchen cupboards.
3. Fresh Rosemary sprigs in the remainder of the house.
I plan to follow her formula. I am so tired of fighting insects in my house.

But I also do not want to poison us!

Hearing aids

Butch picked up his demo hearing aids for a test drive last Wednesday. His life has been different this week and along with that so has mine. The first thing he did was decide the hinges on the back door were too noisy. They have been too noisy for several months, but they could not wait a second longer, so he sprayed them with silicone spray and big black runners dripped down the white woodwork and wiping it off made it worse. Finally used GooGone and got most of it off.

And then he has decided I am screaming at him. It is my normal tone of voice. I do know how to talk loud because I have had to for several years now so he could hear me. But now I am not trying to be loud. And frankly if I hear how loud I am one more time he will be leaving his DEMO aids at the audiologist because obviously he doesn't need them!

So we are on a learning curve with an adjustment period for both us. We will see what happens Wednesday. That is when the big check will get written...or not!

One of those days

Finally was able to fill my empty rain barrel with life-giving water for my plants. It rained during the night. .7 of an inch! That is enough to fill the barrel. My plants prefer the rain water. They thrive on it and I do hate to force feed them city water. So now we are both happy!
So it was not certain we would have dry skies for our walk so we passed. We do need a day off on occasion. I rode to the river bridge and back. Picture taking was not very successful. After I crossed the bridge I stopped to turn around and spotted a crane on a sand bar. Looked like a great photo op. But then I tried to get situated to take the shot and the crane spotted me and that was all she wrote. They are the spookiest birds I have ever tried to photograph! To back up a bit, as I was approaching the bridge I spotted a herd of black cows spread out on a hillside and thought they would take a nice photo. I decided to catch them on the way back and of course by then they were all bunched up at the top of the hill under a bunch of trees! It was not a good day for photos.
Here is what I did get...see my point?

I was stumped!

Guilty as Charged!

Yes, I have been remiss. What I am doing often doesn't seem noteworthy. For instance, I haven't felt overly perky of late because of a UTI. Now there was more info than you really needed. Yesterday and today are much better health wise but weather wise hold onto your hat cuz' you are going to need the shade! Hot and humid.

Today is our 56th wedding anniversary. It hardly seems possible even to us. We went to the Uptown Cafe for breakfast and to meet up with Mickey,and Helen Orfield Finley of Wichita KS. Helen is another classmate and member of the class of 1961 and she comes back to Jefferson the last weekend in July of every year to visit family. Helen is one of 17 children although I have no idea how many are left. Helen's husband Lynn was also a classmate of ours, however his health will not allow him to travel back to Iowa. Both Mickey and I have more than a few ties to Lynn and Helen.
Mickey and Helen at the Uptown Cafe

And now to back up a bit...

Mickey also has a new biking buddy, Judy Peacock Wills. Judy tried Mickeys bike and liked it a lot so purchased her own and now they have been meeting up for biking excursions. The pic below was taken one day this past week.

 This morning I watered the plants while it was still cool at 74 degrees at 6:00 am and I spotted this little buddy -Mr Toad. 

He was hanging out near the AC water outlet. I almost didn't see him!

Yup he is in this photo...I promise!

 Met up with Colleen this morning for our usual 2 miles. Not much of a breeze and it didn't take long to be drenched with sweat. Colleen pointed out a compass plant, picked it's bloom and placed it on an unrelated plant for a photo shoot.  I love the picture and the colors.

That almost catches you up.

Last Friday night

Mickey invited a few of us deja vu folk to a Mexican night at her place Friday night and it was delicious. Couldn't be anything else with Mickey cooking. Chicken Burrito with green Chile sauce. Superb! After supper we played on the wii and that is always fun!

And then Keri brought us a Lemon Meringue pie on Sunday afternoon  made with the lemon juice we brought her from Texas. We invited friends to share it with us. We are truly blessed with super good cooks all around us.

Hot and Humid

We are not used to it. The heat and humidity are oppressive. I do not care if it makes the corn grow. I do believe they have messed with the genetics of corn to the point it would grow despite anything and everything. They seem to come up with record crops every year despite all circumstances. Before I hear from all you farmers I do know there is a limit.

Colleen and I are still walking every morning. Yesterday, we had decided on a different time to walk, but then it didn't work out so I called her and asked if she was ready and would she come right away. She said yes and yes, walking out the door in the wrong shoes. By the time she reached the trail her feet were hurting but decided to try it despite the pain. It didn't work. We didn't have our phones so she decided to walk directly home from where we were at the time. I said, "Wait. I have my bike at the trailhead so you wait here and I will get my bike, come back and loan you my shoes so you can get home." We wear the same size but my feet are extremely wide and hers are extremely narrow. I can bike in my stockinged feet. It could work. I always wear tennies, but she feels like her feet are in prison if she wears tennies. So she started home with my shoes and I rode home on my bike. I know what it is like to have hurting feet so I jumped in the car and caught up with her to take her the rest of the way home. She said, "A friend in need is a friend indeed." She added, "I always wondered why anyone would want needy friends, but now I know the real meaning of that saying." I should have said but didn't, that it was the first time my shoes had walked without me and I was worried about them.  Every day is an adventure.

This morning we noticed the tent camping area by the trailhead was loaded with RAGBRAI people. One guy wandered out of his sleeping bag and started to pee on a tree but noticed us and headed to the restroom. We should post signs on all the trees at eye level for men that say, "Please don't pee on me!" Not that they would pay any attention. Cameras might work better. Guys do that on golf courses too for all you readers that do not realize that ugly fact. Not all guys do it, but way too many of them.

Snappy Salads for Summer Fare

Snappy Salads for Summer Fare

Janet Groene’s
Main Meal Salad
Master Recipe

Scrap the old macaroni salad. Healthy whole grains are all the rage these days, so make them the foundation for a main dish salad that includes a starch, fruits or vegetables, protein and a dressing to bind it all together. Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce or cabbage, in a lettuce cup, in a wrap for added carbs. Just keep proportions the same and you can have a different dish every day.

2 cups cooked grain (farro, rice, freekeh, red or gold bulgar, barley, spelt, kamut, etc.)
2 cups chopped fruits or vegetables
2 cups protein such as meat, fish, cheese, tofu, nuts or egg
Dressing to taste

Do the math. Here’s a f’rinstance:
1 cup raisins
2 cups cooked farro
1 cup chopped apple
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Plump raisins by soaking in warm water or juice. Drain. Toss all ingredients lightly. Season to taste. Serve as is or wrap in lettuce leaves. Makes 4 main dish servings.

Invent a main dish salad using whole grains and share it.

Bad news, Good News stories

Colleen sold her house. She has it till October 1st. Sold it with the furnishings so that lessened her to do list. Next summer she will be back here and stay with a friend, at least for part of the summer. She gave the bulk of her art supplies to the school art department since most of her things are duplicated in her Florida home. So she was unable to complete her tube art for me. I forgive her. So I did one myself. Been working on this thing for hours but I must say it was fun.
It is getting its polyurethane coat in the garage at the moment but will soon have its spot next to Jerilyn's tube. Jason has been thinking on his. I can see him getting into it. I also think this could be a project for the craft bunch at Magnolia Park next winter. It is easy, fairly cheap and could keep us occupied for a long time.
Items needed:
Poly Sewer pipe as long as desired (the cheap thin stuff will do)
Tape- to mask off areas for design
Paints- I used spray paint, nail polish, colored sharpies
Polyurethane spray to protect your masterpiece, 2 or 3 light coats
Re-rod as long as desired but if it is too short your tube will blow off

I will post another picture when it is placed in the 'gallery'.

So next part....
Windows 10 is downloading into my Toshiba computer. Still unsure if I will install it. I know this because last night, when I shut it down, it said it was bringing in 18 updates. Not unusual but it took HOURS! Got up at 1:00 and it was still downloading. So my guess is that it is Windows 10. Those of you with Windows 8 are saying WHOOPEE but the rest of us are not so sure. So this morning when I turned it on all those updates needed to configure and it takes as long to configure as it does to download. Now that is a disruption of my usual routine and we do not like that at all. But wait! I have a Google Chromebook so I do not have to wait for Microsoft to do its thing. So this post is done on my Chromebook. Another plus is that Butch does not have to complain because he is on his Chromebook too. Oh, by the way, I saw a brand new Chromebook on sale for $169 yesterday. Just sayin'!