Squirrel Wars

So finally Butch has something to do. He is on squirrel duty and here is why.

What I learned from a limp carrot

In South Texas, the carrot crop comes in and after the produce has been harvested they will let people glean what does not get picked. One of our ambitious residents gleaned several large bags of carrots and offered them to everyone.
My friend Kay Stilson was given some and a few of them had been in the field under a hot sun for a bit too long and were kind of bendy. Kay steams her vegetables in a steamer pan all the time so she peeled the bendy carrots and steamed them. I happened to be at her place when they were done and she offered me a bite. They were so bright in color and sweet to an extreme degree.  I started thinking of carrots in a whole new way and other veggies too.

So after coming back to Iowa, I ordered a steamer pan and this afternoon I tried it if for the first time. Amazing! Mom's should know that if they steamed vegetables for their children they may find they like them. Especially on their first try. My "oldest child" still won't even try. 

Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 3-Quart Covered Stack 'n' Steam Saucepot and Steamer

Busy

Of course, we are! Busy-Most used excuse in the world. It seems the time flies and gets away from me more so as I grow older. This week we had an emergency trip to the dentist for me on Tuesday. There was a sharp place on my bottom plate that needed some smoothing and created a sore that wasn't going to get better by itself. It gave us the opportunity to reconnect with our Atlantic friends, the Gunderson's and the Clark's. On Thursday we went the opposite direction to Ames for Butch's appointment to set up his surgery. Today, Friday, he will have his pre-op physical in Jefferson and I plan to let him go by himself and maybe get some housework done.
We are getting things done or set up to be done. Monday we will be taking the motorhome to the painter. We are only having some of it painted -the front cap and the top edges- the part that is visible. We had the top recoated a couple of Texas seasons ago and that part will remain untouched.
Next Thursday Butch will be having his second carpal tunnel and trigger finger release surgery in Ames. Right hand this time. He says the most difficult part for him is my driving us every place we go for 10 days. Needless to say, we do not go much during that time.

Last night we returned to our trivia night friends at Hy-Vee. We came in 3rd. Not bad since the place was packed and the "Retired Teachers Team" usually kick everybody's butt. And they did. And another team snuck in there too. Even so, it is fun to visit with friends and try to come up with the right answers to rack up enough points to get a small monetary reward. Most of the questions are aimed at the younger people so at times we are just scratching our head and guessing.

Still catching a photo now and then

Nuthatch

Gradually settling

We will have been home a week come tomorrow. It seems like much longer as we have crammed quite a bit into that time. I have even more to get done until I feel completed. I told Butch I was looking forward to a day when I could say I didn't have something on my agenda that was a "have to do". Not there yet.
Tomorrow I am getting my first Iowa haircut of the season. My last cut was with Yolanda in Texas on March 24th.
We do have the bird food out and I have been taking pictures as I sit at my computer.

House Finch

Downy Woodpecker

Goldfinch

Spam

Okay, now you know I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing and I am sitting in front of my computer. The article below covers a problem many people have so thought I would pass it along. My advice would be number 4.
Barb
"Dear Computer Lady, 
I read your column all the time and find it helpful. I am receiving an
inordinate amount of unsolicited e-mails. 
I unsubscribe, but I still receive e-mails even after the 7-10 days
removal time. 
Can anything else be done?
Thanks, Rick
Dear Rick,
It is hard to stop the spammers once they get ahold of your email
address, and unsubscribing doesn't do much except tell the spammers
that there is a live person at your address, which makes your email
address more of a target. Let's look at what we can do about it.
1. You could set up spam filtering in your email program. You didn't
mention what program you use, so I can't give you detailed
instructions, but a good email program will include some sort of
filtering.
2. You could change to a new email address. If you did that, only
people that you share your new address with will have it. If you were
to go with this method, I would be careful not to fill out online
forms with the new email address as that is probably how you got on
the spammers list in the first place.
3. You could filter your email through a provider with a great filter
already in place. I use this method. I have several email addresses
and I have Gmail get the messages from the server. The messages then
go through Gmail's spam filter and I only see real messages unless I
want to go check the spam folder, which I rarely do. Gmail even warns
me if it finds an infected message on the server.
4. This one is sort of an hybrid of the previous two options. First,
create a Gmail email address at: www.mail.google.com and then use the
account to collect your existing email address. You have to create a
Gmail account anyway in order to filter your email through it, and it
would give you time to gradually transfer all your contacts over to
the new Gmail address.
Elizabeth"

You can read this article online, view & leave comments at:
http://wp.me/pwwRq-2cU

From Moho to House

We are in the midst of the big transfer of stuff from the MoHo to the house. The fridge is done. Once we have clothes and groceries transferred we will be done until fall when we reverse the process. It does get easier each time, especially if we slow down and take it in bits. Butch has gone after things like he was killing snakes his entire life so slowing him down can be a challenge. I am on break right now.
We have worked in between weather events and now find that we are 90% finished. Tomorrow should wrap up the last of it except for the odd item we might have forgotten. There will always be those

We are so happy to be back with IOWA public television. The difference is remarkable.
The bike trail awaits me and my trail pass has been purchased. ASAP I will be out there with my camera.

Written on Easter Sunday

Biscuits and gravy at our RV with guests Gary and Susan. Butch suggested the menu. Can anyone believe that? Now we are at their house and soon the little ones and their Mamas will be here. I am taking advantage of the quiet to get caught up a bit.

Gary has a nice ham in the oven and he doesn't want the bone after dinner and has promised it to me. It is still cool enough up here to make ham and beans.

Home again!

We are always home, north or south and now we sit in our northern home with our southern home parked out back. We arrived here about 1:30 PM yesterday finishing our second audio book about 5 miles from town. Perfect timing. We brought good weather with us and it was a good thing too because today it is raining. It isn't a very wide band so we should resume our sunshine later today.
Here are pictures taken since leaving the Rio Grande Valley.

This is a refinery at Three Rivers, I think. Surely someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 First try at a moon picture- I need to keep working on that.

 Sunrise, Sunset can't remember which. It was in Texas. I do remember that!

 Gary was not impressed with my robin picture. They are not a common sight in South Texas. This one is a Missouri bird, Peculiar to be exact.

Our sweet Elise

And Leo is contemplating...

"No, I don't want to sit close to brother."

 

Finding Easter eggs

Our route out of Texas Revised

North Out of Texas-Simplified version
In South Texas get on Hwy 281 north.
Hwy 281 N to I-37 N take (exit 133) and get on I-410 N
I 410N to I 35N
I 35 N to Hwy 46W (exit 190)
Hwy 46 to Hwy 281N
Follow 281 N to a few miles south of Jacksboro TX and hwy 380
Take 380 east to Hwy 51- Turn left (north)
Follow Hwy 51N to Gainesville TX and I 35 N.

The main purpose of these directions is the avoidance of the Austin to Waco section of I 35. If you do it once, especially in an RV you will have a firm understanding of why you need to avoid this section.

This is a corrected route. I take full responsibility for the mistake of the last post. We lived through my mistake in the Spring of 2017. Thus this correction; the route we should have taken and the route I should have posted is listed above. I am crossing my fingers that I didn't really mess anyone up because that was a booger of an ordeal.

Updated location

We are currently in Peculiar MO at the Gary Brooker family home. One more travel day on Monday and then we will be back in Jefferson Iowa.

A Day in the Park with Camera

These are slightly different photos than the ones on Magnolia Blog.

 Kiskadee's nesting in Cactus. Bill Stilson was curious about the nesting material. Since I see blue and orange strings I would guess it be packing cord as well as grasses.

Great Kiskadees are a treat for bird watchers who visit south Texas—and the birds won’t keep you waiting. They’re boisterous in both attitude and color: a black bandit’s mask, a yellow belly, and flashes of warm reddish-brown when they fly. Kiskadees sit out in the open and attract attention with incessant kis-ka-dee calls and sallying flights. Despite their small U.S. range, this is one of the most widespread flycatchers in the Western Hemisphere.

South Padre Adventure

Butch's cousin Dick and his wife Joann visited for a few days in Sunny South Texas. These photos are from our South Padre adventure. The wind was blowing 'like 60' as my grandma used to say. The beach was void of people. The shrimp at Dirty Al's was wonderful!

 Oil derrick platforms in storage.

 Looks like snow but it is sand.

                                    Dick and Joann Jorgensen

  Looks like a barge. I was able to get this shot compliments of my new camera.

Butch and Joann

Designated seating.

                                                      Shrimp

                                                    Red Snapper

                                                         Crab legs

Postponed

We have had a bit of an upset in our plans. Joann caught a bug and cannot be too far away from a facility so we are waiting for her to find some relief and a desire to resume the activities. We ate the same food so that isn't it.
So for the time being, we are being leisurely.

I have a feeling it may not work to coax her to come down again.
The bloom is off the rose.

Jorgensens trip- Day 1 Mexico

 Mexican/USA border- the Rio Grande River

Lineup of chimineas

Baby Blankets

 These two pups were on guard duty in a store.

 The Red Snapper

Easter Pinatas

Lunch at Jessica's

 Joann left for a minute and the next time we looked there she was on the dance floor!