Jan M., Sharon McQ., Jerilyn D., Sue L., Dee V.
Saturday, June 25
Friday, June 24
Chickens!
This mural is on the hatchery that I walked past every school day in Jefferson Iowa. I love it and thanks to cousin Joanna Neff for posting it on Facebook so I could snip it. Great picture!
Wednesday, June 22
Monday, June 20
Peppermint
I may have shared this with you before but thought it worth sharing again. In the past, we have had a bit of trouble with spiders, ants, earwigs, sometimes mice and on rare occasions, snakes. The one formula that has been most effective is peppermint.
In October before we leave for Texas I spray everywhere I feel likely to need it with peppermint and when we come back in the Spring I am happy to report we do not have issues with any of them. The most persistent are the ants. That is an ongoing battle as I spray entryways and anywhere I see them at any time of year and sometimes I resort to giving them a feast of Terro.
My formula is 1 cup water, 1 tsp. peppermint oil, 4 to 5 drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid. I put it in a spray bottle and spray away.
Thursday, June 16
It was funny to me...
Perhaps a few of you out there know my sense of humor can sometimes be called...let us say off-kilter? Butch and I went for a walk on the bike trail yesterday. A house not far from us can have as many as 9 cars in the driveway. We know there is a story there but we do not have any idea what it is. There was a man removing items from the back end of an SUV and there were 3 children of various ages there as well. The man was quite vocal and a little loud and speaking in Spanish. The children were answering him in English! There were several exchanges and the pattern never altered. I found this remarkable, interesting and amusing!
Tonight is Brookers Pool Hall Trivia. That might be funny too.
And I am thinking of starting a game night...or maybe a game afternoon. Say playing Mexican Train or Fast Track or Dirty Board? Don't know...Will see...
Wednesday, June 15
And then?...
Last Friday we got the title in hand for the MoHo so we could get it to the new owner. We had thought it would be a simple thing of getting it from our lender but when it came down to it they said they didn't have it and to contact the state we lived in at the time we purchased it. We had purchased it when we were full-time RVers so our mailing address was South Dakota. We had a service that forwarded our mail to us wherever we might be. So I contacted the County and they told me the loaner had the title according to their records. I thought "Oh, no I might have a catch-22 on my hands." but it got worked out. So the RV chapter of our life is closed now.
I am back to getting some pool played. It is quite the roller coaster. Some days I do well and some days not so well. It does keep me moving and I enjoy working on the game in a productive way. As long as I focus on it being a learning process and not a win/loss situation all is well.
We are having another rainy day! It seems like out of 7 days, 3 to 4 of them contain some rain. The good news is that watering the plants is easier.
Right now I need to get Thursday night's trivia questions lined up so until I can think of something exciting or funny to relate to you, I will be otherwise occupied.
Sunday, June 12
Barb in 1985
Looking through a journal and I ran across this clipping. I might not have liked this pic at the time but now I think it is wonderful! Funny how time changes things...
Creamy Pea Salad
This is the recipe from my youth! And I loved it. Plan on making it asap.
Creamy Pea Salad
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste as needed
4 cups frozen peas, thawed
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, cubed small
A couple of things from yesterday
It was Bell Tower weekend in Jefferson. We planned to go to the parade but it rained right up till starting time so we passed. We did make it to the Firemen's breakfast and it was as good as always. Then later we walked up to the square to check out all the festivities. And I fell! Yes, I fell after misstepping on a slanted curb while trying to avoid getting in the way of a "train" that was taking folks for a ride around the square. The worst part initially was my hands. I thought I had scraped them up pretty bad. In actuality, I was not hurt at all! My white pants didn't even get dirty! I have some achiness' in my arms and hands but nothing serious.
And then after we came home I decided I had enough of the disorder in my kitchen so I started into a decluttering mode. I opened one of the 3 tubs I had sitting in the way and found my journals. I was reminded that before my blogging days I kept journals. I randomly picked up one and the entries were from 1988. Now I could have let this sideline me but it didn't. I continued the decluttering but those journals are in my mind as a treat for some rainy day.
Recent photos: No More MoHo...
Saturday, June 11
Park Model exterior photos
If we tick off all the things one would want in a park model in South Texas this place has them all. Metal roof, hardly any grass, shade shutters, large protected deck, storage room, washer and dryer, propane furnace, central AC, covered carport, and golf cart parking. We did not have to cave on even one of our wants for this one.
Wednesday, June 8
Our South Texas Home
Some have asked about pics of our South Texas Home. They must have missed them the first time around.
A utility room has been added to the park model. It can be entered through the bedroom or the deck.
Butch built a workbench in the utility room. A guy always needs a place to work!
Bedroom
Living room area
Our very workable kitchen
It will be a new adventure for us next season...
Does anyone want to buy an oversized recliner?
Tuesday, June 7
3 Baby Robbins
3 Baby Robbins a week or so ago. They have been progressing nicely.
...as you can see
I have been so busy watching them with the hope that I might see the leaving of the nest.
Contemplating...
 |
It looks so far...
Hmmmm...
Are you two ready?...
I knew it was going to happen any minute!!!
And then I was called away and when I came back the nest was empty! Now I knew this big boy was ready but his 2 nest mates I was not so sure. BUT the nest was completely empty and has been ever since.
Maybe there will be a repeat performance with a new batch of babes. Time will tell...Oh well!
Friday, June 3
Jar opener
We had 7 players last night and the guys won. It was so good to see our friends and play once again.
After the game, we were talking things over and Sue L. mentioned that she had purchased a recommendation I had made a while back and it was one of the best purchases she has made. It is a bottle/jar/cap opener that installs under your cabinet. We used to have one years ago when we lived in Cumberland and when we moved I forgot to uninstall it and take it with us so I recently bought a replacement and I thought there were others who would benefit from it. Our hands are not as 'handy' as we age and this is fantastic for those of us who struggle with arthritic hands.
It installs under a cabinet and it works to open all sizes of jars and bottles. EZ Off Jar Opener - Under Cabinet Jar Lid & Bottle Opener - Opens Any Size Jar - Great for Arthritis - Perfect for Seniors & Weak Hands $18.95
The Amazon link:
Wednesday, June 1
What a week this has been!
We have had several people come to look at the motorhome in the hopes of buying it. And there was one story after another and one obstacle after another. Last Monday the phone rang and Charlie called and asked if he could come to look at the motorhome, of course, we said, "Yes". He said there was another he planned to look at in St. Charles Ia unless he was happy with ours. It went well and he asked lots of questions and asked if he could drive it. It was a very windy day and Butch told him it would be a good test because it handles well in the wind. He was openly happy with it and gave every indication he was highly interested. When Butch and Charlie came back from the test drive Charlie got in his pickup and left. Butch said you are not going to believe this but he just bought it! He said he was not going to haggle because he knew it was fairly priced. He promised to come back the next day at 9:00 AM and would go to the bank with us and in fact, he did. But Butch was worried about his baby and offered to take it to his home. Charlie thought that was a good idea. So we hooked up the car for the last time and headed to Lake City. Butch spent a couple of hours showing all the ins and outs of what it takes to run our traveling home efficiently. And then we went to his bank where he wired the money to our account in Jefferson. The whole thing seems miraculous! We have a copy of the bill of sale and the money is in our account and we will be able to give him the title next week. We have never had something go this quick or this smoothly!
Now before you think there was too much trust in an unknown person on our part let me give you a few details. He gave us several details of his life and when he left I googled him and not only everything he said was validated it was impressive. Among his accomplishments were 30 years of being an ER doctor, He owned and ran a heavy equipment business and add to that he was/is a farmer.
It was such a whirlwind that we have been pinching ourselves ever since. So next on our to-do list is a new car. We can go slow on this one and probably will. Stay tuned for the amazing adventures of Barb and Butch!
Monday, May 30
Bird and Flower pics
On our walk this morning...
We have had house wrens for many years and they are back. I swear they sing all day long!
And this year we have robins. Butch did away with their nest early on but they didn't take long to redo it. There are 3 babies in there and I have observed that both parents are very active with the care and feeding of their offspring.
Busy and fun weekend
The Missouri kids came here on Thursday night so there were games, walks, biking, eating, Devon's graduation party, a trip up the tower, and repeat.
I know that was a condensation but help me out here, okay?
The 8ft pool table has been recovered and it is perfect! I love it! It plays beautifully. The color is Gold where it was beige before. And the smoothness of the Simonis cloth is so worth the effort.
Went with Gary and the kids up in the tower. I haven't been up there for quite a while. Our town looks very well taken care of and we are all neat and clean.
This pic looks east to the Jefferson cemetery and its many, many flags for our veterans.
There are paintings on top of the buildings around the square. There are new ones appearing all the time.
The one above is a patchwork quilt on the old J C Penney building. Southeast corner of the square.
The one below was done by a man who has a contract with Disney so he can paint anywhere he wants but if he gets a call from Disney he has to stop whatever he is doing and go where they request him to go. He also leaves a Disney Mickey Mouse symbol on all of his paintings. The symbol is not in a good place to see from the tower as it is in the lower-left corner.
These are photos of the painting they have in the tower so you can get a better view of what you see out of the window.
This one is on the Peony Restaurant, Jefferson's Chinese restaurant on the southwest corner of the square. The son of the owner is the artist and he happened to stop by while we were up there. Unfortunately, I did not get his name.
This is looking southwest from the tower. This view will change quite a bit in the next year because the old high school gym will be taken down among other changes.
This is a view to the west.
Art on the Courthouse grounds changes on a regular basis and these are the current ones.
Miss Elise looking it over.
Elise and Leo plus art.
Devons graduation party
Devon's name was part of the table decorations and Jason helped Leo make a friendship bracelet out of it. Then EVERYBODY wanted one!
Keri Brooker catered it and the food was wonderful! Ham and cheese sliders, salad, two kinds of meatballs, and pickle wraps. Wonderful!
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