Groundhogs April Fool’s Day

When I dared a look out our back door I saw Fern
scampering around. I called the groundhog Fern because
I’ve see her in our ferns a few times and thought the
name appropriate. I don’t know if said groundhog is male
or female so will continue to call her Fern.

She didn’t have much to say today but did wave. And
that got me thinking about tomorrow. I wondered if
groundhogs observed April Fool’s Day in their own way.
I’ll check tomorrow if I get a chance.

Anyway, Friday is April Fool’s Day and we’re sure the
practical jokes will be many but with my warped brain I
wondered about where it all began. Who was the first to
shout “April fools!”?

The first recorded association of April 1st and
foolishness is said to be in Chauncer’s “The Canterbury
Tales” in 1392. One precursor to April Fool’s Day is
the Roman festival of Hilaria.

In the 1700s April Fool’s Day became popular in Britain
and it was a two day affair. It began with “hunting the
gowk” that sent people on phony errands. The next day
was Tailie Day that concentrated on pranks involving
people’s backside. Kick me signs would be placed on
backs and some even tried to pin tails on unsuspecting
victims.

There are many more but what struck me as odd was how
long people have been playing pranks on each other.
We’ll just say Happy April Fool’s Day!
Comments are always welcome.

Whimsical Wednesday

It’s Wednesday, it’s supposed to storm, and you can
feel the rain in the air. So we went out and snapped a
few more pictures to share.

A little black squirrel was running around like he had
lost his house keys. We aren’t sure what he was looking
for, but shortly after we took a few pictures he took
off. Any pictures posted on the blog can be enlarged by
clicking on them.

Because we’re getting closer to summer the flowers
made another appearance after a frost. So we picked our
favorite of the pics we took and here it is.

Some may think I’m obsessed with church steeples but
since we have five churches within a five block radius,
we’ll use what we have to work with. This one shows the
storm clouds moving in and the trees starting to bud
out. Won’t be long and only the top of the steeple will
be visible.

And just because I’m getting garage fever, here is a
picture of different kind of car. For those who wish to
know this is a 1953 Gaitan Auto-Tri Huevo. No, I won’t
repeat that.

Locally we are up to almost 50 confirmed shots fired
calls since the year began. In the newest incident eight
people were arrested after a car chase. Many have their
opinions on how to fix this problem but we are not in
this group. We just know it’s getting crazy.

If you’re getting rain, stay dry. If you’re having a
heat wave, stay cool. And if you’re having a cold snap,
keep warm.
Comments are always welcome.

Brook or creek?

We brought a ham dinner over to my mother-in-law’s and
called it “Easter” because we couldn’t make it on the
actual day. A beautiful day with great food and we all
had a good time.

I went outside to have a smoke and saw a creek running
through part of the land and went to investigate. Having
a senior moment I thought; why would a place called
“Brookside” have a creek running through it?

The creek WAS the brook. When I think brook, a
gurgling, slowly meandering peaceful setting comes to
mind. I said this was creek because it looked like it
had to fight its way into the earth and it wasn’t
gurgling.

To me this looked like a creek. But those who own the
property proclaimed it a brook so who am I to argue? No
matter what you call the waterway it makes for a good day
to see one inside the city limits and not completely filled
with trash.

Now that I’m filled with healthy food my pizza will
have to wait until a midnight snack is called for. And
please remember that today is Welcome Home Vietnam
Veterans Day. Welcome Home.
Comments are always welcome

Just a few

We’ve been taking a few pictures lately and thought why
not share a few? When we arrived at Dad’s house for an
Easter get together it was raining and chilly but his
flag was still proudly displayed.

In this one I noticed a steeple trying to be noticed
but almost hidden among the branches. Turns out the
church is 4 blocks away and does have a cross on top but
it can’t be seen from this angle.

The moon is of interest to us and this picture was
taken with a simple pocket camera, but I like it.
It almost looks like a pearl sitting on some black
satin.

And finally, this squirrel was running all around the
neighbor’s yard. It isn’t the clearest picture ever
taken because it was taken through two windows.

Although many pictures have been taken we don’t want to
bore you with too many at one time. Once summer gets
here and the car shows start we may not be able to stop
ourselves.

In the mean time we have to get back to the spring
chores and find a pizza to burn. Hope you enjoyed Easter
Sunday as much as we did and today is even better.
Comments are always welcome.

Sunday snicker

It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year
-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter. When
the family returned home, they were carrying several
palm fronds. Johnny asked them what they were for.

“People held them over Jesus’ head as he walked by,”
his father told him.

“Wouldn’t you know it,” Johnny fumed, “the one Sunday
I don’t go and he shows up.”
——————————

Since that was a short one, here’s another.

——————————

Several children found a dead robin. Feeling that a proper
burial should be performed, they secured a small box and
some cotton batting, dug a hole in the back yard, and made
ready to dispose of the deceased.

The minister’s 5-year-old son was chosen to say the prayer.
And so with great dignity, he intoned, “Glory be to the
Father…and unto the Son…and into the hole he goes.”
——————————-
Comments are always welcome.

Weekend ramble

I was waiting for my friend to show up and lost track of
time. Usually the man in the moon shows up around 9
0’clock this time of year but he was stubborn and didn’t
show up until after 10.

By then it was in the 40s again so a jacket was needed
for any long discussion. He informed me that my favorite
neighbor, the one who likes to call me crazy, saw me out
doing my snow dance during the recent snow. And she
thought I was crazy but it was too cold out to tell me
to my face. I don’t doubt it.

A old friend stopped over earlier and we had a nice chat.
We talked of everything from hot sauce to fine art. I
even showed him a truck that was for sale with the help
of my laptop. I don’t think he believed me when I told
him it had fender skirts front and back, but when he
looked at the picture he liked it too.

And it looks like we’re in for a flood here on the
east coast of Iowa and it should impact us next week.
Projections are running about 2 foot over flood stage
and it will cause some road closures.

Sunday is Easter and we wish you a happy Easter. If you
don’t celebrate have a happy end to the weekend anyway.
I would ramble on but must search for a pizza with my
name on it as I forgot lunch again.
Comments are always welcome.

Of all the things I’ve lost…

I miss my mind the most. Today started with good
intentions and a light rain. I’m working on something
for the blog and before getting busy with that wanted to
go outside, look around, and take a few pictures.

Yes the flowers were popping up all over, but I had
something that needed looking into and couldn’t do it
outside. So I forced myself back inside to cruise the
search engines for an answer. A friend had sent me a
link about the red light camera companies in Arizona.

In Arizona only police and licensed private
investigators can use cameras to gather evidence for use
in legal proceedings. This law does have exceptions, but
the red light camera companies are not on the list. I
haven’t been able to find out if the same law applies to
Iowa yet, but it is an interesting angle.

Before pulling my hair out due to lack of progress I
again went outside. Wow! I love it.

There goes the in-depth investigation. At one time I
wasn’t bothered by distractions such as these. Whatever
it is you’ll just have to bear with me until I get done
playing in the snow. Until then, enjoy the weather
wherever you are. We can’t change it so we may as well
embrace the day.
Comments are always welcome.

Contrasts

People are complaining. It’s a dreary day, it’s
raining, it’s cooler than it was yesterday, and that we
may get a little snow overnight. But as the photo above
shows everything isn’t dreary.

The daffodils are coming up through the unraked leaves
along with some other plants to keep them company. How
can it be dreary when we see this?

Sure the skies are grey and may be leaking a little,
but spring has sprung! We might not be able to see the
moon tonight through the storm, but we can go out with
flashlight and look at the daffodils.

And I for one hope we do get a dusting a snow just to
look at the contrasts between the green stems and
leaves, the yellow flowers, and the white of a little
snow.

If the man in the moon doesn’t show up tonight we’ll
share a picture from the last time we saw him.

Enjoy the rest of hump day, I know we will.
Comments are always welcome.

Just a thought

Before we begin today we’d like to remind you to wear a
black arm band, or just something black, to honor our
veterans with PTSD tomorrow. And now, on to our thought.

I went over to visit with Dad this morning but before
I even made it to the house I noticed this bird
looking at his flag. The bird was staring intently
at the flag and didn’t flinch when I walked up
to the house. Funny thing is, when I left the bird
hadn’t moved.

Along the same lines, as I cruised around town I
couldn’t help but notice how solemn other motorists
looked as they drove to wherever they were headed. If I
had to venture a guess they all must have had a
Colonoscopy scheduled.

I had the window down while grinning ear to ear and
these sad sacks looked at me like I was crazy? Unless
they all just came from a funeral it would appear they
have a problem.

Yes, I know I’ll be 65 years old in a couple weeks, but
does that mean I’m not allowed to smile? Or that when I
am smiling I’m up to something? I think not. We have to
grow older but we don’t have to grow up! So just do what
I do and run around with a goofy grin on your face all
day. If nothing else you’ll have them wondering whats so
funny.

With what time I have left here on earth I’m going to
notice a bird looking at a flag, listen to the wildlife,
and smell the roses. If that makes me crazy then lock me
up and call me Sally.
Comments are always welcome.

What’s on my mind

I’m catching up on the “honey do” list and at the rate
I’m going should have it completed by my 114th birthday.
And sometimes when we run out of a cleaning product I
improvise instead of running to the store to buy more.
So here are few ways to make do.

If you have dryer sheets in you laundry room you have a
multi-purpose cleaning agent on hand. They can used to
clean mirrors and bathroom fixtures, dust furniture,
make stovetops sparkle, clean dead bugs off the car
body, wipe pet hair off furniture, keep mosquitoes away,
and make threading needles easier.

If you run out of Febreze and are getting tired of
paying top dollar for it, look in the laundry aisle next
time you’re at the store. Buy a jug of Gain scent
booster, I use the fireworks scent, and keep the empty
Febreze spray bottle.

Just pour some of the Gain beads into an empty spray bottle,
fill said bottle with hot water, put the top back on and
shake until mixed, and let it set for about 10 minutes.
Just don’t use water hot enough to melt the bottle and
your house will smell great when you use this mixture.
It even stays in the air longer.

Pets giving you problems causing stains on the carpet?
We have something for that also. All it takes is some
blue Dawn dishwashing soap and some hydrogen peroxide.
Mix equal parts of Dawn and the peroxide in a container
big enough for your scrub brush. Brush the mixture over
the affected areas, sit down and have a coffee for about
30 minutes, then blot remaining moisture with a paper
towel. And it’s just that easy.

Finally, and not related to the above tips, we ask that
you remember Wendesday, March 23rd, is Vets Black Arm
Band For PTSD Day. A great way to show support for our
veterans and troops with PTSD. Enjoy the tips.

Comments are always welcome.