Time flies

This will be the last post until next year. The very next
sunrise we see will occur next year. Yes, this time tomorrow
we will have to remember to put a different ending of the date
on any forms or checks we fill out.

Looking back on 2016 we have no regrets and will make no
resolutions for 2017 because we tend not to stick to them
anyway. As we look back on this year we realized we didn’t
get everything on our wish list done, but we did manage to get
something done.

The wife now knows my hair isn’t getting grey I’m going
chrome, and I found out it no longer works to say it doesn’t
cost anything to look. We don’t have everything we want yet
we have everything we need and that is a blessing in itself.

An old friend stopped by today and we walked a ways down
memory lane which mostly involved cars. He was down in the
dumps that he can no longer work on them like we used to and
I was amazed we lived through the antics of our youth.

Some are worried about what 2017 will bring, we are not. We
hold no sway over what the next president and legislators do
or know what the future may bring. I will just tell life to
hit me with it’s best shot and carry on, and the wife will
continue to grab the dash when I say hold on.

Have a very happy New Year and we’ll do the same.
Comments are always welcome

Day late and a couple bucks short

I did try to do a post yesterday but instead fell down the
rabbit hole. After several calls by the wife to our internet
service provider, I decided to have a chat on the chance of
a better outcome.

We had lost phone and internet earlier in the day and both
remained silent until we got a new modem and registered it.
We went to a local branch of said internet provider and did
get the new modem and the person who waited on us said that
not only did the faulty, obsolete modem crash our internet
and end phone service but it also would not have allowed us
to dial 911 in an emergency!

So after a month of spotty internet and phone we believe the
problem has been fixed with the new modem. At least we hope.
The strange part is I said from the beginning it was the old
modem while our internet service provider kept telling us it
was outages. She was then told that we’ve had more “outages”
this month that we have in the entire 26 years we’ve lived
here.

We were also told the company sent us an email stating the
modem needed to be exchanged for a newer model. We never got
it. Finally the problem is resolved so perhaps now regular
posting will not be an issue. As we explained to our service
provider, we have been without computer, phone, or both for
over three days this month and that is not acceptable to us.

And that’s a good thing because we really didn’t want to give
up cable TV, the internet, or our landline to eliminate the
stress caused by these outages. Besides, here on the east
coast of Iowa in our little humble inner-city abode there are
no bears to make winter coats with and coal is getting hard
to find.

Oh, on the good side the wife did get a new to her car. This
mechanical marvel drives me nuts. You don’t need a key to
open the doors or the trunk, and it starts by just pushing a
button on the dash. I’m going to have to study the owner’s
manual.

Enjoy the rest of today and keep the shiny side up. This time
I have a huge carne asada burrito with my name on it to hold
me over until it’s pizza time.
Comments are always welcome.

Our state

Happy 170th birthday to Iowa. President James K. Polk signed
the bill that admitted Iowa to the Union as the 29th state on
this date in 1846. Here are a few facts about Iowa

The state of Iowa had a little over 3 million residents in
2015. By population we rank 30th among the 50 states and 26th
by area at 56,272.81 square miles.

Iowa has no mountains and our highest elevation is 1,671 feet
at Hawkeye Point. Our lowest elevation is at the confluence of
the Mississippi River and Des Moines River where it is 480 feet
above sea level.

We are known as the Hawkeye State, our state flower is the
wild prairie rose, our state tree is the bur oak, our state
song is “The Song of Iowa”, and Dubuque is our oldest city.

If that doesn’t impress you, Iowa has the most crooked street
in the world (Burlington’s Snake Alley), the worlds largest
strawberry (Strawberry Point), the world’s smallest city park
(in the middle of the road in Hiteman), and the country’s
largest Danish settlement (Elk Horn).

We have the world’s steepest and shortest railway (Fenlon
Place in Dubuque), and the largest cereal company in the world
(Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids). One president, Herbert Hoover
came from Iowa as did Donna Reed, Bob Feller, John Wayne,
Meredith Wilson, and Glenn Miller to name a few.

Iowa is the only state in the U.S.A. that starts with
two vowels. After that I getting hungry and go in search of
a pizza. Have a great rest the day and a better one tomorrow.
Comments are always welcome.

Just some thoughts

Earlier today the critters were out playing with gusto, then
tonight the sky was laced with diamonds.

I stood in awe both times staring at the beauty that is Gods
gift to us all. The geese were so noisy I heard them coming a
half mile away and it was chilly tonight while observing the
wonders in the sky, but wrote it off to the fact if we want to
dance we have to pay the band.

Earlier I went to visit Dad for a while and found out he’s
still a little under the weather. His humor hasn’t left him as
he said he didn’t know if he was coming down with something or
his age had something to do with it. I readily admitted I had
no experience at being 91.

Seeing the birds and all the stars that heaven allowed put
me in a peaceful state that I hope to remain in. Sometimes
life throws us curve balls and threatens our inner peace. I’m
getting better at not blowing up when those things happen.

We hope this finds you healthy, wealthy, and wise. Now I have
some odds and ends to finish up before I go to greet the
sandman for a few hours rest.
Comments are always welcome.

Another great day

Here on the east coast of Iowa God thought it was fall. The
thermometer topped out at over 40 degrees which caused the
squirrels to play tag and the birds to test their wings.

The snow that was on the grassy areas is gone and I almost
went outside barefoot before I thought shoes might be more
appropriate. The only downside was the gentle breeze at a
steady 35-40 mph, yet even that was bearable.

The icing on the cake was that I saw two cardinals this
morning under a bush and they even posed for a picture. No
emergencies popped up, we’re both still breathing, and the
freezer containing my cache of pizzas is humming right along.

In some parts of the world today is Boxing Day, which we’re
told has nothing to do with putting on the gloves. To those
who celebrate, Happy Boxing Day. To the rest of us, we can
enjoy the day anyway.

When I went out to get the car ready for the wife to go to
work the stars were showing off in the velvet night sky. I
would have got some shots of them but not sure if the tripod
could withstand the breeze. So enjoy the rest of this day and
have a great one tomorrow.

Now I’m thinking a pizza may be trapped in the freezer and I
may have to get it out and warm it up to save it.
Comments are always welcome.

Shout out

The reason for the Season

Christmas can be a stressful time of year so here
is a reminder of what it’s all about.

Christmas wish

We waited until late to post this so Christmas Eve would be
that much closer. Earlier we were out picking up odds and
ends and noticed that everyone was smiling and polite to one
another.

Being from Iowa we know our residents are usually friendly,
but as Christmas draws nears it kicks things up a notch. No
competitive shopping like some days. This brings us to our
Christmas wish. It doesn’t cost anything, it shouldn’t hurt,
and you may just feel better later.

Our wish for Christmas is that when people get together for
this joyous holiday they put their petty differences, real or
imagined slights, and inflated egos to just get along. It is
only for a day.

If that doesn’t apply to you we also would like everyone to
put away their smart phones, unless they’re taking a picture,
and actually converse with others. It must be a generational
thing but I can’t understand why someone would go anothers
house only to sit on the couch and stare at a screen.

That said, we wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year. Now I have some leftover pizza that must be
eaten before it goes bad. It’s already 5 hours old.
Comments are always welcome.

Getting the spirit

We have another seldom heard Christmas classic that some of
you may not have heard before. Think of this one as a Snoopy’s
Night Before Christmas.

A different one

We’ve heard that there are those among us who don’t like the
song “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” and decided to look
for an song that wouldn’t be offensive to this group. We believe
we have succeeded in that quest and will share the alternative here.