The good, the bad, and the stupid

Tomorrow is July 1st, the day several new laws go into effect
in the great state of Iowa. Some make sense to us while others
have us scratching our heads saying ‘what in the hell were they
thinking?” We’ll list a few here that we like followed by
some we haven’t made sense of yet.

HF 517 goes into full effect. Stand Your Ground just makes
sense. Our doors aren’t locked for our benefit but to keep you
out if you mean us harm. By the time you kick through one of
the solid core with 6-inch screws in all the hardware you will
be looking at the business end of my 45.

SF 444 prohibits the use electronic communication devices
while driving. If you use a device to write, send, or view
an electronic message while driving it will be considered
evidence that you driving in a recless manner with willful or
wanton disregard for the safety of other persons or property.

HF 516 is the Voter Integrity Act dictates a state approved
ID must be shown to vote. We’ve been showing ours for years at
the polling place anyway.

And now, those that don’t make sense to us.

SF 362 involves claims against Fairs for damages arising from
the transmission of pathogens from certain animals housed on
the fairgrounds. If you’re allergic to animals, don’t go to
a livestock.

HF 473 establishes multiple pathways to obtain a High School
Equivalency Diploma beyond an exam. Isn’t the test enough? Or
is this another politically correct idea borne of the
everybody gets a trophy train of thought?

And finally, our favorite. SF 447 will allow farmers to
present an affirmative defense if sued by neighbors who claim
odors or other aspects of an animal feeding operation is a
public nuisance and interferes with their enjoyment of life.

City folk never cease to amaze me. If you aren’t smart enough
to plow around the stumps or didn’t know farms can be smelly,
animals have sex in the open, and dust could be an issue, you
have no business living in the country.

For a more complete list of the new laws that go in effect
July 1st, go here.

Enjoy our last day of June. Don’t know about where you’re at
but it’s noisy here on the east coast of Iowa. Now for a
smaller version of the new pizza I tried last week.
Comments are always welcome.

Gas and a cruise

Last year, AAA hired an independent lab to compare top tier
gasolines with the cheaper blends. Although testing was simulated
and only 4,000 miles, some results were clear.

A minimum gasoline detergent standard was started by the EPA
in 1995 to meet emission goals. For some reason these blends
came out around the same time engine longevity took a giant leap
forward. So higher standards were created to deter long term
issues like clogged fuel injectors and carbon build up in
combustion chambers.

All gas comes with basic additives then the distributor will
blend more into top tier fuels based on brand specification.
Does all this make a difference you ask? According to AAA,
if you don’t use a top tier gas you’ll have 19 times more
carbon deposits than if you did use top tier.

And as some of us know, a clean engine is a happy engine. It
doesn’t work as hard as a dirty one and it lasts longer. Now is
where you ask, which gasolines are top tier and which are not?
Well, we found an app for that. To see the list of all top tier
brands in the U.S. and Canada, go here.

There is also a cruise in downtown Davenport later today (5:30)
hosted by Klemme’s Motorsports. Their showroom is located in
the old Firestone building at the corner of 3rd Street and
Pershing Avenue.

We’re sure there are other benefits to using the right gas as
well as other car related events today. These just caught our
eye so we shared them with you. Enjoy our Friday, it’s the last
one we get this month.
Comments are always welcome.

Really?

This has been a week for the record books, and it isn’t even
over yet. I’m beginning to lose faith in my fellow humans who
share our space. Through it all I did manage to get the front
lawn mowed before it rained and will finish the back when this
is finished.

Earlier this week, in the middle of a conversation, I had a
lady ask me if I had my teeth or wore dentures. I didn’t know
what to make of the question but answered that my teeth were
the ones I was born with.

Then yesterday when I went to the doctors office the nurse
asked me if I used alcohol or street drugs! I had never been
asked that question before and wondered if perhaps it wasn’t
time I get a haircut. Sometimes being a long haired redneck has
it challenges.

While at the doctors I did have an episode that hearkened back
to the days of my ear injury due to gunfire. I couldn’t hear
anything! The wife later told me the receptionists had asked
me my name and I replied “I’m here to see the doctor”. That
explained the bewildered look on the poor girls face.

Later last night we had the monster storm that didn’t happen.
We were under a tornado watch, severe thunderstorm watch, and
told the size of the hail falling from the skies could reach
epic proportions. And, it didn’t happen. We did get heavy rain
in the morning, just no storm last night.

And while not a first, a headline caught my eye from a small
town Iowa newspaper. It said “Tornado destroys house, one horse
injured.” Gotta love small towns. Storms are predicted again
today and since I set outside with my camera to get some
pictures of the storm that didn’t come, I’ll wait until I hear
it to go out.

So enjoy our Wednesday wherever you are. Tomorrow it will just
be a memory.
Comments are always welcome.

Rainy days

The sunset last night was a little bland compared to some
we’ve seen, but we’ll take it because there won’t be one today.
As this is being written the rain is falling while the thunder
and lightening let us know it’s serious.

Here on the east coast of Iowa storms are predicted all of
today with rain to follow a few more after that. But the weeds
need water and everything being wet will dampen the chance of
fires of the 4th.

I’ll be out in it off and on starting in less that 2 hours as
my doctors appointment is this morning, then the critters need
fed. We may even get a few pictures in between the rain drops.

A good day to sit on the porch with a good cup of coffee and
watch mother nature do her thing. We are supposed to get a
break in the storms and if we do it may turn into a Kodak
moment.

We hope your weather is a little nicer than ours today and I
need a cup of coffee, so this will be short. Enjoy our
Wednesday even it’s raining. The flowers and crops need a drink
too.
Comments are always welcome.

Be prepared

The 4th of July is right around the corner so we have to be
ready for the extra nocturnal noise and possibilities of fire.
Here in our little river city on the east coast of Iowa things
are already sounding like a war zone after dark.

We haven’t noticed a big difference since consumer fireworks
were legalized this year but time will tell. What we do find
laughable is the state actually thinks it can tell citizens
when then can shoot them off.

Around our neighborhood fireworks don’t start going off until
after the legal hours have ended. We would ask those who wish
to set off the late night fireworks to be considerate of their
neighbors and pets, but then we’d have to take the time to
explain what considerate means.

Police, Fire, and Medics will be probably be just as busy this
year as they were last year and we wish them well. Back in the
day we’d cruise down to Missouri where fireworks were legal and
get some black cats and lady fingers to shoot off.

After a few bangs from the firecrackers we’d go back to
whatever it was we were doing. Today it sounds like some enemy
army is carpet bombing the neighborhood and it goes on for
hours. Times change.

Enjoy our Tuesday, I know we will.
Comments are always welcome.

Tremor

On the way back home this past weekend we came across a
pickup truck I’d never heard of before that got my
attention. I knew it was an F-150 Ford, yet it was unlike
any I’d seen. When we got closer the side of the bed
proudly proclaimed it was a Tremor F-150.

I also noticed it had “twin turbo-charged” badging which
almost made the low profile tires make sense. It just looked
fast. Turns out Ford has discontinued this series according to
research I’ve done since we got back.

It does have two turbos on a 3.5 liter ecoboost V6 making 365
horsepower and 420 pound feet of torque. That size would equal
about 213.5 cubic inches. With the torque and a set of 4.10
rear gears it would be a stop light bandit. And you could get
it in 2-wheel-drive or 4-wheel-drive.

Marketed as a truck that would appeal to street truck
enthusiasts looking for V8 power with V6 fuel economy. It does
look like they might bring both the Tremor and the Lightening
as Ford promised 12 new global performance vehicles through
2020.

I looked at the Lightening when it first came out and wasn’t
impressed. Yes it had a V8 and was fast for truck. But it had
as many options as a Cadillac and a stripped down version was
not available. If you want a laugh, go to a dealer and tell
them you want a half-ton pickup with manual transmission but
without air, power steering and power brakes. The look on their
face is something to see.

Enjoy our Monday and have a great one.
Comments are always welcome.

Pizza test drive

A friend recommended I try a Lotzza Motzza pizza and assured
me they had a bacon cheeseburger pizza. So while getting
groceries friday we picked one up. The first thing we noticed
is these pizzas had a lot more cheese on them compared to the
ones we usually buy. A half pound of cheese.

The other thing we noticed is these pizzas are 3 times more
expensive than my stand by pizza. But I was drooling just
looking at them in the freezer so we brought one home. Last
night we tried the pizza while I was again drooling with the
delicious aromas wafting from our pizza oven.

The pizza was very good and we will be buying more next week.
It won’t replace my go to pizza because of cost, but we’ll keep
a few in freezer for future reference. We got the biggest size
they had at our usual haunt and it fed the wife and myself. I
wasn’t looking for a snack for at least 3 hours.

While the pizza was good, and quite flavorful, I couldn’t
taste the bacon in the bacon cheeseburger pizza. Not a game
changer but perhaps they should call it a cheeseburger pizza,
put mor bacon on it, or I need my taste buds overhauled.

We like it better than DiGiorno frozen pizza which cost about
the same. Thanks for the suggestion Dale, we’ll be buying more
soon. I have enough Jack’s pizza to last me until then.

Enjoy our Sunday.
Comments are always welcome.

Sunday snicker

A friend shared this one and it made us laugh so here it is.
——–

At Friday night services, Morris went to his friend Irving and said, “Irving, I need a favor – I’m sleeping with the rabbi’s wife. Can you hold him in temple for an hour after services for me?”

Irving not very fond of the idea, but being Morris’ lifelong friend, he reluctantly agreed.

After services, he struck up a conversation with the rabbi asking him all sorts of stupid questions in an effort to keep him occupied.

After some time, the wise rabbi became suspicious and asked, “Irving what are you really up to with all this?”

Irving, filled with feelings of guilt and remorse, confessed to the rabbi “I’m sorry Rabbi, my friend Morris is sleeping with your wife right now and asked me to keep you occupied.”

The wise rabbi smiled and, putting a brotherly hand on Irving’s shoulder, said “Irving I think you’d better hurry home—my wife died two years ago!”

We’re back

We survived our weekend mini-vacation and have no lumps,
bumps, or bruises to prove it. Things started out great until
we saw the smoke signals at the crest of an upcoming hill and
noticed the traffic had ground to halt.

After sitting in park for about a half hour traffic started to
move again and we came upon the reason for the delay. A two
vehicle fatal accident complete with one car burnt to the
ground and still looking hot as we passed.

Once things got moving again we marveled at the beauty of our
Iowa countryside. The crops were looking good and sky was blue
with enough clouds to cast interesting shadows on the landscape.

Of course when we arrived in the river city we’d decided to
spend the night at the traffic was bumper to bumper. Yet we
kept our good mood as we were escaping the daily grind, if only
for a short time. I even had some greens with my supper. Well,
if lettuce and pickles on a cheeseburger count.

The ceiling in room didn’t leak, everything else worked, and
the sky put on a spectacular show as the sun dipped behind the
trees. Thanks to the wife for taking the pictures while I was
driving.

We arrived back home grinning, refreshed, and ready to tackle
whatever life hits us with until the next getaway. Enjoy our
Saturday, we will have a snicker later that a friend shared.
Comments are always welcome.

A little birdie told me

Trump was in Iowa yesterday in a city close to us and the
righteous indignation has begun. Iowa gets around 36% of its
energy from wind turbines and during his speech the president
said “I don’t want to just hope the wind blows to light up your
homes and your factories as the birds fall to the ground.”

These few words caused one of our Senators to proclaim “Trump
would succeed in ending the production tax credit in Congress
over me dead body.” Supporters of green energy spoke out and
gloom and doom was predicted over a simple sentence. Yet the
consensus is that those who attended the event cheered the
remark.

Wind energy is like ethanol in Iowa and considered by many to
be the only answer to our many problems. Both have been around
longer than people think. I am one Iowan who believes both are
over rated. Wind energy is still more expensive and ethanol is
just a stepping stone until something better comes along.

It is fun to read, and hear, all the people forecast the end of
the world as we know it if changes are made. We lived before
these fads came along and will continue breathing when they are
gone as long as the good Lord is willing. Too many people take
this stuff too seriously.

We, on the other hand, have a life. And since the wife has a
few days off in a row we are going to cruise the two lane
blacktop to somewhere, spend the night in a motel, and cruise
back when we’re ready. Until then I will have no internet
access but will post upon our return.

So enjoy our Friday, it’s the last one we get this week.
Comments are always welcome.