Quick update

Like most of the country it has been cold around here on the east
coast of Iowa which doesn’t help my ventures outside in search of
critters to photograph. In the last three days all I’ve seen are the
feral cats and one cardinal.

Of course when the cardinal was seen the camera was on my computer desk. Just ran out to do a quick errand and didn’t expect to need it. On the upside, there is always a next time.

We may even get a little snow later tonight although it’s not
supposed to be much. We’ve already had over 9 inches of the white
fluffy love from above and that’s enough for now. And I know this is
another late post, but at least I’m getting it out now.

Had a talk with our youngest yesterday who said he was in the dog
house. Guess he called me for all the experience I have. We had a
good chat before hanging up. Tomorrow we’ll try to get a post out
earlier and see how that works. Hope it’s doable.

Enjoy our Wednesday night as we will and keep warm if it’s cold
where you’re at. Now for more coffee and something for my sweet
tooth.
Comments are always welcome.

The old days

Went over to visit Dad today and found out he had a tooth pulled
yesterday after it broke off. That didn’t stop his appetite as he had breakfast and one of the donuts I’d brought over. Then we went into the front room, he got comfortable in his recliner, and we talked.

He got on a roll about the winter of 1936 and how all the farmers
got together with scoop shovels and cleared the gravel road all the
way to the highway. My back hurts just thinking about that. But as
happens in the country during the winter the road drifted over in
places.

Grampa was really sick so they called the town doctor and he agreed
to drive out to the farm. A little later the doctor called from a
farmhouse down the road to say the road drifted over and could
someone come with a team of horses to pull his car through the
drift.

So my uncle took a team of horses and pulled the doctor through the
drift then followed back to the farm. Grampa got some medicine to get
him better and the doctor went back to town. Thankfully Grampa made
it through his illness and lived to the ripe old age of 94.

Kind of makes starting the snowblower and following it around seem
almost like play instead of work. I may clear a half block of alley
along with the driveway and sidewalks, but at least it isn’t a mile
of gravel road using a scoop shovel.

Enjoy the rest of our Tuesday as tomorrow we may see a camel
running around.
Comments are always welcome.

Delayed post

First I’d like to say Happy Veteran’s Day to all fellow veterans out
there and hope it was a good one. All set to do an early post today
my body rebelled and I didn’t even get out of bed until 10 am. Then I
went out to sweep and shovel the snow to feed the feral cats and
make a path to the car in case we needed it.

After doing that and fixing a quick bite I laid back down and fell
asleep again. So here I am at this late time putting this together to
get it on the blog. We also missed the Veteran’s Day parade but have
seen some coverage online.

When this is done I’ll hopefully get some things done that didn’t
get earlier before turning the TV on to watch a rerun of Perry Mason.
On another note, tomorrow there will be a full moon if anyone is
interested and we’ll wait until later tomorrow to see if the clouds
go away long enough to see it here.

Some people locally are mad that the snow plows didn’t get out
sooner. They seem to forget it is a holiday for city workers and I’m
just guessing someone had to approve the extra money for holiday pay. Things can get slick on the roads, be careful out there and take it slower than you usually would.

Leaving early to allow for the longer drive time beats ending up in
the hospital or morgue. Enjoy the rest of our Monday, Veteran’s Day,
as we will.
Comments are always welcome.

Just watching the lawn

My mind seems to travel more than I do and another day got away
from me. Distractions were many and while my brain was thinking
of odd things my body was content to transport said brain from
distraction to distraction.

When we returned from cruising to the grocery store early this
morning I noticed this patch of grass covered with frost. After the
groceries were put away I went out and snapped the picture above.
Not sure why so much time was spent looking at this marvel of
nature but I should have been getting things done.

Of course the little piece of Gods green earth reminded me that just
last week I took another picture around the same area. In this one
it was dew on the grass and not frost. Both caught, and held, my
attention. Seven days, a week, and things changed dramatically.

Most people would probably just walk by and not notice the dew or
frost, but I’m not most people. The sun glistening off the dew and the
water beading on the blades of grass was amazing last week.

And the hair like frost got my attention this week. If more people
actually looked at what is right in front of them I think the world
would be a better place. It doesn’t coast anything, isn’t time
consuming, yet definitely makes one feel better for having looked.

Enjoy our Friday evening as we will. Now for some coffee and a bite
to eat as I forgot lunch.
Comments are always welcome.

Good times

Some days we get so distracted that time passes and before we
realize it the day is gone. Today was such a day and most of it was
spent outside watching nature at its finest. At least that’s what I
believe.

Went out earlier and after feeding and watering the feral cats for a quick look around had me gazing to the sky. A nearby tree was losing leaves at a rate that had it been rain it would have been a good drizzle.

The alley went from gray concrete to the yellow, orange, and gold of
the new fallen leaves. And they just kept falling. Some would get
carried by the wind and spin through the blue sky to end quite a
distance from the tree.

And with the blue sky as a backdrop it seemed almost magical. I don’t
think Disney could pull off a more colorful display. Even the feral
cats got into the act by jumping up and swatting at the falling
leaves. Some were very acrobatic.

A couple squirrels scampered about looking for their hidden supplies
or running around with walnuts in the their mouths to hide them
elsewhere. With all that going on, I also noticed that there was not
a bird to be seen.

Not sure if they’re hunkered down in their nests or airing out their
long johns. Now back inside I realized it was not a wasted day but
one to remember. Everything meshed together like a well rehearsed
play.

Enjoy our Thursday, or Friday Eve if you prefer. Now for some coffee
to prepare for the chores that didn’t get done earlier.
Comments are always welcome.

What a walk

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Our local election is over, the results are in, and don’t believe
too many are surprised by the results. If you live around a while and
follow such things you come to realize incumbents usually get the nod
and keep their positions.

Late again as it’s nice out and I’ve been enjoying the weather before
it turns cold. Our high is supposed to be 50 today yet next Tuesday
the high is predicted to be 20. Not really ready for that kind of
change yet.

I have also noticed the wildlife has been absent the last few days
and don’t know if it’s because they feel the weather change coming or
it has been too windy. At any rate I’ll keep bringing the camera out
with me and will get more pictures.

The visit with Dad went great and he was in a decent mood again so
felt like talking. We talked of memories of how cold an outhouse was
in the winters when you needed to use it, wringer wash machines,
how the wash used to get hung on clotheslines, John Deere tractors,
and Model T Fords.

When I left we were smiling from our walk down memory lane and the
feeling lasted. Even thoughts of the sulfur tasting well water had
me grinning. So many memories on those 200 acres. Even though the
buildings are gone now I plan to visit sometime soon.

Enjoy our Wednesday as we will. Now for some more coffee and a big
cheeseburger for a snack.
Comments are always welcome.

Late again

Here on our portion of the east coast of Iowa we vote. If you live
here, or have an election also, please vote. You may have noticed we
missed posting yesterday and while we’re sorry about that it couldn’t
be helped.

Seems I keep forgetting I’m no spring chicken anymore and push things that don’t need pushing. In this case it turned into a step back on the road to getting better. Now I’m almost to where I was before the set back.

Saw this bird while out getting some fresh air a few days ago and got
a shot. Seemed to be determined to enjoy the day.

A few of the feral kittens were out and about so we’ll share some pictures of how they’ve grown. They almost have me trained as they are outside waiting to be fed at 6 am every morning, rain or shine. Even mama cat is coming back around.

Since mama cat is no longer bigger than a basketball we believe she
had another litter. So far she has them well but when I’m feeling a
little better we’ll have a better look.

And again we’ll say that regular postings will begin again. I’m
getting ready to go out and see if any critters want a picture and
if so will share here in a later post. Enjoy our Tuesday as
tomorrow the pesky camel will be around. Now for more coffee.
Comments are always welcome.