Callaway, NE Highschool Class of '61 looses another

Clarinda, IA - 75º and bright sunshine.  Great morning - just got back from 7 mile ride on the trikes.

 Got message from classmate Karen Leibhart Dodge yesterday that classmate Junior Willis had passed away.  He had surgeries and treatment this last winter/spring for cancer in the mouth.  We visited him and his wife, fellow classmate, Nancy Willis (and Nancy's mother Lucile) at their farm house this last June when we were at Callaway for Pioneer Days and the All-School Reunion they have every year.  He had been told he was cancer-free at the time and was to have a check-up in late August or September.  Understand when they did the tests they found cancer had returned on the opposite side of his mouth and surgery had been scheduled for Sept 26, but he fell very ill, lost consciousness and did not regain before passing away.  The funeral is to be in Callaway this Wednesday.  Phyllis & I will drive out Tuesday and return Wednesday after the funeral.

    Some of the joy of owning/maintaining an RV is keeping roof in shape.  Got some super-duper cleaner - "Beast Cleaner".  It took stuff off top, but still have the mottled look of mold, though it is in the rubber roof, not on top of it.

                Did find a tear in the roof of the slide-out.  Glad I found it and repaired it.  Could see the plywood and know if we had been out in a rain it would have come in and done damage.

Front is washed, rear part still to go.

These are the spots, after washing.

Last Saturday we went to the celebration at Nebraska City; this Saturday we went to Shenandoah for their "ShenFest".  We were a bit early, sat up our chairs for the parade, got a hamburger and Polish sausage for lunch then walked down to the Greater Shenandoah Historical Museum.  Click Here for their website  
It is in the old J C Penny Building and has a lot on display.  We enjoyed 45 minutes or so before walking back to the parade route.

A really, really old fire hand pumper from Coin, Iowa.  That is the town we worked at the Grain Elevator for 20 years, up to 1994.

Lot of memorabilia and photos from the KMA, KFNF radio stations in Shenandoah as well as the Earl May Seed Company and the Henry Fields Company.  Earl May owned the KMA station and Henry Fields owned the KFNF station.

Many boards with photos and this kind of Artifact Key with them.

              Finishing the tour - ready to head out.

Old sign - don't think the 15 mph would work today.

Above -  Front entrance.

They had classic cars from the 50's, 60's and 70's.  This station wagon was much more colorful than the '77 Olds station wagon that we had.

Several years ago the Childhood Family Home of the Everly Brothers was moved to the downtown area and is a focal point for many concerts, etc.  It is a very small house.  There was entertainment there after the parade, Rock & Roll, but we did not attend.

The 45 minute parade started with a lot of Fire Trucks.  Here are three of the larger ones from Shenandoah.

This 1954 Model 60 John Deere tractor is identical to one that Dad bot in 1954

Weather has been great and we have once again been eating on the deck.

Ideal Fall Weather in Southwest Iowa

Clarinda, IA 62º  Last few days and nights have been ideal.

 Couple photos to the east from our deck a few mornings ago.  The photos don't quite capture the brilliance that could be seen with the eye.

A little later when the sun was above the clouds.

 Wednesday evening we went to choir practice and afterwards had a supper with Linda (celebrating a birthday this Sunday) bringing some special hot ham & cheese in rolls sandwiches and everyone adding deserts, salads, and all sorts of goodies.

 Had some upset Humming Birds yesterday.  One of two feeders was covered with these bees.  They didn't bother the second one only a couple feet away and the Humming Birds finally used that one -- it only had a couple ants running around on it.

Drove to Villisca last night and went with Oliver & Mary Jo Herzberg to the Thursday night fish fry then back to their place.  Phyllis is showing MJ the quilt she just completed hand sewing.

      Played a few games of cards - forgot the name -- and the women actually let us guys win one!

Mowed the yard yesterday and got the new porch light put on the travel trailer as well as adding a light connected in series with it for the inside right by the door to let us see coming inside after we come up the steps when we return after dark.  Got the new Dell laptop, which will replace the desktop when we hit the road.  Will still take the external speakers, roller-ball mouse, and keyboard as well as the bigger screen for Texas when using in the house there.

More later, Lynn

Apple Jack Days

Clarinda, IA  70º and bright sunshine.  Did 8.9 miles on the Trikes this morning after Church.  Had sung with the choir during 9:00 am service.  Temperature in the upper 60's then with a stiff breeze, but nice with the pedaling.

Saturday we drove the 50 miles west to Nebraska City, NE to attend their Apple Jack Festival.   Click Here for their web site
It started Friday and runs thru today (Sunday)

There were a lot of booths on the street and the face painting one did a lot of business.  This little gal sat in front of us for the hour and 45 minutes we watched the parade that started at 1:00 pm.

 

We walked the streets, looking in shops and at the vendor booths before lunch eating at a little newly-opened restaurant near where we sat our chairs on the street about an hour before the parade.

Lots and lots of cars, floats, and lots of candy being thrown to the kids.  Many bands, including both the Jr. High and the High School from Shenandoah, IA.





We went to the craft fair in one of the schools, Phyllis got a new small purse and we got some mix for dip as well as some bread mix.

Then, we stopped at Valentino's Pizza in south Nebraska City for supper before coming home.  Nice day away from home.
On Friday I had mowed the lawn with the push mower, bagger attached, and then walked on some fertilizer to finish what I was short last week.  Lots of walking, probably good for the health.

Got my new laptop and getting things transferred, lots of programs to move or buy to go on the Windows 7.  I had used XP for the entire time it has been out -- probably 12 years or so -- and learning the new ways. 

Later, Lynn

Clarinda, IA

Clarinda, IA 69º and clear
But, I am working in basement.

Got the paint over a month ago and finally getting around to putting it on the walls.





Have been working on the trailer, also.

When we lost tread on tire on trip to Michigan it tore up some of the secondary flooring.  Replaced it with some left-over sign aluminum.

Had to re-build the support for the wheel skirt that was torn off -- just used wood.  Think it will stay.

Don Runyon and his wife Bessie stopped in the other afternoon for a visit.  They lived in Clarinda until 22 years ago when they retired and moved to Gravette, Arkansas.  They had been to eastern Wyoming to his brother's funeral and to Omaha to one of their daughter's and were working their way back home.  Don is a cousin of Phyllis'.

Had a bit of color with our lunch the other day.  Pickled hard boiled eggs.  Phyllis re-used the juice from beets she had pickled.

This fellow (resembles a walking stick we used to have in Nebraska, except is green) was in the grass ahead of my mower.  I paused for a bit and he headed to the driveway then stopped for me to take his picture in this telephoto shot.

This tree limb has been leaning forever.  Finally is coming down over the other tree limb and is causing trouble with the hedge.  You might see the handle of the Worx saw I was using.  It bound up so had to hand-cut it loose.






Went to Choir Practice last night and then to Square Dance.  Smaller crowd than last week.  Only one square.  Looking at schedule of Apple Jack Festival in Nebraska City that starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday.  May go over one day.

Later, Lynn

Ides of September

Clarinda, IA - 56º with light misty rain.
     Did 5.5 miles on trikes yesterday afternoon late. 

 Sun came out after lunch and was quite nice while in sunshine, even though temperature was in the 60's.  At right is photo of corn near the airport that I took when riding trike there yesterday.  Shucks on ears of corn are brown and drying, though did not see any turned down yet.







Worked on trailer underneath where tire tread tore up some of the under-flooring when it came loose when we were on the Michigan Trip.

Have new laptop coming to replace the desktop that I have used for 6 years.  Have to look for discs of the programs to put on the new one.

Gotta go --  Later, Lynn

Cool and wet in SW Iowa

Clarinda, IA 45º with light rain.

    
Mowed the lawn last Sunday when we got home from our Michigan trip.  Was tall and really left lot on top as well as when the neighbor mowed a week previously and lot on top.  Had always wished I had a mower with bagger so could pick up leaves in fall, so went ahead and got a 22" Sears with that catcher on the rear.  It picked up not only a lot of the fresh grass, but older stuff below.  Took me all of one afternoon and much of the next day to do the whole yard.  Got something like 10 garden carts full of stuff off the lawn.

Yesterday, with bagger off, I mowed the front lawn.  It started raining overnight and is still coming down, so glad got that much done.  The side and back yards were not as tall.  I had gotten fall fertilizer put down after picking up all the grass and before the 1.5" of rain that had come on Tuesday night.  Is looking good and is much thicker than in photos I found last night of the lawn that I had taken in September of 2010 just after we moved here.  Will mow with the rider mower in a day or so after it dries.  Forecast shows dry on Saturday and Sunday with 100% chance of rain early Monday morning.

Went to ear doctor for annual hearing test yesterday and Dr. made minor computer adjustments in both hearing aids.  Just normal "aging" loss, he said.

   Phyllis talked on phone with my brother Don yesterday and got address of where they have moved to in Cape Girardeau from their home in Jackson, MO.  Will be selling the house in Jackson.

While walking the yard "stalking" creeping charlie and dandelions the other day observed this butterfly for a while.  Monarch?

             Wednesday night Mike Hogan, caller from Omaha, started the Clarinda Circle 8 Square Dance season at McKinley School Gym in Clarinda.

     We are no longer members, spending most of the winter dancing season in Texas, but were hosts-along with Mary Jo & Oliver Herzberg - we thought they still started at 7:30 pm and didn't leave choir practice until about 6:45 pm.  When got to the school building found big crowd already gathered and discovered they now dance from 7:00 to 9:30 pm.

 Worked up a good sweat, dancing most of the square dances and all of the Round Dances.
Humidity was high and big fan was used to stir the air -- helped much.







Will part with photo of some of Phyllis' flowers on the deck.  Think they are Geraniums?

Just added trip photos to my Picasa site -  Click Here   


Later, Lynn