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