Autumn Is Just Around the Corner!

Yes, as hard as it is to realize, summer is nearly over and fall colors are already appearing just a little here and there in the landscape! The tree that provides afternoon shade for our house is yellowing and has lots of leaves falling already! That's why I decided to change the look of our blog to the autumn leaves. However, I still plan to enjoy the last remaining days of summer!
Last evening, we enjoyed a very fine meal at the Nauvoo Hotel with about 55 other "Schulte" family members. Not all of the names present were Schultes, but everyone there was of the Schulte family, and we had a really nice time. Dennis enjoyed visiting with cousins he'd not seen in quite a while, which was really fun for him. Zach and Wyatt came here to spend the night with us afterward, so on our way through Keokuk, we stopped in to hear some "blues music" at the Rollin' On the River Festival. We caught them between sets, so had to wait about 20 minutes for the next group to set up, and since it was so late we stayed only long enough to hear two songs, but it was enough to let the boys hear how "blues" music sounds. We learned that Zach doesn't like to hear cymbals. He says, "I hate the sound of cymbals, it sounds like scratching a chalkboard". Seems a funny thing to say, especially from him. He enjoys most forms of music, but now we know....NO cymbals!
Here are some of the pictures from our reunion.

Better Later Than Not At All!

When I typed that title, I was actually thinking that it's better to post news late than not at all, but in this case, it might also be a fitting description of our news. To make a fairly short story even shorter, earlier this week we received a phone call from Brandon saying that he and his family were in town, and would like to come out and visit a little. Wow! What a nice surprise! We did get together on Tuesday afternoon. Dennis and I had not seen Brandon in maybe 16 years! Brandon was a very close friend of Travis' when they were teens, and Brandon spent considerable time at our house back then. We got to meet Brandon's wife, Shellie, and their eight month old twin daughters, Annie and Izzie! Wouldn't you have thought that I would have had my camera out and taking pictures? I guess just the excitement of company addled my brains. Thankfully, Brandon and Shellie had a camera and allowed me to take a couple pictures with it! So, here are the pictures. The four adults are Gail and Travis with Brandon and Shellie. The other one really needs no explanation, except to say that Izzie is on the left, in front of her Daddy, and Annie is at right, in front of her Mommy. The girls are adorable!

Skies Seem to Be Clouding Up This Afternoon!

So, it's unlikely that we'll get to observe the best night of the meteor showers here. It might clear off again, but according to the weather channel, we have a chance of thunderstorms late tonight. We'd planned on watching meteor showers, away from the bat!
Last night, around 1:30 AM, I went out on our east side deck to watch for the meteor showers, and a bat kept swooping right in front of my face. Over and over he just kept flying at me, so close I felt his wings touch my face! Well...that was enough to send me back to bed! I like bats, but this thing just would not leave me alone, so I started thinking: "I wonder if this bat might be rabid" Then I started getting nervous about his swooping at me, so I gave up and went in. We had planned to go farther out tonight, and sit in the back of the truck to watch, but I don't think we'll see anything since the clouds are rolling in.
Not much else has been going on around here worth telling. Dennis raced again last night at Memphis, and won. Bobbie, Mom and I went to the Dutchman Store Thursday and I bought some peaches. They're delicious! I've put a lot of them in the freezer, and still have a few to eat fresh.
Since there's not much to write, and I have no new pictures to put on here, I'm going to put in a list of some "Amazingly Simple Home Remedies". Thanks to Heidi for sharing them with me! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Amazingly Simple Home Remedies

1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto, the blockage will be almost instantly removed.

2. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

3. You can avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat just by using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers: Simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use an egg timer.

5. A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives. Then you will be afraid to cough.

7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget all about the tooth ache.

8. Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are: In life, you only need two tools - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move but should, use the WD-40. If it should not move and does, use the duct tape.

9. Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

10. Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.