Touring with Tawni and Alex

This afternoon we took Tawni and Alex sightseeing. We first drove by Travis' fields and looked at the corn and beans. All we saw looked pretty good! Of course, we stayed on the main road, and didn't go down Danford either.
Then we went to the National Cemetery and Keokuk's Veteran's Memorial.

We also took in the scenic view from Bluff Park where the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers meet.Bluff Park also provides a great view of Roquette, so I told what little I know of Roquette and the products they make. Tawni actually liked the smell! I love that girl! Our family has always thought the smell of the plant was a pleasant aroma, but most people don't agree!
We took a quick look at Lock and Dam #19 and then went to Nauvoo. We stopped by the Browning house. Jonathon Browning was apparently a Mormon. They've restored and maintained his house and gunsmith shop in Nauvoo and have a Browning gun museum there. We saw lots of tourists riding in a covered wagon drawn by a mule team. We stopped for picture taking near the temple.

Rainy Days Don't Get ME Down!

Yee-Haw!!!! We've got another six tenths in the rain gauge! It may be too late for the corn, but will surely help the beans! Kathy and Tawni have gone to Hobby Lobby in Quincy, so Zach and Wyatt are here. We've been having a great day. At this moment, Wyatt is sleeping soundly, and Zach is out riding his motorcycle. He's no doubt looking for any water he can find to ride through. Yesterday, I rode with him around the fields. He's a pretty good rider, but considerably over confident. He did crash though, so it slowed him down just a bit for a little while at least. Fortunately he wasn't hurt bad. Just a few bruises and some impressive scratches on his helmet. He hit the rocks, and I showed him the helmet and asked what it might have done had he not been wearing protection. Dennis rode with him later in the evening and took him out in the pasture where he could go up and down some hills. It's a sure thing that the crash he had early yesterday morning won't be the last, but rather just the first of many. I just hope none of them hurt him too bad! When I rode with him, he wanted to race, but I told him I would not race with him. That's all we need to do is make it a competition...he'll get hurt for sure, because he can't stand getting passed!
The races that had been scheduled for tonight at Donnellson have been postponed until August 30 due to the rain. That means we have a free evening! I wonder what we'll do? I wonder how many boys we'll have staying the night? LOL! We have a movie that we haven't watched yet, so perhaps this evening we'll do that and have some good ice cream! Maybe I better run to town to get the ice cream this afternoon. I'm still longing for some Pistachio Almond ice cream!
I am going to take advantage of the little time left of Wyatt's nap to make a page in my scrap book. If he sleeps longer, maybe I'll get two finished!
Enjoy this cool and rainy day. When the sun breaks through, we'll get hot again and more humid than ever!

Sunday Update.

Well, here's the Schulte clan, or at least those who made it to the family reunion. It was not a large group. Actually, there were many more present, but this is just Aunt Helen and Phyllis and all the first cousins. We had a great meal. Fried fish, chicken, potatoes and onion rings plus all the carry in items. After eating, we had a "Redneck Washers" tournament. Dennis and Jim Flockhart were the overall champions, defeating all who challenged them. It was really a nice time, and we stayed until after 7 P.M. We were the last to leave.
Today, we came out of church to find that Zach (7) and Wyatt (4) were joy riding in our van. Dennis had left the keys in the ignition, as we usually do, so the boys were in the car and decided to start it up and move closer to the door so the rest of us wouldn't have to walk so far. Actually, I don't know what they were thinking. Tyler thinks they were NOT thinking! Boy, does that bring back memories...ha ha ha! Anyway, today was to have been the day that Zach and Tyler were going to come over and ride motorcycles on our trails, but Zach is going to have to go at least one more day without riding the motorcycle. Sure hope he learns something from it! From now on, we'll be taking the keys with us, if we can remember! We're so in the habit of just leaving them, it will be hard to remember to take them out. I greatly doubt that Zach will repeat that anyway, but just to be safe, we're removing the access to the keys!
Tomorrow, I'll be driving to Iowa City to pick up a friend. She and her son, Alex, flew into Cedar Rapids today, and will have an appointment at the U of I Hospital tomorrow morning. After that, she'll come here for a brief visit before returning to New York on Thursday. We're looking forward to seeing them again.
It's such a gorgeous afternoon, I think I'll go outside and enjoy the cool (cooler than last week) air and the low (66%) humidity! I'm sure it's going to be going up...so I'm going to enjoy today!

Reunion Weekend

Not only is it my class reunion weekend, it's also the weekend for the Schulte reunion. We'll be going to Tolmie Park for a big fish fry at noon today. One of the things they know how to do very well it put on a great feed! It should be a fine time, and with the cooler temperatures it will be much more pleasant.
Here's an update from Thursday's blog. Remember, Zach got a motorcycle on Thursday. I heard that he was told to ride it on the outer perimeter of their property so that he didn't ruin the yard near the house. Well, I'm speculating here, but riding the outer perimeter doesn't give you much opportunity to show everyone what you can do. No one stands way out there to watch! For whatever reason, Zach rode in the yard right by the house, and spun his tires, tearing up the grass and making a rut in the yard. Mom and Dad were not happy. Zach lost his riding privileges for two days. So he won't be riding again until Sunday! I sure hope his Dad remembers how much he rearranged our rocks and grass when he was a younger. Maybe he does remember, and that's why he's on Zach for it, because we cased on him all the time for tearing up the yard and driveway! Looking back, it really didn't matter, but at the time we thought it did. Funny how time changes things.
I was looking at pictures earlier this morning, and just enjoying them so much, I decided to add a few here. Not necessarily because anyone else wants to see them, but I wanted to try adding more than one at a time, just to see how (or IF) it works.






Yes....it does work. I've discovered that I can add up to five pictures at a time. I have yet to figure out how to put them exactly where I want, but I'll keep practicing.
Let me say that the gas price picture was taken last summer, but it's about average for today as well. The next photo was from our Christmas Eve Treeing...we go around catching people off guard and taking pictures of them...wish them Merry Christmas and then go to another victim. It's a lot of fun, and as you can see, Judy was NOT expecting us!

Walls Are Poured!

As of today, the walls are poured and they're taking the forms down. The plumber is getting the drains and stuff in so they can pour the floor. Pouring the walls was quite a sight! They used a pump outfit, and it worked really nice! It's just been a few weeks since they started the building project, but much has been accomplished. It's going to be nice to have them just a mile or so down the road from us.
Dennis just called, and the races are over. He's on his way home already! I can't believe they got out so quick. I wonder if they didn't have very many cars show up to race! Anyway, he finished third, right behind Tyler.
I wonder if he'd stop at the store before he comes home to get some really good ice cream? I doubt it very much! Blue Bunny Pistachio Almond sounds good...and it's on sale!
Well, since he's on his way home, I better get ready to go greet him with a big old welcome home smooch.

Road Trip with Zach

Zach spent the night last night, and after breakfast this morning we decided to go shopping in Quincy. He wanted to go to Hobby Lobby, so how could I say no? We first stopped in Keokuk to look at helmets. Zach is getting a motorcycle, and we thought we'd check prices and see what size he'd need. We also looked at riding boots, chest protectors, and all kinds of accessories! Then we fueled up the van and headed to Hobby Lobby. We found that stickers and scrapbook papers were half price, so we got a few stickers. We also walked down the street to Learning Adventures. It's one of my favorite places to find unique learning toys and things for the kids. I bought Zach four pencils for school. He'll begin second grade on August 23. That seems impossible!
Anyway, after that we stopped at TNT and were fortunate enough to see Bryan Smith. I told Zach that Popo and I have known Bryan since he was Zach's age. We had really stopped in to check out the helmets, and did in fact end up buying one. After a quick drive through at Wendy's we headed home. Zach stopped in at Ed's to show his Daddy the new helmet, so they decided to pick up the motorcycle on their way home. I would imagine that Zach tore up the yard with his new wheels this evening.
Dennis is still (it's 9:30PM) out polishing his race car. He's getting ready for the races tomorrow night. Last week he had some tire troubles, but still managed a third place finish. He had a wheel alignment done this afternoon, so is thinking he might have a better handling car tomorrow. Who knows how late he might stay up working on that thing. As for me, I'm just about ready to shower and stretch out with my book. I might read several pages before falling asleep!

I Needed A Good Laugh!

A friend sent the following story to me, and it tickled me so good, I had to share it! Read on:

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of
women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you
check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.
Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman
leaving the stall. You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't
matter.
The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's mom,
no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook,
if there were one, but there isn't - - so you carefully, but quickly,
drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it
on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume "The Stance."
In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake.
You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the
seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance."
To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you
discover to be the EMPTY toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can
hear your mom's voice saying, "Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat,
you
would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!" Your thighs shake more. You
remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one
that's still in your purse. That would have to do.
You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It is still smaller than your
thumbnail.
Someone pushes open your stall door because the latch doesn't work. The
door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your
chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the
toilet. "OCCUPIED!" you scream, as you reach for the door dropping your
precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your
footing altogether, and slide down directly on the TOILET SEAT. It is wet
of course.
You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom
has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered
seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any,
even if you had taken time to try.
You know your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because,
you're certain, her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat
because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you
could
get."
By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so
confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a firehose
that somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the
toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.
At that point, you give up. You are soaked by the spewing water and the
wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you
found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.
Now, you can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic
sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk
past the line of women still waiting. You are no longer able to smile
politely to them.
A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet
paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You
yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it into the woman's hand and tell her
warmly, "Here, you just might need this."
As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used and
left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why
is your purse hanging around your neck?"
This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restroom
(REST??? - You've got to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men
what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly
asked question about why women go to the restroom in pairs.
It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you
Kleenex under the door.

I hope you laughed as long and loud as I did !

I'm Back!!!!

The HughesNet tech-man just left. He arrived here at about 10:45 a.m. and found that our satellite radio (receiver?) was malfunctioning. He has everything all fixed up now, for which I am very thankful! Wow, I really missed my high speed service. I even signed up for 50 free days of dial up from AOL. It was so slow!
It's another scorcher outside today. They're saying that tonight storms are expected. I sure hope we don't have any problems with the satellite system due to storms! I can't even think about waiting for the technician to come back within 3-5 days! Do you know how long 3-5 days seems when you are waiting for service?
This morning, I went for my DOT physical. Dr. Pam examined me and said I should be able to handle two more years of bussing. School will begin on August 23. On the 21st, I have to attend a mandatory drivers meeting, and will find out then about who gets the new busses! I have heard that they're equipped with air-conditioning, but I'll believe that when I see it!
Well, now that I have internet service, I must check out the mail and my favorite sites.
TTFN!

Back Online...Finally!

Well, it's Sunday night, and I have been on the phone with tech support three different times today! Each time I called them I was put on hold for about 20 minutes, and spoke with six different people. When I got off the phone the last time, I think the lady said that someone would call within the next five minutes. It's really hard to say what she said, because we don't speak the same English! However, no one called. Five minutes, twenty minutes, still no call, so I went to watch a movie. I was not about to call back and get put on hold for another 20 minutes! What a waste of time. Grrrr! Anyway, when the movie ended, I came up to check and behold! It started off pretty slowly, but is working fine now. I don't know how long it will last, and don't know what the problem was. We started noticing some problems Saturday afternoon, but thought maybe the weather was the cause. When it was worse when I got up this morning, I knew it wasn't the weather. It was plenty hot, that's for sure! Wyatt is coming to stay with me tomorrow. We'll surely have a fun day!

Staying Cool---Mission Possible!

The temperatures here have been nearing the triple digits and with the humidity factor, it feels like a sauna! I personally try to stay inside where the air is cool whenever possible. Dennis and the boys, though have to keep going in spite of the heat! Travis and Gail have their new basement nearly formed and expect to pour the concrete Monday morning. Here you can see Travis, Gail, Ashley and Dale working on the footings. Dennis and I were there helping too, and it was hot! Since this picture was taken, they've put up forms, and re-rod. In addition to all the work being done on the house project, we've had quite a lot of graves to dig these past few weeks. Dennis has also helped two different neighbors dig up water lines that were leaking. I sure hope ours don't start leaking!
The horse and calf don't seem to be suffering with the heat. They have good shade, and can stand inside the barn where it's usually cool (comparatively speaking) and we keep the water tank full. Scamba, however, has moved into the house. He now thinks that the mud room is his house. We don't mind though. He's about 13 years old, and we want to keep him as comfortable as possible for as long as he's with us! He's been the best dog we've ever had!

We're only about four weeks from returning to school! Summer has passed too quickly. The first day back on the bus will be August 23. I have several things I'd like to do before then, but I've been to Michigan and Colorado, plus a quick trip to Wisconsin, so if I don't get anywhere else, I've done plenty! It's been fun!

The horse needs a lot of riding, but it's just been too hot for me. I did go ride with Pam and Alan at Shimek once, and have taken a few short rides right around here. Maybe I'll be more interested in riding when the evenings are cooler.