Iowa's Spring????

Monday May 27- Well with the long holiday weekend we still have a fairly full park this morning. We have rain today so it was fun watching these campers trying to pull out between rains. They managed to clear out the park fairly early. We did have some time between rain so we went for a walk. Seth came out and picked up his shoes, that I painted. I guess they turned out alright. He seemed very excited. We didn't have to fix supper tonight because Maren and Jeffrey brought over dinner, chicken fajitas. We had a nice dinner and visited before calling it a night.

Tuesday May 28- It was a super rainy day today. We had planned to make it a movie day. So we went in and watched "A Dogs Purpose". We all agreed it was a good one. We made a stop at the store before coming back home. It rained the rest of the day...yuck with this weather.


Wednesday May 29- No rain in the forecast for today, it still was gray and cloudy. We took a road trip to the Amana Colonies. It is a fun place to go and visit. They have lots of shops to look through. The have specialty shops with all different foods to try, they have breweries, restaurants. Just lots to do and you can walk around and enjoy. I love the quilt store there so I got to look there. They tested some different beers at the brewery. We found a nice little spot for lunch, Phat Pizza. We had coal fired pizzas which were really good and very reasonable. I even got some root beer that they make right here.

We have visited a number of times but today it was really empty, like we had the place to ourselves. We came back home and we had planned to have Jeffrey, Maren and Wanda over for supper tonight. We had lots of leftovers in the frig. So we had a bit of everything to eat. We had some brats, hotdogs, pulled pork, baked beans and chips. Our friends are leaving tomorrow so we just kind of ate what we hadn't finished during the stay. It was a win win. Everyone got full and my frig was cleaned out. We had to call the night a little early because weather moved in....imagine that.

Thursday May 30- The suns out. Ruby and I went for a walk in the morning. It was so pretty out there. We were sitting on the swing when my phone rang. Jeff saying that our friends were getting ready to pull out. We walked back and said our good byes. We will see them in December. Jeff took the truck to town to fill it up. He stopped in Goodyear to check on tires and noticed that one of the tires in the back was blown. Well that made the decision to purchase tires really easy. He had planned on replacing them before we headed south this year, it just got moved up a bit. I stayed home and cleaned. Later in the afternoon I loaded up and went to town. I picked up my prescriptions and went over to watch Maddyn. I got my laundry done and had lots of fun with her. She loves you to read to her. I did. We had a nice evening.

Friday May 31- Woke up to sunshine. I tried to take Ruby for a walk but she wasn't having it. That is very strange because she usually enjoys a nice walk. Today I just hung around the campground. We are going to have a busy weekend again here at the park.  We fixed an early supper and then made our way down to Rock The Block. The weather finally cooperated. It was a nice evening to sit outside and listen to music.

Saturday June 1- We have a busy park, this is the weekend of the pigman sprint race. It will take place on Sunday. We won't have to deal with any of it because we are going to Keokuk today and staying the night. When we come home it will all be over. After lunch we packed up the dogs and headed to Justin and Molly's. We are leaving Belle with Molly. Justin will be in Keokuk too. That's one of the reasons we are going. Wellstrung is playing tonight at the Yacht Club. After dropping off Belle we traveled to Keokuk. We will be staying with Jeff's brother tonight. We had Ruby with us because we can crate her. First we went to supper with Fritz and Shawn. After we left Ruby with them and went to the show. The last time they played here it was super busy and so fun. Tonight that was not the case. The people didn't show up. They are having a lot of flooding here and a major bridge has been closed. Then on top of that the band was having some technical difficulties. Nobody could really tell but we could. We still had a fun time and got to see lots of people we haven't seen in awhile. Jeff even got to play along. It was a fun night for sure.

Sunday June 2- Boy that was a rough night. The bed was comfy but for some reason I couldn't sleep. Jeff and I got up and went to breakfast. We went back to the same restaurant we had supper last night....V's. Our breakfast was very good and inexpensive. Then we went back and got ready for church. This was the 2nd reason we were coming back this weekend. Our home church here in Keokuk was celebrating there 50th anniversary. We didn't go to the thing they had last night but wanted to attend the service today. It was wonderful walking through those doors. I didn't realize I knew so many people. Some of them I haven't seen since we took off on the road which is almost 7 years. It was a wonderful message from Matt Proctor, one of the Timothy's of our church. Everything about this service was wonderful...it felt like coming home.....

When the service was over we visited for a while before heading out. We skipped the meal they provided for everyone. We went back and picked up Ruby, then headed back to get Belle. Both of us were super tired. It was a long drive home. It was a great weekend. When we got to the park most of the campers have gone.

Monday June 3- It felt great to sleep in my own bed. We took care of our duties here at the park. We did some cleaning and washed all the bugs off the car. We made a trip in to the grocery store, first stopping for lunch at Saucy Focaccia. We have been wanting to try it. We weren't impressed with the burgers but I did like the fries. When we got back I decided to start on a new quilting project. I'm not done quilting the one I'm working on but I guess I just needed a break. I bought some fabric for a baby quilt for our nephew and wife. They are expecting a baby girl in October. I got the fabric cut out and the pattern laid out. Then I sewed the blocks together. I will finish it up tomorrow.

Tuesday June 4- It's movie day so Jeff and I went in to watch Rocketman. We have been waiting for this movie to come out. When we walked out after the movie was over, both of us were so disappointed. Both of us described it as horrible. Not really what we expected. We came on home and I got busy sewing blocks together to make rows. Then I sewed the rows together. I even got the back put together. The quilting part will have to wait until I finish what I have been working on.

Wednesday June 5- This morning I followed Jeff in to town, he took the truck to get the new tires put on. Then he got in the car and we did some errand running. Then after we got everything done I dropped him back off to wait for the truck. I went home and unloaded everything. He wasn't that far behind me. It's really a nice day but it is hard to be outside because the gnats are horrible. Before long it was time to go back to town to pick up Katie. We also had some mail and packages over there waiting for us. We drove down to Coralville to watch Ashton at his hockey tryouts. It was a warm one and the ice had so much water on it. It was quite sloppy.

We headed back after that. We have been waiting for the mail because our bank has been sold and we were suppose to get some notice but didn't. So now we have gotten our new cards we will see if that helps.



Thursday June 6- It is going to be a warm one today.  When I got up I went to take Ruby out and notice that my bucket of shells has been messed with. Then I looked over and noticed that both of my hummingbird feeders have been knocked down and drained. I think we had a visitor last night. Funny those both have been there for over a month with not being messed with....

I got that messed cleaned up then we got cleaned up to go and meet Seth and Marilyn at Seth's house. It's Ashton's 8th grade graduation this morning. Then we went to Taft Middle School to find a seat. Which was a bleacher with no back. It was quite a big deal. I'm not sure I have ever been to an 8th grade graduation.

Ashton's fan club

It was a nice ceremony but it was way to long. We were very proud to say the least. After it was over we all went out for a nice lunch. Ashton is going to be in high school next year. That is just so hard to comprehend. We came on home. It is really hot and being outside is not an option. The gnats are crazy....I stayed in and did some preparing of food. We are having company this weekend and I want most of that work done so instead of working I'm visiting. Later on Jan and Jerry pulled in and set up. I went over to welcome them and get a tour of there brand new 5th wheel. It is a beauty. Jeff was in Palo so he will have to see it tomorrow.


Friday June 7- This morning we had told Molly and Justin we would watch Maddyn for them as they golfed. Hailey wanted to come too so we went by and picked her up and then to Justin and Molly's. I had brought stuff to make pancakes for breakfast. Both girls love pancakes. Jeff and I like them too.

Well you can't have pancakes without whipped cream and sprinkles. I think everyone enjoyed there breakfast. After breakfast Hailey took over most of the babysitting duties. She played with Maddyn, read books to her. Then we all went for a walk around the block. The girls liked that too. When we got back they weren't quite ready to come in so they played outside a bit. We found chalk and bubbles....win win.

We had a busy morning. Then it was time for lunch. Hailey insisted on changing Maddyn before putting her down for her nap. She was such a big help. What a wonderful day spent with my 2 favorite girls. Justin and Molly got home around 2 and we headed back. Not only do we have Jan and Jerry here at the park, Judy, my best friend is coming up tonight too. She is Jan's sister. When we got back Jeff went over to tour there new 5th wheel. We sat outside and visited until it was time for supper. Judy got here about 7:30, we went back over to visit some more with them. It was a nice evening for sure. The gnats were out but if you put on some absorbine junior, they stayed away.

Saturday June 8- We got up and I went up early to clean before the campers got up. We have a full park this weekend. Then I sat and visited with Judy. It was good to be able to talk face to face, not over the phone. We got dressed and went over to Jan and Jerry's site. We sat outside and visited. We did a whole lot of visiting this weekend. Then we went to get cleaned up. We are having everyone over here for an early supper. We had chicken kabobs that were awesome with rice and fruit. It was really good. Then we got ready to make our way over to Center Point. We are attending Pork Days. Wellstrung is playing for the 4th year in a row. So that was the plan for tonight. We arrived and found a table. Then we were by Molly, Maddyn and Tammy.

The band sounded great but I think we were all entertained more by Miss Maddyn's dancing skills. She was a hoot. She wasn't shy in sharing her dance skills. It was a really nice evening with family and friends.

Sunday June 9- We got up and it's another warm day. We have had a really nice weekend with no rain. I can't remember the last time that happened. We got up and got ready for church. Jan and Jerry followed us to church. After church we all went to Cedar Ridge Winery for some lunch and a listen. They had some live music. We sat outside and it was really nice. We had another great time.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back. Our friends needed to pack up and head for home. That was the fastest weekend ever. We had a wonderful time with wonderful weather. That's all for now....

Where's Spring?

Monday May 13- With that title, this picture isn't what you would think of? Today was a beauty of a day. We had blue sky, warm temps, sunshine and a light breeze. It was kind of perfect. The problem is these days are few and far between. So we enjoyed this one. Stayed at the campground and did some cleaning. Ruby got a bike ride and a nice walk down by the finally filled up lake...that's where the picture is from. We spent some time sitting outside as well. I could use more days like this.

Tuesday May 14- Guess what....rainy and gray again today. We had made plans with some friends from church. They are taking us to a bakery, My Mom's Bakery that they love in Ely. The owners are using his mom's recipes. So we drove in and met them at the church. Off we went. The town is super small but the little bakery was done up right. It was a super small place. Mike and Linda introduced us to the owners. We picked out some treats. First we ate our cinnamon pecan rolls, which were amazing. We got 2 more to take home. They are also famous for there kolaches so we got a couple of those to take home. Mike and Linda called a head to have them hold 6 pumpkin bars and they gave us one of them to take home as well.

Wednesday May 15- Today we had an appointment to take the car to Van Horn Chevrolet. When we purchased the car they told us that oil changes were free for the first 2 years, as long as you take it to a dealership.Well when we arrived they told us it was only the first 2 oil changes. Since we had already drove there we let them change the oil. The next time I think we will take care of it ourselves. I guess we misunderstood. After we headed back because we have some sunshine again. They did wash the car but I washed it again when we got back. Then Jeff got it waxed. Jeff also got the screens from the shower house and replaced the men's side.

Since we had some sunshine still I was sitting outside when I noticed this little frog sitting on our rug outside. Don't think I ever saw a gray frog before. Must be an old one.

Thursday May 16- Today we are Maddyn's babysitter. We also have started taking care of Wanda's cat OB. She is the camp host on our second loop, and has gone to Hawaii.  So before heading into town we had to take care of the cat. We arrived and had to make Maddyn some pancakes. She was a hoot the whole time we were there.

After breakfast we played with her baby. Then we went for a walk in her carriage. She wasn't ready to come in so we went to the back yard and played with bubbles. She loves being outside. It was a really warm one, it got up to 90 .......  WHAT! We didn't have to watch her the whole day though. Justin came home from work early because they have a visitation tonight. So when Maddyn went down for her nap we came on home. It is super warm and we are suppose to have some pretty big storms in the area tonight. After supper Jeff went to Palo to play guitar, I stayed home and watched the radar. We got very lucky with the storm part. We did get some rain but it didn't start til we were in bed.

Friday May 17- Well we had rain all night. When we got up it was still rainy. We looked on the radar and it is suppose to rain most of the day. Jeff decided he wasn't hanging around here all day. After doing our cleaning and taking care of the animals we left. Miss Ruby was pretty wound up, she was on a coaster crusade. She just can't stand having the coasters sit on the table. Every morning she steals them. Then if I get them back she will jump up with Jeff, she waits for him to pick up his coffee cup. She springs into action by grabbing the coaster and running off. After morning she really doesn't bother them much.

Our first stop was for breakfast at Perkins. Then we did a little shopping. I got Miss Ruby a new harness. Jeff looked at a few shops he liked and I did the same. Before heading back we stopped at the store to get some supplies. The weather man was fairly correct, it's been raining most of the day. It is also very gray and cold. There is 30 degrees difference from yesterday. We had supper and then we went in to watch Justin play tonight. Wellstrung played at The Thew Brewery. We have never been there before. It was nice to watch and listen to them again.

Saturday May 18- Another gray, cool, gloomy day. We had planned on Hailey coming out today and spending the night but those plans changed. We just hung around here all day. It was a long long day. The park isn't full because of the weather forecast. We did see a bit of blue sky but not much.  We did have a camper come knocking on the door to tell us that one of the water spickets won't shut off so Jeff went up to try and take care of that. We don't need any extra water around, that's for sure.         

 I can say the bright note is with this weather...the birds love it so I can watch them. Here are just a few of my many many pictures.

scarlet tanager

Found a robin nest in our tree

gold finch

jelly eating oriole

Sunday May 19- It rained a lot last night but it stopped by morning. It didn't rain today but it was windy, cloudy and very cool. This does not seem like the month of May...Went to church, the store and then came on home. Again another long day....who took Spring?....I want it back.


Monday May 20- Oh my it's a cold one today, it's in the 40's. I decided to do some cleaning inside. Our friends, Maren and Jeffrey are suppose to be here tomorrow. I made some cookies and chili for supper. I'm running out of cold weather meals. Since the birds are so active I decided to make a bigger batch of hummingbird juice. I sat out my button feeders on the picnic table today and before I knew it the birds were using them. I grabbed my camera and got some cool pics.

We stayed around here today and got things done. Jeff worked on the slides. We did see some sunshine today but not much or for very long. More rain expected tonight.

Tuesday May 21- This morning first thing we had to head to town. We both are getting our lab work done. Then on Friday we have our doctor appointments.  We heard from our friends and they are going to be a day later. When we got home it cleared for a little bit and the orioles were extra hungry. They showed up in full force. I counted 10 on the fire pit today. That is where I sit the bowl of jelly.

I had to load up the car and get back in to Cedar Rapids by 3 o'clock. I am staying over night with Aston and Hailey tonight, cause there parents are out of town. I took advantage of there brand new washer and dryer. When they arrived home from school another set of clouds rolled in and poured rain the rest of the evening. After fixing supper I took Hailey to gymnastics. It lasts 2 1/2 hours so I didn't stay for it. I dropped her off and went back to visit with Ashton. I came back to see the last hour of her practice. Oh it was raining harder when we left. It just poured. Got everybody in bed including there 2 dogs, well one dog and one horse dog.

Wednesday May 22-Well I really missed my own bed, and them dogs, well they sleep with me. So I woke up really early but was still tired. I got both kids off to school. Then I loaded up my stuff and headed for home. When I got home my feeders were empty so I had to take care of them. Then I needed to do my camp host duties. We had people stopping by asking questions today. We are going to have a busy weekend, with the holiday and all. Our friends, Jeffrey and Maren arrived. They set up and came up to visit. The wind was so crazy that we changed our menu for tonight. No burgers on the grill in this weather. So I prepared them an Iowa classic, loose meat sandwiches or maidrites. After supper we went for a walk around the park before calling it a night. I can't wait to get in my own bed tonight.


Thursday May 23- We have sunshine......I started off by doing my camp host duties and taking care of Wanda's cat. I also took Ruby for a walk because it was so nice. I actually got to sit outside and enjoy some sunshine...yeah! Jeffrey and Maren came by and asked if we wanted to go for a walk, and we did join them.

It warmed up some and I sat outside in my swing chair. I noticed the hummingbird's were being rather bold. I grabbed the button feeder and put them on the table next to my chair, then I put it on my knee. I also grabbed my camera and waited very patiently. It was worth it because I had one drink from the feeder on my knee and even got a picture.

Boy talk about making my day. Why I'm so fascinated by these birds I don't know......but I love them! Jeff went in to Palo to jam tonight, I walked with Jeffrey and Maren.



Friday May 24- Doctor appointments first thing this morning. We sure had lots of rain last night, and it is suppose to rain most of the day. When we were in our doctor appointment you could hear the down pour of rain. So gray and depressing...good news is everything looks good with our lab work. Before heading back we stopped at Seth's to pick up a box with Belle's dog food in it. It is prescription dog food and it just keeps getting more expensive with a smaller bag. So aggravating. Seth was working from home. He has a project he wants me to do. He is kind of a shoe guy and he wants me to customize a pair of his shoes. He bought all the stuff and so I'm going to give it a go.  I had a video to watch and I went ahead and got them taped up to give them a start. I think the trick is going to go slow with lots of thin coats of paint.

first coat

We had made some plans for the evening with our friends. With the weather not really sure if we can do them. So we took off and went to Union Station to watch Jarrod Hogan play. He is one of Justin's friends and really nice to listen to. Justin even came down to join us for a bit.

We left here and headed down to Newbo Rock the Block. We were going to listen to the band there. The weather had held off. When we arrived nobody there, I guess they cancelled. So we took a walk downtown. Then back in the car to go to a new place to have dinner, Daisy's Garage. It was ok, but I guess I was expecting a bit more. The company and conversation was great.


Saturday May 25- Up early to get the shower houses clean before our campers wake up. Then we went to Cedar Rapids for there first of the season farmer's market. I think everybody had the same idea. It was packed. Justin, Molly and Maddyn met us there so that was fun. I think the vendors were happy with the turn out.

yikes

Since the weather is so nice we decided to have a family dinner tonight. So on our way home we hit the store. The kids are coming out later with there families. In between our two activities I got a couple more coats of paint on Seth's shoes.

 The family arrived and we had a really nice time. We had a simple but yummy meal and even some games. So nice to be able to get together with family and friends. Oh the sunshine was great too.

After everyone went home it was time to clean up and call it a day. So happy that the weather was good. It was suppose to rain all day.

Sunday May 26- No rain again. Jeff had made plans to go to a blackjack tournament with the boys. I was going to stay back and work on his Seth's shoes. I did get a walk in. I started early with painting so I got lots of coats done. I won't show you all the pictures but I ended up with a total of 7 coats of white paint and 3 coats of black on the swoosh.

Next thing I know Hailey called to say her Ashton and Katie were coming out to the beach so I met them down there. It was plenty warm but the water too chilly for me. The kids didn't mind it. They even did some exploring of the tall grasses to look for critters. They came up with this big tadpole and some snails. It was  a nice afternoon.

I came back home and heard from they guys, they are still playing. Going in to the final round Justin was top of the leader board and Jeff was in 3rd. Well when it was all over Justin got 3rd. They had a fun time and Jeff got home around 7:30. I had plenty of time to finish up Seth's shoes. I sent him a picture and he says they are dope....I guess that's a win..

Well I will continue this long weekend next time....until then.