Steps to success

My alma mater has some great marketing talent. Recently they purchased the stairs at Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines, near where we live. I've noticed that in the past five years since the mall has been here, Iowa State University has put quite a bit of $ and effort into attracting potential students shopping here.

But stairs - that's pretty clever! Other schools have mere banners.

 I'm not sure how these phrases hit high school seniors, but the statements on the steps pretty much summed up my college experience. I met several BFFs - Sal, Vic, Jane. Plus my guy friends (see below, under broomball). And my very best BFF - Paul.

I'm not sure I really had one aha moment, but my time at ISU certainly was a growth experience.

I did do a lot of doodling on my notes I took during all those lectures I attended. They really were just doodles. We attended a few late night broomball games at Hilton to watch our friends Moose and Steve play with their Stevenson House team. Until ISU I'd never heard of the sport, played like hockey, wearing shoes and using special brooms and a little ball. Then I actually had a chance to play the game myself - not in a cushy indoor stadium, but out in the cold, behind Beyer Hall with several softball players on a team my Atlantic pal Marci Merrick set up. Fun game - and I bundled up for the chill and for falls on the ice! No helmets back then though.

 The view toward the top of the stairs.

The bottom step here says "Hard work that doesn't seem like work". I believe that in retrospect. But at the time, it felt damn hard! Later, when I was juggling a job and a family, college seemed like it must have been a breeze.

Wearing cardinal and gold has become a bigger part of our lives post college. During school we took it for granted! Our basketball team wasn't very good back then so I only went to one or two men's games the whole time I was in school - and no women's games. We attended football - mostly for the party! We didn't have to worry about where to tailgate because we could take liquor right into games back then - nobody checked us.

Through the years I've gotten pretty fierce about my school pride. We enjoy going to football and basketball games and are boosters and financial supporters of the school athletic programs. As my blood donor shirt says - I bleed cardinal and gold.

Students can have a successful experience at any college they go to. But I wouldn't trade my experience for anything! I think Paul, Amy and Jud would tell you the same thing. Iowa State University certainly has been a part of the steps to success of our lives.   

The weekend

In words and photos

For my buddy Deb - because she makes a lot of people's fat cry. Then - just in time for Diana to lament about work - not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I also had this photo -

Paul and I went to one of our Friday night places for a martini. Don't let them fool you - Cheesecake factory could be named Martini Factory...and their pear flatbread is good, with no meat on a Friday for a Catholic. Paul had the clam chowder, also delish. But then we decided to walk around in the mall - walk off those martinis ya know. Paul went to Barnes and Noble and I checked out the sale racks at Younkers.

All these years, and I still find his butt quite cute...

The next day I had an appointment at Des Moines Spine and Sport Clinic. It's that darn shoulder...winging out again as I begin working out. My massage therapist suggested I try seeing a chiropractor with an emphasis on movement - two young partners (and I do mean young). I'm determined to not go down the frozen shoulder road again, and I refuse to let this thing beat me.

Then we were on to Ames for the ISU vs. Texas Tech men's basketball game. Another sold out game - Hilton Magic is indeed back. As the game started, I was feeling the joy of being there, taking it all in. Fred Hoiberg, our coach (my advisor's son) is cute and is turning into a really good coach. The Cyclones took care of business and this character (see the guy is the pink fat lady suit) is really a guy on the football team. He's hilarious, waving his arms, doing laps and getting the crowd going. Funny!

See the guy, Bracken's, just to the right of the basket

 After the game we had a short break then we were off to Mass. We decided to head to Granite City to grab a bite for supper. The place was already crowded - so we slipped into the bar. I decided to go for the good stuff when I ordered a martini - Grey Goose. Okay it was $10, but worth it...smooth! Paul is in the "mug club" and got a giant beer.


3 Olives, yum



Sandwiches were good too - cheeseburger for Paul (surprise Amy!), Ruben for me.

I took a walk this afternoon, after our shopping trip to HyVee. It was sunny out and I discovered a trail around the playground just north of our place.

Our place is in the distance

Today we decided to see one more Oscar nominated film - Django Unchained at the matinee. Let's just say - Paul didn't like it. I was much less critical, though I didn't like all the violence, and Tarantino films are almost like cartoonlike when it comes to blood splatter. Yuck! The best supporting actor did come from this moving though - and I thought he was great!

So there you have it. A quiet, yet busy weekend. Tomorrow night is Big Monday! Kansas Jayhawks come to Hilton. Gold Out baby - hope it's magic!



Paul finished this coat rack this week - love it! Ordered the hooks from Amazon. Similar ones were $300 at Amish Haus...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teachers and "their kids"

Tracey - a teacher friend from Creston, posted this on Facebook.

It got me thinking about my teachers. I had many whom (I hope I'm using this word properly...) I still think of quite often today. It just goes to show you...it works both ways! Teachers/coaches are important people in our lives!

I wrote last fall about my get-together with a group of high school friends. More than once, high school teachers came up. We had a lot of good ones in Atlantic.

To help with my memory, I dug out a couple Javelins - the Atlantic High School yearbook. I knew exactly where the books were because of our recent move.

My 7th grade year - I didn't even realize some of these people were on the School Board. Hell - I didn't even know there WAS a School Board.

• Bill Beatty - who was a family friend and farm manager for my grandparents
• Dick Cook - pharmacist and classmate of my Aunt Marty, we hung out with their fam because our babysitter (when our parents were out of town) Lulabelle, was also their babysitter. Cute kids - Terri, Sarah and Barb
• Supt. Schuler - they later named the junior high after him
• Jim Tyler - of Atlantic Bottling fame, the Tyler fam lived near us and Sue and I played a lot of sports together (she, much better than I) 
• Edith Shank, secretary - roommate of Jeanne Howarth
• Lyle Harris - didn't know him
• Wendell Pellett - later he became a legislator

John Hunter was the Assistant - listed as special services director. I remember him as the Principal of Washington Elementary. Not someone I wanted to meet up with. He looked stern and had a crew cut. They were our neighbors, down the street and had a daughter Susi's age.

High School Principal - Darrell Eblen - a pleasant, smiley man. My senior year I served as the "absent slip" collector in the Principal's office. I got to know the secretaries there and the boss. They were all nice. Del Neary was the Junior High Principal. He was somewhat scary - and he had to be! The Junior High brought together 3 grade schools under one roof, and people tested boundaries.

The enforcer was Rollin Dyer - the Athletic Director. He was a nice guy who could turn into Jack the Ripper with his voice. I tried to avoid that side of him. Years later I saw him on the sidelines of Creston's homecoming football game vs. Atlantic. Paul and I were on the Atlantic side waiting to walk our beautiful daughter daughter across the field as a homecoming princess. Mr. D. was all mellow in a lawn chair and I proudly made introductions. (Paul had broken a front tooth that week and threatened to escort Amy looking like a hillbilly, but Dave Buck came through and bonded it nicely). Creston won the game in a last second goal line stand - yay Panthers!

I must post a disclaimer here that there were probably several great teachers that I didn't come in contact with simply because I wasn't on that chosen career path - like nursing or teaching.
Norman DeLance - is listed as an English teacher. I recall his name - but don't remember him, or Barbara Fredricksen. And I don't mean to use this post as a gossip piece. These are my recollections with some embellishments from my girls through the years.

English
Mrs. Sweeney taught a fun Mass Media course that took our class on a field trip to Omaha. We went to an advertising firm, Bozell and Jacobs. We visited the TV station near UNO that showed Creature Feature with Dr. SanGuinary (Ah, Ah, Ah) - scary shows of my youth. What did Mrs. Royalty teach - wasn't she a character? Junior High stuff?

Poor Jo Ann Runyan got teased because the product Funion Rings came out when she taught, and everyone would sing that commercial inserting Runyon for Funyon.

Miss Wissink taught 7th grade English. Whenever I hear the song "Sweet Seasons" by Carol King, I always think of that class, because of the project I did for the class - using that song. I partnered with someone...Chris or Robyn?

There is lots of lore about Mr. Larry Lyons - and just how his, uh, package was arranged. Word has it that when he would wear his yellow leisure suit and other tight clothes, front row students could identify just what side the package was on. Mr. Lyons would move behind the podium briefly, and walaa! The package had moved to the other side. Magic. Robyn reported that she heard Mr. Lyons was running a bar in SW Iowa later in life...Essex? I've forgotten.

Thane Hascall - taught a couple classes I was privileged to take. Honors English - 10th grade? He was one of those teachers I really wanted to please. He was witty and kept class interesting. We read books like this one. 

High School was when I learned that stories sometimes weren't just about people doing things...they had symbolism. Deep, I know. I also took a class on plays (the kid who would not consider trying out for a play), and ended up playing a character with a Chinese accent in some mini-production. I refinished a little bench that was a play prop. It was a fun class.

Jeanne Howarth is listed as "Head of Dept." I'm sure that was important to her. Never married, roomie with Edith Shank, therefore cause of many rumors by the time I realized two women could be more than just roomies. She also must have had a problem with dry skin that caused her some itchiness. Jeanne took on a frosty, crotchety air as a teacher, but deep down she was a softy, I think.

When I was a freshman in HS, she and Edith moved into the duplex across the street from our house at 202 Crombie. We had just gotten Maxl, our Airdale pup, so I was in the yard quite a bit with him - so I had a few occasions to say "hi" to her. Sadly, one of the roomies, I believe it was Jeanne, was hospitalized and when Edith picked her up from the hospital. Edith went to drop her off at the duplex and must have suffered a massive heart attach at the wheel of the car. She stepped on the accelerator and nailed our former home at 202 Crombie - right where my bedroom was, and died on the spot.

Frances Dyer taught 7/8th English - I remember Roger Underwood announcing his Mom had a baby during one of those classes. We did those color coded reading things in a box. I recall not really reading, just guessing at the questions to see what score I could get.

Science

Lynn Barnes, junior high science teacher, was a hottie. All the girls were gaga over his bod. He and partner in crime, Chuck Burnett made a good duo for 13 year-olds just starting science studies.

Ruth Beaver taught HS Chem...until she quit to run away with a guy (was it Mr. Niemann, the Earth Science teacher?). Leaving me stuck with Roger Mathias - the Physics teacher. I won't blame my lame education in both areas totally on them...it might be genetic...

Lowell Clauson - might just have been the nicest man ever. HS Biology teacher. He would mix in stories of his visits to the Galapagos Islands along with having us to pith (kill) a frog. Later, when I was the asbent slip pickup girl, he would draw little pics on them for me. Good guy, and teacher.

Social Studies
I don't remember Mr. Carmichael. Miss Fett taught Junior High geography? Mr. Huebner was a popular teacher - he's listed for 9th grade history. Mr. Hiemstra taught that too - that's who I had. I had fun arguing with Mr. Neary about all things political - he was a big Dem, and I grew up a Republican. We all took his Government class senior year. Wally Roscoe too was a popular teacher.
Mr. Massman is listed for History - ?

Math
I have a love/hate relationship with math. I had several good teachers in junior high and high school who taught me. I started out the dumb kid in the smart class - in 9th grade honors algebra. Amy is an Algebra whiz, and Jud can do it too. They didn't get it from me. Mr. Holbrook tried to help me, and he kind got through to my sponge brain. I switched classes at the quarter and got into Geometry and Trig. Now that made sense! I believe it was Mr. Nissen who taught that class. Great sideburns.

Mr. Henderson - was a math teacher and also the track coach. Later, when we moved to Creston, he was the bane of our town as those Atlantic teams were always so good.
Mrs. Mikklesen - was a great Jr. High math teacher. I saw her years later when my son played basketball at the old high school in Atlantic.

Other staff
Senor Ricardo Seufert - was one of the most effective teachers I've ever had. I think of him often. We had those reel-to-reel tapes that I still remember pieces of. And some of the songs he made us sing. We also did bulletin boards - Richard Scary characters. I'd end up reading those books to my children 10 years later. We bitched about that man constantly! And he was a tough grader. We always thought he was gay - but he ended up marrying and having children. So much for my gaydar.

Delma Wright was the choir director. We liked to watch her arms flop. I was a miserable failure at choir, so I eventually retired. I still pretend today that I can sing. In Junior High we had a nice young woman for Mixed Chorus - she let us change the words to a song "Come Saturday Morning". We inserted "I'm going to watch the cartoons - Pink Panther and the Avengers, Wide World of Sports" and on like that.

Betty Heflin was the P.E. teacher - and golf coach, cheerleading sponsor. She was a solid lady - nice to talk to. She was the face of Atlantic golf for many years. Okay, she wore her hair really short, and I don't think I ever saw her in any color other than blue. She was a "Pat" like the Saturday Night Live sketch. How hard would that have been in the 70s? Hard...but she pulled it off.

Bob Younger - guys' P.E. teacher. They lived right down the hill from us. I didn't ever know him well. When I was younger, one time he watched Greg punch me in their yard, smiling all the while...of course I probably deserved it...Now he's lost 2 sons to early deaths. Sad.

Mrs. Lundgren - Junior High P.E. teacher - she was put in contact with girls at a very fragile time in their lives. She wasn't good at it. Case in point - Dodge Ball. Why let boys throw tiny rubber balls at girls? And why make girls get naked in a wide open shower and stare at them. Heartless.

Joel Simms - Another hottie, but he knew it. He was a very good softball coach. And he taught me to drive - and did a darn good job! Joel once hurdled the softball fence at Sunnyside to scoop up my sis Betso because a line drive had nailed her when she was keeping score on the old score board there.

Dale Allen taught shop and more importantly was the first coach of Atlantic Girls Basketball. Nice guy with a sense of humor. He had to be a very patient man, because we had a long way to go and that first year something like 80 girls went out for bball. Some didn't even know the rules of the game!

Miss Leslein was the coach of Girls hoops my senior year. I liked her a lot, even though she didn't see the brilliance in my playing abilities. I enjoyed having a woman coach. I didn't have her as a teacher. I think of her every time I hear the Aerosmith song "Dream On" - I traveled with Sharon and a couple others to scout teams we'd play in the future, and it seems like that song would always be in the radio.

Mrs. Elming - Home Economics teacher. Everything I know about sewing, I learned from her. Okay, so it's not that much, but I can sew on buttons! We also talked about makeup and cooking. She lived around the corner from us.

Mrs. Nebola - the art teacher. I wasn't the artsy type, so I didn't take any classes from her.

The Guidance Counselors (no help at all) Mr. Eskew/Mr. Jespersen - hope they have better ones today.

Miss Kathy Lincoln - Typing - one of the most functional classes I took! I use this skill daily.

Gwyn Kluever - Jr. High Librarian - I have fond memories of listening to Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat on headphones in the Library. And checking out books like "Are You There God it's Me Margaret". Gwen was my Mom's friend and we went to their house a few times. They had a trampoline. Fun! Gwyn left us too soon.

So those are mostly just my memories - so imagine when you get all of us Class of 76ers together what we come up with on teachers...

And teachers today have an even tougher job - because we were a box of chocolates compared to kids today. Only because the world today is more complex. They have a lot to deal with.

Bless all of you who teach! Remember that in 35 years, someone could be blogging about you!

Marty, Waveland and Jules

I hope I look that good in 25 years! Amy, Marty and Amy's gorgeous 18 year old daughter Kate (takes after her momma and gran)

My cousin Amy just posted this photo of 3 generations of the Lamm/Bullock fam women. It's from my Aunt Marty's 80th birthday party. Our daughter Amy was able to represent the Goldsmiths at the party - as Marty and her husband Bill live in Denver where Amy lives. We sent an Iowa gift bag to her - since that's where Marty grew up, good 'ol Atlantic. The bag even showed Atown on the map, and I included Oinkers Sauce from The Pines. The Bullocks ate many a good broasted chicken meal from that restaurant!

Speaking of food. Saturday Paul and I checked out a new place for breakfast. We'd been at a loss for a good, non-chain joint to go to since Baby Boomers closed last spring. The Sunday before we had tried Mimi's Cafe over by the new Kohl's. It was fine - expensive though. And it just isn't quite what I was looking for - a homey, Creston-like place. My co-worker Alex suggested we try the Waveland Cafe over on University at about 47th.

We woke up fairly early that day - because we're old...it's hard to sleep in! So we headed to the Waveland. Alex told me he eats there nearly every Saturday at 6 a.m. We didn't get there that early! He must have been dining with his father - and they were just on their way out, so we took their little booth for two. The Waveland Cafe had Paul at kitschy Packer decorations. He was sold once he saw that stuff! There were interesting murals on the walls and little drawings here and there - like proud grandparents had stuck them up.

The menu is perfect - you can get half orders of things, which is just the right amount for me! The coffee with rich, and the waitstaff friendly. I bet it gets busy as the morning goes by. I had an egg and a piece of french toast with a piece of bacon for $5.50. Paul had an egg with hashbrowns and toast. It was all good.


Paul is deep in thought...not the old juice machine - I think it's an antique! Love the mural - must be the owners...

Guess who stopped by our place in WDM on Sunday? Odie was thrilled to have her old pal Julia Hoilien come to visit! Jules was in the area visiting friends from her post college years in Iowa. It was fun to see her and to show her our new home. Nice catching up on the Mason fam - she filled me in on what Jeff, Zetta and Marcella are up to. Some of my favorite peeps!

You'd never know she was up late dancing with her girlfriends...what a cutie!

Vino Welcome

Francis welcomed us to our new church last night at a Wine and Cheese Party. That's Francis of Assisi and no he wasn't really there.

I love his prayer - my fave prayer of all time.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Now that's a prayer we can all live by.

Twice a year, the largest parish in the state holds this welcome party for newcomers. We are new, and when we attend church, we don't know anyone. So after attending Iowa State's Men's Basketball game that afternoon, we went to 4:30 Mass, and we stuck around for the event that started at 6 p.m. in a room attached to the church via a hallway.

Joan Anderson, newcomer coordinator greeted us. Several parish members were there to help "break the ice". Besides Paul and me, there were about 25 other people. We chatted with several, and then sat down for a short program. Father Bob Hoefler likes roots - he had us all go around to say where we were born. He made 3 columns on the chalkboard. Iowa, Not and Not/Not.

I found it quite interesting to hear where each person in the group was born. There were 3 Not/Nots. One gentleman was from Syria, Father George Koro is from Kenya (not Nigeria) and another young woman attending is from there too. The rest of us were from regular 'ol Iowa and there were a few born in places like Texas, North Carolina and California.

Father Bob has been around. He grew up in NW Iowa and taught school in Indianola for a while. He's battling prostate cancer that is now in his bones. Damn stuff. He made the point that no matter where you are from, the Catholic Mass is universal - it's the same. You can attend it anywhere and pretty much know what you're gonna get.

Joan gave the history of the parish - it's been around just since 1991, started when this area started to grow. The buildings started to go up later that decade on 15 acres on Ashworth Road, a bit east of the Lutheran Church of Hope you see on Jordan Creek Parkway. The parish claims just under 3,000 families - some 9,000 people. Yikes, that's more than Creston's population! There is a school - pre-K through 8th grade.

Next we all had a chance to talk about where we moved from, our background, jobs etc. Many people spoke about why they were joining the parish. They had tried attending some other churches around Des Moines. But they chose St. Francis. Some travel quite a ways each week to this church. They spoke of the sense of community here. For Paul and me - we didn't shop around. For us it's a matter of location - this church is by where we live. We must have lucked out!

We like both priests and the location. It sounds like St. Francis has a nice sense of community and a good school. Now....if the Catholic Church could only solve that Pope issue...I'm with Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne.
EJ Dionne column
How about a nun? (Yeah, I didn't mention that last night...)

You can't make this up...

Our new home features a laundry room right next to the walk-in closet. Paul has a dresser in there, while I mostly use the one in our bedroom. I did a load of whites, and must have been in a hurry when I was sorting things - after I took the clothes out of the dryer. It was mostly the T-shirts he wears under his shirts. He has to dress up for work - "dress casual" these days. No more jeans and vests like he wore when he worked with farmers in Creston.

Tuesday I picked him up after work. I meet him on the Locust Street bridge most days. He puts his backpack into the back seat Scooby, my Subaru and hops in. We each carry backpacks to work - he actually has a hike to work, probably 10 blocks from the parking ramp by my office to his at the Federal Building in downtown Des Moines, near the Civic Center.

When he hopped into the car Tuesday afternoon, he reached back into his backpack and pulled something out. I was maneuvering the car out of my parking space and into traffic - then right onto Third Street towards the Freeway. Then I heard about it, and chuckled the rest of the trip!

Paul told me he had walked to work that morning in the chill. When he got to his office at 6:45 a.m. he pulled his hankie (he's one of the few men I know who still carries one of these cloth things to blow his nose on) out of his back pocket, when he realized....it was a pair of my UNDIES! Yikes. A quick look around to make sure no one else saw this. Phew - good thing he does get to work early. I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he realized just what he had grabbed...

So I was trying to drive in traffic when I heard this story - and howling with laughter! I'm sure his backpack was like a time bomb to him all day. He sure couldn't wait to give me back my un-mentionables! To his credit - they were silky a silky white pair, and I had left them in the area where he keeps his hankies. By mistake!

Paul was afraid I was going to crash the car in afternoon traffic that day, because of my distracted driving. "I'm sorry officer. I got in a wreck because I was laughing at my husband who took my underwear to work as his handkerchief." It still makes me smile today.

Life's moments - you gotta laugh!

Another busy week (Creston & Atlantic stuff)

Poor Odie. Good thing she has a bladder of steel! At least that we know of...we got home late.

I blogged before about our Realtors Marg and Holly. They're not normal! In a good way, of course. They invited us to a cocktail party Wednesday evening at Holly's home, which is located off 42nd Street, south of Grand in the hilly wooded area with cool, older homes. Holly is a designer - so you had to know her place would be fab.

Paul and I worked late that night and then stopped at our fave, The Standard for one drink because the party didn't start until 5:30 p.m. One has to be fashionably late. There was a singer that night who was really good - it was sad that there weren't many people there to appreciate him. About 5:45 p.m. we headed towards our destination. We didn't have any problems spotting the place as Holly had placed one of her Iowa Realty signs in the yard. The house was lit up with cars surrounding it.

Marg greeted us at the door, and Holly's husband Fritz introduced himself - making us feeling welcome. There were already fifteen or more people there. We each got a beverage and made our way to where one of my co-workers, Alex Moon and his wife were talking to the woman helping with the food. Introductions all around. Alex was the person who recommended Marg to us when I told him we were moving to DSM.

Alex is actually one of my supervisors - he's the Environmental Program Supervisor of the Solid Waste Section. He isn't yet 40 years old, but has been working at DNR for many years - working through the ranks. I knew him before - when I worked in Creston and I applied for my current position. He was in on the interview team. He treats me very professionally and I enjoy working with him.

I've been looking forward to meeting Alex's wife Julie, as she hails from Bedford, Iowa. When I worked as recycling educator across Adams, Taylor and Union Counties, Bedford was part of my stomping grounds. I wrote a column for the newspaper in that town - and Julie mentioned as much. I miss writing those monthly columns! Sometimes I'd start out early in the month with one piece in mind and by the time I turned it in for publication - it had morphed into something different altogether. The columns were on all things environmental - they gave me about 900 words to get out my message. I was surprised and pleased at how many people would comment about reading the column as I traveled throughout the 3-county territory. People, like Julie, still bring it up today.

Paul and I talked to Julie and Alex about mutual acquaintances in the Bedford area. I always must talk about the very cute Zeb, the chap that runs the deer locker. Julie said he's a few years younger than she is, but he rode the bus with her. She also knows Kenny Spencer, the City employee who was so helpful each year when I put together a collection day for household hazardous waste in town. People could drop off unwanted paint, chemicals and the like. One year we got a whole drum's worth of DDT tins left over from World War 2! Mick Landers helped with those events - what a good guy to work with! Paul even assisted us one year.

Paul and I didn't want to totally monopolize this young couple all night. We split up to try some of the appetizers. Humus, crackers, cheese, cupcakes and lots of other goodies were available. Hands full, we decided to sit on the couch with an available coffee table, near a couple who must have had the same idea. We all had nametags on. I noticed the man, who looked to be around our age, had the last name Kenyon. There is a Kenyon family in Creston. Hmmm.

When I asked Greg Kenyon if he knew the family in Creston, he said - "That's my family." Small world Iowa strikes again! He's the middle bro between Skip, Creston's City Attorney - and the guy who wrote one of our wills, and Tim, Union County Attorney. He graduated with Creston's Class of 1976 - our class. Jeff McFee, Rick Piel, Barb Crittenden - lots of people we know are from that class. Tim's son and daughter graduated with our children. So we had that whole connection to talk about. And a few other Creston characters....

Greg's wife, Pam, it turns out is Holly's high school friend. Greg and Pam went to Drake. And yes, Greg is an attorney like his brothers (and dad...). We talked Drake for a while since my sis Cindo went there too - a couple years ahead of these kiddos. Peggy's Tavern - the first place I ever got drunk.

Yeah - I was 15, with a fake ID. Mom was on the Cass County Hospital Board, and had traveled with Hospital Administrator Harold Parks to Des Moines for a meeting. She took me along to stay with my dear sister. I attended a class with her and remember going to food service for a meal. Then we had a beer or two in the dorm room. Peggy's was next. I was in awe - a 15 year old drinking with college kids. Thanks Cindo, for providing and safe and loving environment for that experience - and I mean it. She took care of me, and didn't let me overdo it. I was amazed at how much beer made you have to pee.

When Greg and Pam found out that I grew up in Atlantic they asked if I know Mark Wood (Woody-still comes back for every Drake Relays) and a few other people - one of the Van Ginkels. (Can't remember which one went to school there...he ended up buying our old house at 202 Crombie with his wife Marsha Cohron.) And Kendall Anderson? Hmm you're making me work. I can picture him - good bball player. They were a bit older than I am, but yes, I know those people.

Greg told us more Peggy's lore and Drake Relay's stories. Evidently Peggy's is only opening sporadically these days. Sad deal. Pam works at Meredith - and knows Paul's niece Barb who used to work there too. They live in Waukee on a pond. Greg had some Qs for Paul regarding watersheds. All too soon it was time to head out. We truly enjoyed the evening. It's fun meeting people.

Alex told me the next day he met someone who attended grade school with Des Moines author Bill Bryson. Byson, who was born in 1951, wrote "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" a memoir of his childhood here. Des Moines is an interesting place. Just like any town is, if you give it a chance. I like hearing people's stories. Thanks to Marg and Holly for giving us a chance to tell ours, and to hear a few more.

Tell me a story

Paul and I attended 7 a.m. Ash Wednesday Mass expecting to pray, kneel (that's what we Catholics do) and come away with ash marks on our foreheads, like usual. I thought I might be able to daydream through the homily, instead had a little wake up call from the Big Guy.

Associate Pastor Reverend George Komo said Mass that day. Father Komo must be from Nigeria - at least that's my guess. Several years ago we had a priest from Nigeria in Creston (we all really liked him) named Father Imeka. I believe the two men have similar accents. That's the reason for my Nigeria guess.

During the sermon, Father started by talking recycling - something near and dear to my heart. He said in his homeland, they had to make sure to re-use everything, until it was totally used up. Ashes were very important to them. There was no electricity in his family's home, and they had to preserve the fire embers each night with ashes. Or he got no breakfast. His grandma would try to remind him about the ashes, but if they forgot - I guess there was no backup Cap'n Crunch option.

They were also asked to take bowls of ashes to school. Why? The place had a mud floor, and when ashes were spread on it and swept in, it kept it from turning into a quagmire. And kids could learn.

To get clean water, they would put ashes with sand in a sieve and run the water through it. Last - if anyone got heartburn (with his slight accent, that word took me a bit to figure out (hotbon) just what Father Komo was saying..) then they could lick some ashes to offset the acidity with the alkaline ash.

Wow! Who knew ashes were that useful! Then he brought it all together by comparing the ash of his childhood to the ash we would receive that day. The ash could warm our souls like it kept the embers hot at night. The ash could help cleanse us, help detoxify.

When you receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday, the person distributing them says, ""Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." As they make the sign of the cross on your head with the material. It's humbling. And true.

I enjoyed listening to Father Komo's sermon about his childhood. Starting out my day with Mass was nice. Everybody - let's go out there an be kinder gentler people this Easter season. Do it for the ashes.   

Loved this..live this

NY Times piece..."I had a Friend..." by Heidi Handman
Hope the link works...

At the age I am now...I'm afraid this is going to happen more frequently. I can only look to those who have gone before me to see that I can get through this! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/booming/i-had-a-friend.html?smid=fb-share

If it doesn't - you may have to cut and paste...I did share it on Facebook on Thursday.

Trojann no more?

I've heard from two classmates that Atlantic is talking about changing the Mascot name of the girls' teams from the Trojanns to Trojans - just like the boys. Both Ted and Roger acted like they thought I might be upset about this turn of events. Um, no. I'm thinking to myself, well, duh Atlantic, what took you so long?

From the school newspaper - The Needle:

Board to consider changing Trojanns to Trojans

Posted on 18 January 2013.

By: Bailey Walter
Student Council sent a survey to 9-11 grade students to determine whether they still want to have both masculine and feminine mascot names (Trojans and Trojanns). According to athletic director Josh Rasmussen, 70.5% of the student body voted in favor of the single name of Atlantic Trojans. Students and even people from other towns have wondered why we have two mascots.

Trojanns

Trojans

Rasmussen believes that if the board votes to change to the Trojan name for both girls’ and boys’ teams, it won’t be a costly situation. He explained that the school would make a gradual change. As our team uniforms age, we could order new ones with the new Trojan name. This issue came to attention this fall when new volleyball uniforms came in with the name Trojans. This brought up the topic, is it necessary to have two different names?
Another issue that brings the name-change to the spotlight is anticipation of a new gym floor. Most schools get a new gym floor every 15 years or so, and Atlantic has had theirs for 16 to 17 years. Rasmussen said discussing the name change before the floor is resurfaced makes sense. He said he would like the decision finalized before we re-do the gym floor.

I was one of the people that voted for that strange name in the first place. Yeah, I know the word Trojann is weird - but the other options were:

• Lady Trojans and
• Trojanettes.

And just ask my husband - I've never liked a word that ends in Ettes! (Except our cleaning lady Leona Wheatley's sister Ette - she used to help Leona sometimes).

Creston was way ahead of Atlantic on this one. It must have been the mid 90's when I noticed KSIB radio guy Gary Bucklin had dropped the Ettes on Pantherettes when he did girl's basketball games. And my college team, Iowa State never felt the need to use the word Cyclonettes to describe their fabulous women's basketball team. Why didn't we argue that in 1974? A different era. We were just happy to have hoops at long last!

I decided it was time to push the issue. We needed to call the girls teams the same as the boys. I wrote letters to the Creston school board and to the Creston News Advertiser (Letter to the Editor).

My big line in the letter, after laying out my request was - after all, a female panther is still a panther. Man - who could refuse an argument like that? Evidently not the Creston School Board. Ever since that time the Creston Panthers have described all teams representing Creston High School. As it should be! Yeah, I'm an activist!

Many people thanked me for my efforts for months after that. Aw shucks, it was nothing! I have a daughter - and I didn't want her to be an ette!

So more power to you Atlantic girls - you deserve to be Trojans, mighty, mighty Trojans as my buddy Robyn used to cheer. Everywhere you go, people will want to know. And you will never have to explain just what a Trojann is ever again!

Toy Hunter

I've reminisced in my blog before about the cool toys I had in my childhood. Now some guy picked up with the idea and ran with it! Link to Toy Hunter Show!

Friday the Travel Channel ran several episodes of Toy Hunter back to back. I saw several toys the Bullocks had, or that I aspired to have. I was a lil tomboy ya know. I wanted all the boy toys.

Susi and Cindy had Barbie like that one

Show Host Jordan Hembrough has a dream job if you ask me. He gets to do what he loves, and it won't make him fat like those eating shows will - such as my other fave "Drive Ins, Diners and Dives". To drive around the country and look at people's stashes of toys? Zingo! What a job. Of course they only show the good stuff on TV. We don't see the creepy places where the toys are junk. (The land of misfit toys from the Rudolph Show?) I hope he has staff to screen those places.

I was putzing around, but I saw parts of four episodes. My era toys are big right now! I found out that my GI Joe was a cool one - but the guy that had the one Jordan found must have not even played with it. It was still in a box. He actually had three "action figures" and Jordan paid like $300 for all of them. The marine was the coolest one - and I had that one! Complete with the knife and tiny fake pistol.

The marine was the coolest!

He didn't have the cool jeep and rocket launcher though. See my Cousin Richard, Jordan...I'm sure he still has mine!

I was delighted when one episode uneartherd a game that we had that I had totally forgotten about - Haunted House by Ideal. What made me remember the game was that the winner opened that door at the top left and received a beautiful plastic gem! That was the kicker for Jordan to buy this one - most people have lost the gem (or it's been stolen for its great value!)

This was the first 3D game - groundbreaking!

 

The cool thing about the show is that Jordan gives the history and background of the toy and the era when he reveals the piece. He came up with one toy that was actually a prototype, that was never actually sold, and some others that were limited. Another time the man had the box the toy came in, but he had cut out the "Proof of Purchase" to send in to get another piece that you could only get by mail.

Jordan bought a Magna Doodle from a lady - that's a toy from my kids' era! Amy, my artist especially loved it! It was their version of Etch A Sketch.

Magna Doodle - this one was listed for $49.99 on Ebay!

 

As you can see it's pretty simple - it's a plastic frame with the see through screen. Metal shavings are trapped in there and you draw and make shapes with magnets that pull those shavings up to the surface. Pretty cool and simple concept. Amy spent a great deal of time with this baby - she probably was putting together food labels or bridal invites...

From what I can tell, Jordan goes around playing with other people's toys and if he likes them, he buys them. They don't really bring a lot. So I'm not mad that my mom didn't keep the Haunted House game - even though he paid the guy a few hundred bucks for it. I woulda had to split with my sissies - nobody would have been able to remember whose game it was to begin with.

It's interesting how intrigued I am by games and toys, because frankly I don't really like to play them now. Jud and Kara play games all the time - and so does Kara's family. Our fam - not so much. I wonder if I think of it as too much like work.

Or it's because I have flashbacks from playing the worst game of all time. Candyland. The inventor of that game should be sentenced to LIVE in Candyland and sent back to the beginning over and over (like Groundhog Day). When we played that dreaded game with the kids we finally resorted to bending Plumpy - the green Goblin card so we would know that Jud should not select it - the tantrum would be too great. I'm glad he's all growed up!

Paddling - can't wait!

It's February...and and old girl's thoughts turn to...paddling. And not the Fifty Shades of Grey kind!

I met my Bestie, Deb at CanoeSport Outfitters in Indianola for Paddlesport Expo today. The store does this Expo each year, when they show off new equipment and there are sessions on kayaking and canoeing at the Legion Hall and a nearby store. CanoeSport Outfitters Store

I got there first, so I took a quick spin around the store, which is located on the southwest corner of the Indianola Square. When we first decided to buy kayaks ten years ago, Deb and I decided we wanted to go somewhere we could try out boats and get expert advice. CanoeSport is that kind of place. Back then a young woman named Casey helped us with our purchases - a few years later, she married the boss, Jeff Holmes at what looks like a lovely ceremony at Lake Ahquabi. Now they have a little girl who is about 4 - a towhead blond. She was bopping around the store today.

I was drooling over the new model kayaks when Deb walked in. Man I miss that lady! She gave me one of her usual power hugs. We continued to shop. Boy things have changed since we bought our boats. There are such beautiful shiny kayaks - big bucks! The store also began selling bikes as well as boats a couple years ago. I need one of those too!

Nate

Deb and I walked down to the Legion Hall to take in a program by Nate Hoogeveen. It was eight or nine years ago when I met Nate the first time  - just after he wrote his first book on paddling the rivers of Iowa. The guy would kayak a river and then find a farmer with a truck to drive him back his vehicle. Since then, around the time I started working for Iowa DNR, Nate did too. He runs the River Trails program, which is located right near where I work - the lovely 5th floor of the Wallace Building. They work on clearing and marking Iowa's rivers for paddlers like me.

Nate has updated his Paddling Iowa book. He showed a PowerPoint Slide show of paddling the four quadrants of Iowa, talking about particular rivers. There were a few pics of his family, with Thor and Dane, his boys. The program got Deb and me fired up! Of course he showed our fave river, the Upper Iowa - with the tall limestone bluffs. But I heard about some other areas I'd like to try - the Yellow River is one. Plus Red Rock Lake is another place we'd like to visit. This year, after last summer's terrible drought, it might be a good year to stick with lakes, Nate told us when we spoke with him after the session.

We went back to the store after hearing about all those great rivers - full of enthusiasm! That's when we found these great Eddyline Kayaks - lighter than our current models, and so shiny and new. They're 10% off this weekend only and we'd get a trade-in on our old ones. We were getting sucked into the vortex...

We each tried this one on...for size!

In order to let our heads clear, we decided to go to the Brick Yard for lunch - we needed to think! Pizza and a beer helped. Plus lots of conversation - we had lots of catching up to do. I got to hear about Deb and Larry's big trip plans - Hawaii in March. I got to update her on my night out with the Diamond Brooke ladies. By the time we were done, my credit card wasn't dying to purchase like before lunch. Phew! It was hard to say goodbye. To Deb and to that green kayak.

A gassy story from Pinterest

Too funny not to share! - my friend Tracy Chapman posted this on Facebook. It made me laugh out loud.

(someone copied this from pinterest)
Like everything in life, farts have a time and place. However, I never realized that in the wrong time and place, flatulence had enough power to alter my course in history. Well, it can if it’s the third date with the man of your dreams. And, if it makes his eyes burn. If God destined us to be together, I was one SBD away from foiling His plans (that’s “Silent But Deadly” for you prudes).

It was about five years ago. I was trying to lose a few pounds so I was staying away from carbs. That’s when I met my husband, Rob. On our first date, he booked the next two. He liked me. I liked him. Things were looking real good.

He picked me up in a Cobra, Mustang and his pathetic attempt to win me over with a car totally worked. I’m not shallow, but since I spent most of my twenties picking men up because I didn’t want my hair to frizz in their non-air conditioned jalopies on 3 wheels and a 15 year old spare, I welcomed his fancy sports car with open arms.

We arrived at the restaurant and Rob was ordering food I hadn’t allowed myself to eat in years. I didn’t want to be “that girl” so I ate, drank, and oh, was I merry. Later we shopped a bit. Rob surprised me by buying an expensive pair of shoes that he caught me eyeing. Was this love?

That’s when it happened. Gas strikes in two different ways – uncontrollable toots or sharp, shooting pains that feel a lot like dying. I thought I was dying. Not to make a scene, I told Rob I suddenly wasn’t feeling well and probably needed to head home.

On the way home in his Cobra, he tried to hold my hand and ask me lots of questions, but I wasn’t having any of it. The pain was so bad it felt like I was being stabbed with a bunch of tiny forks. Then I realized …

My God, help me. I have a horrendous fart on deck. I’m in trouble. Big trouble.

HOW DO YOU TELL A MAN YOU JUST STARTED DATING, THAT THE REASON YOU ARE WRITHING IN PAIN IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO FART.

The more I held it in, the more pain would shoot through my stomach and down my legs. I was even having to raise myself off the seat, gripping on to my door and the dashboard.

“Seriously, you need to hurry – I’m in a lot of pain.” I managed to say through gritted teeth.

“Wow, it’s that bad? What’s wrong? Do I need to take you to a hospital?”

How do you tell a man you just started dating that the reason you’re writhing in pain is because you have to fart?

Well, you can either tell him, or like me, let the fart speak for itself.

People, hear me. There was nothing I could do. As impressive as I am with sphincter control, this was out of my hands. Slowly, it eeked out. The more I tried to stop it, the more it forced its way through the door. However, to my pleasant surprise, there was no sound. I sat silently, sweat accumulating above my upper lip. Ok, maybe I got away with it. Maybe I’m home free. Then it hit me. Not an idea, a cloud. A horrific, fart cloud. Not in a, “am I smelling something?” sort of way. More like a “is someone dead and rotting in your trunk and am I in hell?” sort of way.

Suddenly, I panicked. “Roll down the windows!” I screamed (yes, I literally screamed it like I was in a horror movie).

“What? Why?” Rob asked, starting to freak out because I was freaking out.

“I can’t roll down the windows, unlock it! UNLOCK IT!”

“What’s going on?” Rob yells back to me, “Why are you …” then it hit him. I could see it in his eyes. Was it surprise? Horror? Water started to accumulate at the base of his eyelids, “Oh my God, I CAN TASTE IT!” he screamed.

“Roll down the windows!” As I screamed, the toots started to flood out uncontrollably. I scratched and clawed at the window like I was being kidnapped. Rob, unable to see either by fart cloud or panic, kept turning on the windshield wipers instead of unlocking the window.

It was chaos. We were acting like we were under siege by gun fire. We were under siege alright, just not by gun fire.

Finally he was able to hit the right control and he rolled down our windows. We both gulped in fresh air. I was horrified, yet happy to be alive, then remembered I just farted on the man of dreams, then sorta wished I was dead.

We sat silently for the rest of the way home. Although the shooting pains had subsided, I now desperately needed to use the bathroom, in an urgent, explosive kind of way.

He pulled up to my apartment and before he could come to a stop I had already jumped out, “Ok, thanks for dinner, sorry about the fart, love the shoes!” and ran in to my apartment like I was running from the cops.

I burst through my door and ran straight for the bathroom, where I was finally able to unleash and make noises that no one should ever, EVER, hear coming from another person.

Then I heard it. Rob’s voice. Right. Outside. My. Bathroom. Door.

“Anna? You left your shoes in my car and your front door was open. Where do you want me to put them?”

“Get away from the door!” I scream like Reagan from The Exorcist.

“Ok, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

*toot* *toot* *splatter* *ungodly noise*

“I’m fine, Rob – just leave the shoes there. I’ll call you later okay?”

“Okay, are you sure you’re …”

“I’m fine! Get away from the door!”

This man! I mean, I love him, but take a freakin’ hint!

Finally, I heard the front door shut, and the Cobra engine zoom away. I thought that was the last I’d hear from him. I didn’t think it was possible to ever see a man again after he screams he can taste your fart after only knowing you for 48 hours.

But, to my surprise, I did. A couple days later, actually. Now we’re married and he’s lying on the couch while I type this … “It was your rack that saved you,” he just lovingly reminded me.

Well, thank you boobs. You saved us. You saved our destiny.

More Horse talk

Sometime after we got settled into the horse condo, known as "the barn", Jennifer Deter's folks Don and Jane bought a stall for her, along with a small sorrel horse that she named Drifter. Jennifer is a couple years younger than I am, but our parents were friends and we were on swim team - so we were friends. I convinced her to call the horse High Plains Drifter, after the Clint Eastwood movie.

Wayne Rodger's daughter Sally was the person that introduced me to the world of horse ownership - I had ridden her little pony a few times before I got Frosty. Ron and Jackie Guttenfelder's daughter Susie lived in the house by the barn. Girls and horses - they go together.

The cast of characters:

• Zandy - Wayne Rodger's chestnut gelding. Wayne spent way more time working with horses than he ever did riding them.
• Miss Viscosity (Vissy) - her parents were Pony Adair (Wayne's brood mare) and Croton Oil. I think the name was very clever - viscosity is a way to measure thickness of a fluid (in this case, oil). Vissy was Sally's bay mare, and my gelding Jack - though he was technically not really a "he" was in love with Vissy. Jack would nicker and pine for her when she wasn't nearby.
• Pistol Pete - Susie Guttenfelder's very tall sorrel gelding. Susie rode him from the time she was very little.
• Misty Moon - formerly Anna Day Rodger's Tennessee Walking Horse, but by this time she was owned by Leroy Nelson, who I believe was an employee of Walnut Grove. I rode Misty a few times. She was training in the smooth gate of that breed. You didn't neck rein her, and didn't kick her. Instead, when you wanted her to move out, you just said, "Get away, Misty!" and clenched with your knees, urging her forward. It was like gliding!
• Dean - had a buckskin. Can't remember much else.
• High Plains Drifter, followed by Sweetie Bar Sweet (just saying that name made my teeth rot) - I don't think Jennifer Deter's mom ever did tell Don what Sweetie set him back...$$! She was a great Western Pleasure horse.  
• There were some other horses that would move in and out. I still think I'm forgetting someone.   

I spent a lot of happy hours at the barn - grooming Jack, mucking out his stall, messing around and riding. The indoor arena was great for riding during cold weather. There was also a larger outdoor arena available. Jennifer's grandpa made her some wooden jump standards - so we could pretend to have jumping horses. It was fun to put an English saddle on my horse and put the stirrups up high like a jockey.

We didn't ever wear helmets back then - and are probably luck to be alive. Though I rarely fell off. Jackson (as Wayne called him) was not a jumper - he probably went 18 inches at the most. Most frequently we rode the horses down Guttenfelder's gravel lane to the dirt road just west of their place. There were fields nearby and the dirt road ran north, then turned east and ran along a narrow field that flanked the Nishnabotna River. The famed, and somewhat decrepit 8-cornered house was at the end of the road, with a gravel road that ran north on the far side of the house. I could get all the way to Robyn Bredensteiner's house going that back route!

Before the crops grew, that was where I could kick Jack into high gear - and feel the thrill of his top speed. Girl and horse - one with each other. If I was by myself, I would sing. No iPods back then. Gordon Lightfoot. I'm sure Jack found it soothing. ha! A few times Jack shied (jumped suddenly because he was startled) due to pheasants flying out of tall grass. That was when I nearly lost my seat in the saddle. He must have lived his early years someplace dry, because he was very suspicious of puddles and water. When he came across a puddle - even in the parking lot of the barn, he would gather himself and leap across it. I had to be ready!

When I didn't feel like going the rural route to ride, I could head south, down the gravel road past the lumber yard (before it burned down), towards the hospital. Before HyVee was built, there was a field with a path that led to the old fairgrounds and barns that were a part of that complex. That was where we kept the horses before the move to the Barn. My classmate Candice Drake's dad was the Frito man - his warehouse was in a building there. One time, when Frosty was still there, I spent many hours making friends with a dog with pups out there. Another time Sally and I popped open the door of the old fair office and found ancient calendars and fair info. If I was feeling brave, instead of heading across the field, I would cross Highway 6 and go up the hill towards the hospital, riding on top of the flat hill.

When I got Frosty, my first horse, I joined 4-H with Sally. We were in the Glad Girls of Grove! Grove Township - that was our group. I was like a fish out of water, with a mom that wasn't much help...bless her heart - she was a Girl Scout Leader. We knew nothing about this organization. I remember having bad dreams that I showed up at some event with the wrong spoon. Even back then I was feeling inadequate and it manifested itself in my sleep! I registered for Saddlebred classes instead of the ones I should have...it was a struggle. And they made me do a project in Food and Nutrition. All I wanted to do was show my damn horse!

In the end though, 4-H did serve me well. I learned about Robert's Rules of Order - something used in many groups I've been a member of. I kept a Record Book, which was a lot of work, but taught me a lot about keeping track of projects. I still remember every project I did. One time Marci Rodgers tried to drive Sally and me out to Blake's house  for a 4-H meeting after a great deal of rain. She took a dirt road shortcut. Bad idea! We ended up in the ditch, but were close enough to walk the rest of the way.

Wayne Rodgers had a horse trailer and truck, so he hauled us to horse shows. Not only did we go to the 4-H show that was held early in August each year, we went to lots of other area shows - Anita, Cumberland, Audubon - places like that. Back then horses were popular. The classes we were in, Junior Western Pleasure, were often packed full - 30 to 40 participants. We got to know several other kids out on the horse show circuit - like Jody Zellmer, Geneda Jessen, Scott Westphalen and Tammy Rutherford (her dad did our horse shoeing) with her blue roan. There were kids from other towns too - like those old-fashioned looking girls from the Audubon area we called the Campbell Soup twins. It was a great way to spend weekends.

I'm sure Wayne was pretty sad when Sal and I grew up and thought we were too cool to hang around horses. I'm afraid I was the oblivious "cool" one. I kept Jack all through high school, but I didn't give him enough attention. It was a sad day when I sold him and the stall to a woman - I can't remember her name, but I think she was Susi's classmate. She didn't keep him too long, and then the Wickman family purchased him and he went to live at their farm. One time I took Paul there to see him. When he was about 16, somehow he got out on the blacktop and was hit by a car and killed. Too young. Jack was a good guy - such a personality!

Horses are a great deal of work and responsibility. They are expensive and can be high maintenance. I wouldn't advise anyone who isn't ready and willing to accept the responsibility to buy one. But if you have the chance to get to know one - you are a lucky person. Like I am.

Put me back to sleep...Jack

I still have the hat...and just bought some more cowboy boots

Poco Hijack - the horse, that is. Last night I woke up dreaming I was trying to fix a PowerPoint. Because - you guessed it - that's what I needed to do at work today. Unfortunately, once awake, I began obsessing (just a little bit) about it.

So in order to put myself back to sleep - I needed to think of something else. Something calming. Thanks to Jennifer Deter's recent Facebook post about aging cowgirls, where a bunch of former Atlantic cowgirls reminisced about riding horses around town, I've had my horse Jack on my mind recently. I decided to think about a day in my life, taking care of Jack.

His full name was Poco Hijack - out of Poco Bueno and High Life Beauty. He was a Registered Quarter Horse. I was proud of that fact, and loved looking at his papers. I got him as a three-year old, when I traded in my mare Frosty in for him. I bet you didn't know you can trade horses in like cars. The people I bought her from in Yale, Iowa (with Wayne Rodger's help) wanted her back - so they offered Jack to me (plus we had to pay some cash, since he was registered an all). That winter we took him to Les Walker, a horse trainer in Bondurant, which wasn't contiguous with DSM back then.

A group of people in Atlantic were pretty forward thinking - they decided to build a condominium for horses. Mostly it was Wayne Rodgers and Ron Guttenfelder it was on his land) - but they rounded up some more investors, who included Leroy Nelson and me. I'm drawing a blank on others. I received a bit of cash when my mom's parents passed away so I used that money.

The place is a steel building with an small indoor arena. It has eleven stalls - six with outdoor runs - a place for the ponies to step outside, and five indoor only. There is a wide center aisle that I think was asphalted. Wayne hooked old leather straps to wooden posts on each side of the aisle so one could hook a horse up to groom him. There is a small tack room next to a hallway to the arena and the saddle room. Above the stalls there is a storage area for small bales of sweet smelling of alfalfa hay. Above the walkway, a hinged door was built so you can drop the bales through to the floor. In my day, one of the stalls held oats and bags of Bright Eyes feed from Walnut Grove, where Wayne was the General Manager.

Before I could drive myself, my mom or my sis Cindo used to drop me off at "the barn" as we called the condo. Even if I didn't have time to hang out with my fave guy, Jacko, I had to feed him each night - 1 flake of hay and a quarter of a coffee can of oats. There was a guy named Dean (yeah - that's another owner) who fed in the mornings. I paid him $.25 a day. That was my first experience with a checkbook and at being responsible to pay for something.

Working with Jack was so relaxing. Even cleaning the stall. Little did I know that I was recycling back then - using sawdust as bedding, and dumping the dirty stuff into a spreader for Ron's fields. We got an electric waterer - heated so it wouldn't freeze up. It still needed to be cleaned periodically. The best part was grooming. I was thinking about my tools - the wide flat leather brush, the aluminum mane and tail comp, and that thing we used when they were shedding - a long serrated blade with leather handles. It was perfect to scrape off his dead winter coat. And the hoof pick, to clean the crap out of his feet - taking care not to damage the frog - that's the tender part in the middle.

As I said, Jack was a youngster when I first got him. I was a bit scared of him! After his trip to Les Walker's, he was much better behaved. And once he and I settled in - we were fast friends. He was quite a character. One time at a horse show in Audubon he not only ate ice cubes, but a french fry! I liked to take him carrots and apples. Outside the barn there was a "loafing" area where I could turn Jack out while I totally cleaned his stall. Sometimes I would just lay on his back with my head on his butt, thinking teenaged thoughts while Jack grazed.

I didn't even start to think about riding Jack last night, when I fell asleep. What a joy it was to have a horse like Jack. I have been blessed in my life with many wonderful people who helped me - my parents who supported me in my desire to have a horse, my grandparents who made it financially possible and Wayne and others at the barn who helped me care for the horse. That big animal taught me a great deal.

Diamond Delight - and the Dream

I went to Mandarin Garden last night with my Diamond Brooke friends while Pablo had a date with Jeff McFee. Though I love living with my honey, it's nice to have separate activities once in a while.

Paul invited Jeff to come up to the ISU vs. Oklahoma men's basketball game. It had been a long time since the two had been to a bball game together. Back in the day, Jeff, Paul, Steve Crittenden and various others through the years played on the same team in City League. They have some great stories - like the time Steve got elbowed, and his nose was broken - smashed flat to his face. He went to the hospital to get it set, and came back and played with cotton wads in his nostrils - now that's a playa!

Most of the stories came from post-game; however, tales from the Elms Club or the results. Like the time Paul slept on the rug in the front hall after his buddy dropped him off. A long time ago! Most of the time, I didn't want to hear about what went on (kinda like Vegas...). The basketball team actually won the championship a couple times - of course they had some young talent playing with them. It was during those years that Paul really bonded with his best buddies. They've been through the trenches together. Monday night, Jeff and Paul were just viewers - but they got to see a good game! ISU won by around 20 points, and there was one spectacular dunk.

Meanwhile, Connie from our Townhouse Association, picked me up for our night out. It was a small crowd - which actually made it easier to get to know a few people better. Connie seems to be the social chair - and she's been to most of the restaurants around here. She is retired from a company that ran a cooperative for independent hardware stores, so she knows the Cappels from Atlantic and has even been to the store.

I also sat by Sally and Leslie who live down our street. They reported that a unit down by their places that is for sale may have an offer. Sue lives on the street south of ours. The unit next to her just went on the market - the gentleman that owns it isn't very friendly. See the kinds of things one finds out?

I told them my exercise bike alarm story. Everyone chuckled. Sue had water in her basement due to a backup in her pipes - bummer.  Sally and Sue had each eaten at Olympic Flame in the East Village recently - and loved it. This reminds me that I should go back there again. We spent some time figuring out where we might go next month for our night out. I really enjoyed the evening - such nice and interesting people. I'm going to like it here.

Today I was in charge of a meeting at Metro Waste Authority for work. I arrived early to make sure everything was set up. Our consultant Cory was there when I got there and I set my stuff down to talk. Ramona, the receptionist, made a beeline over to view the new purse, my blue Dooney and Bourke. She had me show it to Geri, the Administrative Assistant. We all caressed it. Ahhh.

Ramona mentioned that the Home Shopping Network features these purses sometimes. I know! One time I shouted in delight - "Honey - my purses have their own TV show, just like your hunting shows!" haha. I was happy to meet a fellow D&B lover in Ramona. We bonded. Oh and the work meeting went well too.

Later, since Paul was at a meeting at the Wallace Building (my work) I texted him to meet me at The Continental where I was sipping a $4 margarita waiting for him. It was a pretty good day, for a Tuesday. (It was hard to exercise later, but I did...Live Healthy Iowa!)

The Continental - mixing my drink!

Last night I had one of THOSE dreams. You know the kind - falling. Except in this one, a bad guy had me in a room. He was going to kill me. I knew it. I was terrified and had to get away. Instead of getting gotten by him, I decided to jump out of the window - perhaps 4th or 5th floor? So I knew it would be fatal. I remember flying through the air, but I didn't hit. Thank goodness! What was THAT all about?

Today's Homily

That's sermon for you non-Catholics.
And one of the readings was this one - a favorite of mine, often used for weddings, but it can apply to any type of relationship in your life.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

This morning I heard each of those lines and reflected on how I treat people, and know how rude and irritable I can be. I chuckle over things that go wrong for others that I don't like (yep, that would be the Hawkeyes...). Geez - I've got a lot of work to do!

I sure was in a reflective mood this morning!

I really like the priest at our new church, St. Francis of Assisi. His name is Father Hoefler. He's probably in his mid 60's and he's recovering from prostate cancer surgery - a second recurrence of the damn stuff. Since it's a huge parish and we're new, I haven't met him in person, but his sermons are good. He knows when to stop - ending on just the right note.

Today he spoke on "Me-ism" - a word he made up to denote how so many people today are wrapped up in themselves. They relate to the world merely in how - insert thing - will affect them only. He talked about how babies start out that way - They think, "that's my mom, my food, my toy - wait a minute why are you touching it?" Eventually we're supposed to move beyond Me. If you've been a parent, you know this can take a while. Like 20+ more years.

Father brought up that especially in American we idolize movie and sports stars - often they catered to and sucked up to. Again they become enamored with "Me". Father said someone he knows had lunch with Lance Armstrong. The whole time, Lance never asked once about the other person's life or story. You know people like that too, right? Even if they aren't rock stars they act like one. It's all about Me!

Most people in this world do move beyond the "Me" stage. Father Hoefler said Jesus was the ultimate giver. He said Jesus gave it up for all of us - people he didn't even know. He didn't care who it was - not just the "chosen people" would be saved, and he rubbed that in their faces which ticked them off. They wanted to toss him off a cliff, yet he walked off unharmed. I liked that story.

The sermon today was another reminder to me to volunteer. The thing is, anytime I've ever given of myself, I've received just as much back. Now that Paul and I are settled in West Des Moines I'm looking forward to giving again, beyond financial donations. And once Paul and I get to retirement age I hope we have good enough health to do things like that - Habitat for Humanity, or things like our friend Moose does, helping build stuff in underserved areas.

I complain about our church. But the ceremony, the music and messages are good for me!

A Jud Weekend

Jud arrived right on time, about 6:30 PM Friday evening. Odie was so excited to see him! We were too of course. We didn't have any big gifts for him for his birthday - hope he wasn't disappointed about that. We figured cash is king at his age, so we had sent him a card earlier with a week along with a token or our birthday joy. Plus we had promised him a clothes shopping excursion. GF Kara stayed in KC this trip - she's off to places afar the next couple weeks for work, and decided that a weekend at home sounded like a good idea.

We headed to Jethro's in Waukee for his bday meal - upon his request. I'd texted my former roomie Joan earlier that day about joining us. She was working the late shift at her job as a dispatcher for FedEx, so I knew she'd be getting off about Jethro's time. She called to say she'd be delighted to join us. Yay!

Jud and Paul awaiting a table at Jethro's BBQ

We ordered up 20 wings whilst we awaited Joanie, who was en route from her job on SW 9th. Man I love their wings - so much so that Pablo and I got an order of 10 to go for today's Superbowl - our big party (just me and him...). When Joan arrived we ordered meals and had fun catching up on each other's activities. She and I lived together for nearly 4 years, so we know a lot about each other - fams, friends, work etc.

Paul and I have known Joan since Jud was one year old. We met her, I explained to Jud that night, when we went skiing with a big mixed group in the winter of 1990. Besides Joan the group included her fiance, Albia native Kevin Scieszinski - they lived in Des Moines. Joan's bro Jeff McFee and wife Bobbie introduced us to the couple. Others skiers were Denis and Mendy Ritzman and our college pals Moose and Kay Wilt from Chicago. We stayed in a condo in Silverthorne and skied the whole front range. It was a good time!

Later that year, Kevin, only in his early 30's, had a recurrance of colon cancer - and passed away. So very sad for everyone - especially Joan, his fiance. Joan is still like family to his large family. So long ago now - Jud just turned 24! I told him that he participated in a cancer walk at age 2 (in a stroller most of the time) at Drake Stadium a year after Kevin passed away. Since then Joan moved to Kansas City and back. (Jeff still complains about assisting). And she married Bill Bentley of Diagonal 6? years ago. Joan has watched our kids grow up with her nieces - Jeff and Bobbie's kids, Kimmy and Kristina. So lots of history there!

It was a fun evening. I enjoy hanging with my kids as grown ups. Those of you with young 'ens - look forward to it. It's rewarding. You don't have to wipe their chins...

Saturday we headed across the street to Jordan Creek Mall to clothes shop. Always a challenge with either Amy or Jud - who is especially picky about how pants fit. I know - he doesn't come across as a clothes guy. But I get it - you do want them to feel good and look good. Work pants are hard to find - guys don't have much variation to choose from. Did score a pair of pants, a belt, shoes and some shirts. We had a nice lunch at Cheesecake Factory - no martinis, thank you very much. Love the lettuce wrap chicken Thai Tacos. Oh yea, we did get cheesecake - to go. We stopped by Banana Republic before we left - and ran into Jud's college pal Miranda! She's a school teacher, working part time there. Fun to catch up - she's our neighbor too, as she lives by our fave bar, Maverick's.

Oh...forgot to mention, after 2 visitations, 3rd time was a charm. Bought this baby. The saleslady said (in an Eastern European accent) "You haf been here 3 times -sale iss over soon!" She even knew I had walking clothes on the first visit. It was very cute.

nearly half price with sales - so it was almost like they were paying ME...

That night, it was basketball baby! Jud was anxious to experience Hilton Magic once again. Baylor always has tons of talent, so I was worried. Paul and purchased a ticket so while he stopped by the Will-Call window I took Jud by Johnny's Place.

Hey Coach!
 

I told the guys to sit together in our usual seats - that way they could talk all sports and strategy. I was in Section 215 - not far away. Snapped this photo of them. At halftime Jud got to go to Johnny's with his pal Noelle (former Cy) for a beer.

The last couple games we've seen this over the top fan. I believe he made his own hat with lots of superglue. He's got a big necklace too. Pablo in 15 years?

I started up a conversation with the couple from Keota (near Washington, Iowa) sitting next to me. I know - chatting with strangers is somewhat out of my comfort zone! But it went well. Their son is a sophomore at ISU - pre-vet. The guy was a 1987 ISU grad, very nice couple. And the Clones came through with a nice victory over Baylor, so the all 3 of us were pleased. It was a snowy drive back to WDM.

Jud took off early this a.m. - I hated to see him go. I miss the patter of my two guys talking sports 24/7. Okay, I don't miss hearing it 24/7 - but I do enjoy it some of the time. I like talking to Jud about his future (Amy too). They have unlimited options it seems! I feel so smart now to be able to say - You should do this: set your priorities blah, blah, blah. But did I do it myself when I was their age? No. Did my parents try to tell me this stuff? If they did, I don't remember it...

I let life take its course...if I could do it over, I would be more goal driven. But it's turned out pretty well despite my lack of long term goals. And real life does have a way of getting in the way of plans. No matter what life throws at them, Amy and Jud are survivors - they've got the tools to succeed. ;>)