Behold the Beauty of Iowa

Kayaks staged in front of Jane and Ken's place - ready to party! 

The Mississippi River is not the Rhone River in France - where I expected to travel to this summer with my three sisters. Like everyone, the whole world and along with it our plans changed when the pandemic hit. Since March Paul and I have laid pretty low. For excitement and enjoyment, I mostly sit on the deck and watch bikes, people, and dogs passing by. I take walks in the neighborhood and drive to trails around DSM, where I walk whilst listening to books. 

Once the shutdown eased up Paul and I traveled to Colorado over Memorial Weekend - slipping in a visit to Amy and Corey and sister Cindo. A couple of weeks ago we finally made it to Saint Louis to see Jud and Kara before Baby Girl G makes her arrival in September. Both of those trips were so wonderful and reassuring. We didn't do anything exciting, go out or try new restaurants. We were just with each other. The best!

When we made both of those trips, we kinda felt like we were kids who "snuck out" at night while our parents were sleeping, with quick stops only for gas along the way. Those family visits lifted and reassured us. Everyone needs something to look forward to.

Paul and I decided much earlier this year that it was time to see our friends Jane Ertl Root and Ken Root who make their summer home Esmann Island near Guttenberg on the Mississippi in NE Iowa. When the shutdown happened, we still had that date out there in July and put that "depending on the state of things" disclaimer on there, not knowing if they would even want visitors. Lucky for us when the selected weekend came up, it was all systems go in their part of the world. 

Clayton County, Iowa, despite being a summer home location, has only had 82 total Covid cases. Guttenberg is a riverfront city with Lock and Dam number 10 on the Mississippi. The population is just under 2,000, but it seems bigger due to the summer residents - people with second homes there to take advantage of the beautiful perch on the big water. 

Last Friday was our day to "sneak out" once again! We are still trying to keep exposure low - from us and to us. So we decided on a one night trip and are thankful for gracious hosts who accommodated our schedule and welcomed us into their home. One of the hardest things about seeing friends now is hugging. Do it? Don't? I've done both. 😕 I can't wait for hugging to be cool again! 

Farmstead NE of Cedar Rapids

After being sequestered at home - and perhaps because of my advancing age, now more than ever I enjoy seeing the passing beauty as we drive. We took Highway 330, the diagonal from I-80 up to Highway 30, ending on Highway 136, a road from there to Guttenberg. From majestic barns to the beauty of a lone tree, perfectly shaped in the middle of nowhere, I took it all in. Of course, Paul scopes out all of the wildlife. 

We drove through Paul's hometown, Earlville on our journey. Paul's folks and sister Connie are buried there. It's a pretty little town not far from Dubuque. We were a bit taken aback by the confederate flag hanging on the porch of one of the first homes we saw entering the town. Huh? Paul's folks' former home looks well-kept. George and Laura moved there from the farm when Paul as a senior in high school. It was the only house I knew them to live in, though his brother Larry and wife Regina and their five boys lived at the home place - a farm southeast of town. 

As I said, starting at Dyersville, where Paul attended high school at Beckman Catholic School and met Jane Ertl, we drove on Highway 136. It's a scenic road that winds through small fairly well-kept towns and beautiful churches. Side-note, I first met Jane during my sophomore year at ISU when my roomie Vic and I pulled a tab off of a sign in our dorm elevator looking for girls to go on a spring break ski trip. Jane was part of that group of seven. So I met her before I met Paul. Later it turned out she dated one of his good friends - but that's a whole 'nother story! 

Sign photo - courtesy Jane Ertl Root

Back to the drive - I wish I would have taken time to snap a picture of a sign outside of a little market store in Luxemburg - it claimed wares: "peaches, melons, acid, pencils". What else could one need? The terrain gets quite hilly along the Mississippi in that area. We pulled over at a scenic overlook along a 10% grade. No doubt it's gorgeous there in the fall as from that location, with the vista across the Mississippi to Wisconsin. 

I can see Wisconsin from here

Guttenberg is the home of Lock and Dam 10. Boats and barges pass through - a step to climb or descend as they travel north or south. The town is not as busy in the winter because warmer months bring lots of water people from all over the midwest. Jane's folks have property on Abel/Esmann Island that is connected to Guttenberg. 

Our first visit to the area was in 1982 when Jane invited college friends to her parents' place there. It was an idyllic summer day when a bunch of us piled into the Ertl's big yellow boat. We water skied and found a sandbar with a tree and a rope to swing out over the water. Plus beer! Jane even took the Catholics to an outdoor mass on the Wisconsin side of the river. We were likely a bit buzzed, were dressed in swimwear, and the entire mass lasted about 15 minutes. Maybe all churches should go to that model!

The island has become much fancier since the early 1980s. There are still a few tiny shacks (we even saw one with a sign that said "Love Shack" - it had a tin roof), but now there are homes worth many $$. Jane's folks, Joe and Helen, have a home right on the water and Jane and Ken live across the street. When we arrived we got the tour in their fancy golf cart. Everyone has one of those or a 4 wheeler. On island, there seems to be no rules, anyone can drive a cart and you look weird if you don't have a beverage. Paradise. There is a pond with a beach that looked to be quite popular. After the tour, we sat in their screened-in porch just enjoying the view and conversation with our hosts. That would be easy to get used to! 

Jane thinks of everything! 

Friday night we took Jane and Ken's pontoon out for a ride on a beautiful summer night on the water. We saw people camping on beaches along the river and others hanging out on sandbars. The water is perfect, though muddy. Later we dined with Jane's son Michael back on the porch. Delish smoked meats and sweet corn. Have I mentioned Ken is a media professional? And since I'm a blogger, we're peers. haha. I don't really wish to compare my few years of writing a newspaper column at the Creston News Advertiser and this blog with his decades of media work. But it's my blog and I just did! Ken is now mostly retired and loving it. I do want to share his latest piece on sweet corn - pasted below as I can't figure out how to link the audio file. It's delicious! And since I failed at taking a photo of our hosts, I stole this one off of their Facebook page - from last week after they scaled Iowa's Pike's Peak on their bikes. Impressive! 

Jane Ertl Root and Ken Root

Saturday morning broke sunny and hot - a great day for kayaking! Ken decided to stay home and be the chef ready with breakfast when we arrived back. Ken dropped us and our kayaks off at a place in the backwater that Jane likes. Lily pads are gorgeous right now, with flowers blooming. Again - I have a new appreciation for the beauty all around me. We mostly paddled in backwater areas, but we did cross the main channel two times with a breeze in our faces. Two barges went by so we timed our crossings to avoid them, but they really don't put out much of a wake. Speed boats are worse. 

Leslie, Jane and Paul paddle the Mississippi and backwater

The whole trip took about 2 hours to paddle back to the beach of a couple properties they own on the island. Then we drove the staged golf cart back to their place and came back with the truck to get our kayaks. It was our boats' first river trip and they did great! And Chef Ken's breakfast hit the spot after our paddle. Too soon, it was time to go. It would be nice just to hang out there for a week, or a summer. Still - to limit exposure, our plan was to keep it brief. 

With thanks to our hosts, we were off at mid-day to stop in Northwood, Iowa to visit Paul's sis Carol on our way home. Northwood is right off of I-35 close to the Minnesota border. Early in our marriage, when Amy was born, we lived near there in Osage, Iowa. So we always like to drive through that town when we're in the area. Our journey took us through Winneshiek County - by the landfill, which I always like to see. One I never got to visit during my DNR years. Yes, I still find landfills fascinating. 

When we arrived in Northwood, we had to call Carol. It seemed she was not in her own place but was a couple of doors down hanging with her homies. Carol has a posse of women who meet every afternoon around 3 PM, which is wonderful, especially now. We call Carol the Goldsmith family matriarch. She's 18 years older than he is - and left home right about the time he was born. Still, as adults, they (and I) have become close friends. I'm glad she has a group of friends to be with each day as she lives far from her family. It was nice to see her, meet her cat "Kitty", eat Casey's pizza, and some delicious brownies with ice cream. 

We arrived home at 9 PM Saturday. In Covid times we couldn't ask for a better 36 hours. In August we are looking forward to a visit from my sisters Cindy and Betsy. Fingers crossed that all systems remain go for that low key trip. I hope you, dear reader, have something in your future to look forward to!  

As promised - not quite as fresh as right from the field sweet corn:

Weekend Ag Matters - I wish you could hear it from him as we did because he's got a great radio voice, just like my pal Robyn. 

July 25,2020

Ken Root

Sweet Corn

We live in corn country here in Iowa.  The state grows thirteen million acres of it in a normal year and there are very few miles of roadway that are not flanked by the tall green stalks.

But, for me, the most important corn is sweet corn.

Grown on very limited acreage in gardens and highly cultivated fields, it is the ultimate fruit of summer.

My Facebook friends are posting photos of their children and grandchildren eating corn on the cob.  Everyone is smiling, the kid’s faces are smeared with butter and the moment lives on with all who love its flavor.

This summer is proving somewhat challenging to find the good stuff.  The farmer’s markets are closed due to CoVid 19.  Roadside stands are popping up and some of the creative marketers have “drive thru” sheds where they have the just picked ears ready for sale. 

For the few of you who are uninitiated to the ritual of finding, cooking and eating sweet corn, I’ll give you the basic technique and you may then modify to fit your own needs.

First, it has to be fresh.  I have heard of people starting the pot of water heating before they head to the patch to pick the peck that they bring in, shuck, silk and dunk. 

Second, assuming you are going to buy it, the ears need to be heavy with brown silk.  I like bi-color kernels (called peaches and cream) Some like yellow and others like white corn.  Some like it immature with small blister like kernels that pop in your mouth and others like it mature with large kernels which require chewing.

Third, don’t cook it too long.  If you boil it, put some salt in the water of a large pot and when it boils, dump in the ears, shut off the heat and put a lid on the pot.  In one to five minutes, it is ready.   The corn should be hot enough to melt butter which can be applied in approximately 100 ways.

Next, take control of the cob.  You can stick skewers in each end or just grab it (watch out for the heat). 

(You can microwave it by wrapping in wet paper towels or some neat little blankets.  Hit it at full power, for about one minute per ear.)

Some people like it naked, meaning no salt, butter or other adulterations.  Most like an oil oozing over the kernels. Some like special seasonings………whatever!

At this point, all you have to do is bite the kernels off the ear.  This is the point of MAXIMUM joy.  You may randomly bite and chew or you may use the Underwood Typewriter method, starting from left and moving right to the end and then going back to the left and starting again.

It is not sinful to cut the corn off the cob but it's about like eating ribs with a knife and fork.  If you have ill fitting dentures or some issue with corn sticking between your teeth, go ahead, just don’t call attention to yourself.

How much you eat is up to you.  Corn comes by the dozen.  I feel insulted if I don’t get at least 2 large ears.  I can eat six.

As you consume this delicacy, you should be approaching heaven.  The corn should pop with a sweet and starchy texture and the butter should carry it to the back of your mouth where you have the option of bringing it around one more time for an encore or just swallowing it and going for another bite.

There is no delicate way to eat sweet corn, so don’t try.

My rule: “Don’t start without a napkin and don’t finish without dental floss.”  Smearing the butter on your face as you chow down is totally acceptable but wipe your face and drink some iced tea between bites.

Disposing of the cob should be on your own plate but not back with the good corn that has yet to be eaten.

The season can be brief, just from the end of June to late August.  Some growers are crowding the earlier dates as the corn is worth as much as seven dollars a dozen in early season.  Right now, we are in prime time for quality and abundance.  Look for trailers with an honor box at strategic intersections.  Even though no one is there, your conscience should cause you to put your money in the slot.  Think of the young child, helping grandpa pick a few bushels and promised the proceeds of the sales.  There you go, guilt is an ugly thing.

Sometimes the simplest things are the best.  An ear of immature corn, bred for sweetness and texture, harvested in the midst of summer and boiled right out of the shuck. It just doesn’t get any better.

That's the way I see it. 

I'm Ken Root for Weekend Ag Matters  

Preggo Dreams

On the deck at J and K's 

Finally, after many washed out attempts due to illness and the pandemic, we were able to visit Jud and Kara in Saint Louis. Yay! For those who haven't heard, they are soon to be parents. 💖

Baby Girl G is due in mid-September 2020. They wanted to break the baby news to us in person months ago. Thanks to Covid, we ended up finding out via Zoom call with the whole fam, including Amy and Corey. A new fam member is on the way - yahoo!

It's getting real! Jud and Kara have been working on the baby's room. It's really a large landing that will work as the baby's area while she is little. That way she'll be near their room upstairs. The small crib will fit in the closet opening - leaving room for the changing table, a dresser, and a rocking chair. It will be perfect for the little one.

They also had a few house projects for Paul (soon to be Pops). Yeah, I'm trying out grandparent names - almost as important as the baby name! (No, not really). J&K's cozy 1910 home - with the second floor added thirty or forty years ago, had been updated in recent years - before they purchased it. But you know houses - they always need something. Paul built and installed a couple of shelves. Jud and Kara helped and were on paint duty. There were several trips to Home Depot along the way. I was in charge of WD-40 patrol, spraying squeaky doors. And, mostly tried to stay out of the way - dish and cleanup detail. 

Closet

I didn't realize how much I really missed them. Zoom calls are nice, but they sure don't take the place of "in-person". Two weeks before our visit we really tried to curtail interaction with people to reduce the chances of spreading anything. I took along an enchilada casserole for Friday, we had bratwurst one night and they ordered Pi Pizza with cornbread crust one night - so yummy. So not our usual going to restaurants like we usually do in STL. There are so many good restaurants there. Jud and Kara have a lovely deck that is secluded thanks to lots of trees, bushes, and fences. There are lots of squirrels and birds to watch.

Kara is 7 months pregnant - and looks so darn cute as only preggo chicks with long torsos can. She's been feeling pretty good, though the STL heat in humidity is starting to take a toll. It's nice that they have a fenced yard so they don't have to take their good boys - pups Henry and Archie for walks. But they can if they feel like it around their cozy neighborhood in the little burg, Brentwood population 8,000ish. It's just outside of STL proper.

Kara's pregnancy has taken me for a walk down pregnancy memory lane. Pregnant with Amy, I stayed small for the first 4+ months. Then in the last couple of months, I got huge, eventually giving birth to a 9 pound 7-ounce baby a week past the due date. Similar to my Jud pregnancy though he was only 9 lb 4 ounces. Patrick, my c-section baby was breech, was a totally different pregnancy - only 7 lb 6 ounces. I didn't gain nearly as much weight with him. Wiser? Or just busier with 2 kids?

Bucko

While pregnant, I remember having vivid dreams - such as giving birth to a kitten. Likely because our cat Bucko slept by my legs. Kara said she's had some weird ones too. You know how that thing happens - when you are thinking or talking about something and it pops up in another part of your life? This week I was listening to one of my fave authors, Laura Lippman. The book is called "The Girl in the Green Raincoat". It's part of the Tess Monaghan series, one I had somehow missed reading years ago. In this book, Tess, a seven month pregnant Baltimore private investigator, is confined to her screened-in porch/bedroom due to preeclampsia. In the book, Tess dreams that she gives birth to a radish and everyone tells her it looks like her! Listening to this, I laughed out loud while walking on the trail. The book was a play on Hitchcock's "Rear Window" as Tess tries to solve a mystery stuck in her home. 

We are all so excited - dreaming about the arrival of Baby G! Who will she be? That said - I remember what those first few weeks of life with a newborn. With many employers, parents today get more time off when the baby is born. Especially dads. That should help in the lack of sleep department - a tag team. I recall being delirious at times - Jud was not a good sleeper. He really was a night owl all his life until he started working. Not good with a morning person mom!

In today's Internet age, the pressure is on for parents to present their homes and children as perfect at all times. That's why I always try to share my "fail" stories with young parents. They need to know perfect isn't real! And our home was filled with kid toys and well-worn furniture through those years. It goes by pretty quickly! 

The nutty stuff that I did is what my kids remember. 😶 Looking back, I do wish I'd been more patient. ...Note to future grandma...We took one parenting class and I read lots of books on the topic. I recommend all methods of learning for parents. There are probably lots of online resources. One thing for sure - kids need order. They don't need to be given everything they want. I hear Grandparents have different rules! haha

We got together with our friends the McFees this weekend. We talked and laughed a lot about the days (20 years ago) when Bobbie and Jeff with Kristina and Kim would have Sunday night meals with Paul, Amy, Jud, and me. The kids would play and we'd talk - about jobs, parenting, farming, our parents - everything! It was therapeutic. Hearing that other people struggle parenting too made it easier to accept. 

I miss Bobbie. Such a big hole in many lives. We'll go on, but we will not let her memory die. 

40th Anniversary - but not ours

Paul in his girl glasses - so cute! 

It's not what you think - though Paul and I are coming up on our 38th in a few weeks. This July 4, 2020, was the 40th anniversary of a very important Independence Day in my life. It was the start of a tradition that cemented friendships that began with young students at Iowa State University. And thanks, in part, to that 4th of July 40 years ago, many of those friendships have stood the test of time. Who would have imagined one trip to the Apple River could do all that? And, perhaps help me fall a little bit more in love with my honey.  

Paul with Joyce - rainy year

I doubt our host Mike Huston and his parents Clark and Joyce ever considered that one invitation would stretch into 15+ years of young people and later families traipsing to their place. Over the course of those years, many of us married and became parents - bringing another generation to the joys of Ridgeland. Happy memories.  

That first year, 1980, I was living and working in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. For the trip, I met my fellow travelers, who were coming from the south, in Albert Lea, MN - right along I-35 just past the Iowa border. We started drinking beer along the way and somebody (not me) threw up before we even before our appointed destination - a tiny town in NW Wisconsin. A key attraction for the invitee was that it was not far from the Apple River - a place one could rent an inner tube and float while drinking massive amounts of beer. As I write this blog, Paul, lifting weights and in a fog of memories, just put our old Alabama LP on the turntable. I remember singing "Dixieland Delight" driving up to Ridgeland that first time. It was our anthem. 

In 1980, Mike didn't just invite a couple friends to his parents' rural escape. He asked around 20! He must have caught his parents at a weak time. What were they thinking? Besides Mike they have four other children - so heck, the more the merrier? C'mon up to a place with no running water and a two-seater outhouse. Bring a sleeping bag. Hustons set up a giant tent that slept lot of people. I swear it had several rooms. 

What a time we had - partying at the bars in the cozy burg of Ridgeland. The Flying Dutchman was one - a typical local bar, cold beer, and their Friday night fish fry was awesome. You couldn't beat the beer prices. When we left, we got some ice and Leinenkugels to go. We needed some for the river float and for the bonfire.

You can still tube the Apple River today. Check out - Rivers Edge. I'm sure it's fun - but nothing like the non-regulated crazy times we had in the early 1980's. Get this - there was no recycling then. Even then I just knew something wasn't right with that.

Vic, Jane and Les - around 1981

 

The Apple Rive had a system to toss empty cans towards giant targets along the river, hoping they'd fall into the containers below. One year my pal Jane swears she drank the same beer the whole ride - because she kept dunking it in the water. Ick! Talk about recycling....Anyway - people were winging beercans through the air and you always had to be ready. We lashed tubes together with twine, floating happily while we enjoyed each others' company. What sunscreen? (me then) Now - I need shade! 

That first year we had great weather and had our fill of beer by the end of the river. Nobody prepared us (Paul - who is not really a swimmer) for the rapids (small ones) at the end. Surprise! He flipped his tube and lost his glasses. Can you say blind man walking? And I sliced my ankle on something. Beer can? I'm lucky I didn't get Tetanus, but the cut likely got washed out by an alcohol swirlie. Paul was fortunate that Mike's sis Lori had similar glasses and wore contacts so he was able to wear hers until he could get new glasses. 😏 He looked adorable in those chunky 80's frames! 

It wasn't like we needed more alcohol, but in between the river and Ridgeland, there was a tiny bar called Theresa's that we'd stop at. It was filled with locals who'd look at us like - "what are you doing here?" when we'd walk in. Later, when we had kids, we were sure to take them there. We always played that classic bar song. "F'ing Jerk. Get on My Nerves" They had a PG version with whistles and beeps for kids. I wish we could have purchased "My First Dive Bar" t-shirts for our children. So proud! It's trips like going to Ridgeland that helped us raise our children with Vic and Fred's and Moose and Kay's kids - making them kinda like cousins. Shared memories. 

Tubing was fun, but my favorite part of staying at the Huston Ridgeland place was hanging out with Clark and Joyce sitting around the campfire. Their whole family was so nice - Mike was the oldest on down - Jeff, Lori, Kris and Karla - the youngest at about 11 when we first started going. Looking back, Clark and Joyce were only in their 40's when we started going to Ridgeland. Wow - so young! They were great role models - active younger having fun with their kids.  

Clark had lived in the Ridgeland house with his dad Russell when he was growing up. We were fortunate enough to meet Russell those first couple of years we visited. He and I shared a birthday so he remembered me each year. Around the campfire we'd tell Lena and Ollie jokes, become Turtles (One Red Hen), tell ghost stories, and just chat. Most of us were in our first real job, so it was nice to hear about how others were coping. Mike and Tom were in various stages of Vet School. Some years we went even when Mike couldn't go. Vets have such tough hours! 

Clark and Joyce put on quite a spread of food each year. Breakfasts were awesome - the old house had electricity so they'd cook up pancakes and bacon. While we ate they'd have water heating over the campfire to do dishes in the sink. At night they'd grill. Everyone helped with chores. Of course, we'd make S'mores at night. Fred had a big stick that he'd use to stir the fire - each year he'd record the date. He still has it. 

At dark, we'd drag out the fireworks my dad supplied each year from his trip through Missouri on my folks' trip home from Florida. One year Hauser supplied Moose and himself with hardhats. We had Roman candles and tanks and even a helicopter. There was a firework battleship to put in the horse tank.

Amy in the antique playpen - baby behind bars! She never recovered. haha

That first year - 40 years ago - fresh from college - I was figuring out what I wanted in life. I felt fortunate to land a job - even if it was all the way over in Sioux Falls. I had dated Paul my senior year but wasn't sure if he was "the one". After graduation, we got to know each other better without the distractions of college life. He called, he visited, and even wrote me letters. Sigh! During those trips to Ridgeland and other short trips we took together, I began to understand what a kind and giving person he is. He had wonderful friends - a good sign too. My pals are pretty wonderful too. 

Jud's First Ridgeland

Paul and I melded our two college friend groups together - seamlessly. Some of them were intertwined in that Iowa way - they knew each other before I knew him. The rest is history! Now that we are empty nesters it's easier to get together again and we are doing that. I was so proud when my kids could have their first Ridgeland bath. 

Jud in front of Huston barn

Yes, I'm being a sentimental old woman this pandemic 4th of July. Paul and I had a nice quiet day - kayaking early to beat the heat and crowd. As we paddled, I took a walk down memory lane and realized it was the 40th anniversary of our first Ridgeland Adventure. 

I texted our friend group - many of us just got together on a ski trip in CO just before the country shut down in March. Some of us had seen each other at an ISU football game last fall. After years of raising children and selflessness, it's been nice to have time to put ourselves first once again - just like those early Ridgeland years and get together for fun!  

I was a happy gal, sitting in my boat interacting with my pals - even sending pics. Heart full! We are blessed with fabulous friends. 

Amy roasts a marshmallow at Ridgeland

Hawaiian year