Paul Left Again...

Man, I really got you readers with my last headline about Paul leaving me. Yes, I baited you and it worked. I can see how many readers there are for each blog - it really jumped on that one. Sorry to disappoint. He's stuck with me. We do joke that someday he'll ask me to dress up in a brown outfit with an antler hood and I'll be walking in the woods - oops! Hit by an arrow. No officer - I thought it was a deer. Okay - that's creepy, but it makes us laugh.

This time he's in Green Bay with our son Judson. They have started a "thing" where they attend an NFL game each year. Jud is a Cowboys fan (did we fail here? or just let him be his little self at age 4?), and Paul is a Packers fan. Last year they were in Dallas for a Cowboys/Packers game. Paul had never been there before - Packers pulled out a win at the end of the game.

This year it's a Packers vs. Buffalo game at Lambeau Field. Paul took his Rodgers jersey for Jud to wear. A full one half of Paul's wardrobe is either Cyclone or Packers - so he's covered. The beautiful part of these trips is that Jud figures out all the logistics for his dad. We're hard to buy gifts for - so this is such a gift. They flew into Green Bay and had a room at an Air B & B very near the stadium. They will fly home right after the game.

Next year they plan to go to a Cowboys "away" game - visiting more venues around this country. I love this tradition - even though I'm not part of it. Hmmm, what can Amy and I do? Bonding - adult children are wonderful.

I love dive bars

Lunch at Hickory Park - Sunday

Last weekend Paul and I enjoyed another tradition that has become an annual thing - Cyclone Football with college pals. Steve (Moose) and Kay came from Gurnee (north side of Chicago) along with their children from the Twin Cities. Vicki and Fred came from Northfield, MN. My college roomie Jane and a couple of her kids came too. Others stopped by our tailgate too. I can't say enough about our host and hostess Kevin and Kari - so thoughtful and generous setting up the tents and chairs, sharing their spread.

The weather gods blessed us on gameday. It was a perfect early fall day. The Cyclones beat Akron. We went to the classic dive bar the Tip Top before retiring to our hotel in Ames for the evening. When we walked in the door, a guy was standing on a table trying to put his foot behind his head. It must have been a bet. Or the beer talking! 

It's such fun catching up with our friends. And we are starting to plan an Alaska trip for next summer. No college friend weekend is complete without a Sunday morning lunch at Hickory Park. We all know what we're going to order before we see the menu: smoked turkey on an onion bun with mashed potatoes & gravy. Paul and I shared a delicious hot fudge sundae. I had to rest on Sunday - having fun is hard work! 

This weekend is a quiet one. I went to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning where I found the jigsaw puzzle for this Christmas in Vail, and a baby gift for my new grandniece Lily Lopez. (Leslie's daughter). I love sending those Cali kids Iowa gifts.

On Saturday night, college roomie Jane and I watched the ISU game at the Angry Goat. I've known Jane since I was 18 years old. Lots of history! Of course, the game didn't come out like we wanted it too. The Cyclones hung in there but didn't have enough offense in the end. I trust our coach to keep these guys on the right track. 

Funny: at work, the State of Iowa switched our operating system to Google a year ago. Last week my Gmail updated to a new version that anticipates what word I'm going to type. I can hit tab to accept the word/phrase or just keep typing.

I started an email to my co-worker Becky to ask her to update my program webpage with a new document. When I send emails like that I sometimes just sign with an L instead of typing my whole name. Gmail tried to fill in

Love you,

Good thing I caught it! I actually laughed out loud. And didn't hit tab to accept. But I wondered - what if we all expressed our love and appreciation to each other more often? I've worked with Becky for 10 years now. I told Becky the story - what I nearly sent. And I shared with her that I have grown quite fond of her.

Thanks, Google, for reminding me that I should appreciate all of my relationships more. Please don't let me start emailing stakeholders - citizens of Iowa and landfill operators signing "Love you". That would be weird!

Roadtrippin' to NW Iowa

I'm so mad! I forgot to take a picture with Mary Faber! I thought of it at odd times - when she was driving and when we were eating. Idiot. She looks great for all of you Crestonians out in Blogland.

I went on a trip to NW Iowa with 3 co-workers Tuesday to Wednesday. They are fun peeps to travel with.

• Jeff - is a newlywed (and he's in his late 50's...even older than I am). His husband Nick is a sweetheart who was home trying to get an antique store ready for a big sale this weekend.
• Scott - is someone I travel with quite frequently. He's 35 and is fairly serious and has a sense of humor so dry it needs its own humidifier. Wicked! He's married and his wife is gorgeous.
• Becky is our mommy. Mother of 3 youngsters, I love hearing the stories about the fam as they take me back 20 years. She left her husband home with kids: ages 9, 4 and 8 months! Good for the guy.

Who knew there were this many trees in NW Iowa???

We did a couple site visits on our way to our ultimate destination, Spencer. First we went to a sawmill in Armstrong, Iowa.

sawmill
 

Next we stopped at New Horizons - a sheltered workshop in Emmetsburg. The recently received grant funding to refurbish the belt for their cardboard recycling system. They also operate the can and bottle redemption center - which is tough because those places haven't gotten a raise since the deposit was put into place in 1978.

all have to be sorted by distributor



This Bud's for you - cans awaiting collection by the Bud man
 

I was pleased to hear about the inroads they've made with the casino in the area - they are good recyclers and want to tackle food waste next. I'm betting on them!

We headed to Spencer in the rain after that stop, and Mary came over after that. The McCann children - Jake (Phoenix), Will (Chicago) and Megan (Waterloo) are all doing great. Mary took the DNR gang out to eat at a barbecue place in Spencer as our hope to head to Okoboji were dashed by the rain. I'm a witch and didn't wish to melt, you see...

On Wednesday we met with the folks from the Northern Plains solid waste planning area. They are making progress on their Environmental Management System- yay!

Becky, Jeff and Scott look on as staffer demanufacture electronics

On the way home we all got a bit sleepy and slap happy. We needed to drive 3 more hours...so we played car games. First: car alphabet - name something that starts with an A, but you have to see it. We were lucky when we got to X and were near Webster City. They have Xavier Ave.

Next we played a memory game. I didn't win - but was handicapped by driving. That takes some of one's mental capacity. Right? "I'm going to the zoo and I'm taking" Applesauce, Scott said. Then I had to repeat that and say my "B" thing and Scott's Applesauce - until we go all the way through the alphabet. Doing the alphabet backwards was the hardest part. And remembering - especially when Scott thought of dumb long things for his turn. Jeff was very helpful acting out clues when it was my turn to remember everything. #I'macheater

I got home last night at about 6 p.m. I'm still tired. Next week - 2 day trips and then my sissies (Cindy and Betsy) are coming. Can't wait! 

Locker room stories

The best sports story Sunday wasn't on the sports page. It wasn't even on TV. It was on the front page of the Des Moines Register. I complain sometimes that the paper lacks quality articles these days. Print media has changed, and many of my favorite writers have gone by the wayside at that publication.

But Sunday, one of the reporters, Bryce Miller, put forth a long article on the Des Moines North High School boys basketball team. In our paper it was on the front page and it was excellent. (click long article above to read) The printed version had great photos, including pics of each player. Plus an address for donations.

It's not likely North will end up winning the state championship. Or even their conference title. But these guys are winners. It starts with the coach, Chad Ryan, who has stuck with it seven years - chauffeur, mentor, therapist, coach and parent figure and friend. A former Iowa State player, Morgan Wheat serves as one of his assistants.

The players have challenges besides which girl to ask to prom. Their coach wants them to go to college. They're experiencing success both on the basketball floor and in the classroom. The article had me cheering for this team. Good luck to each of them in the future.

The article also made me remember my coaches from my high school years. The 70's were when girl's sports beyond tennis and golf in my hometown of Atlantic, Iowa were just starting to be allowed. Girls could run and jump without getting the vapors? Imagine that!

I played softball on teams coached by Joel Simms - he was quite a flirt, and a very good coach. We had a great time on the bus and drove around in Kristy Davis's classic car with root beer floats after games. The softball diamond was down by Sunnyside Pool back then. Toni Robinson, Chris Watson, Becky Nelson, Sandy Larsen (when her ankle wasn't busted), Joanie Troll, Sal..and Mona and me.

My sophomore year we finally were allowed to play basketball. All those years of playing on Reinertson's patio - the hoop nailed to a wood pole. I'm sure they looked out and thought - there she is again...I'd play with my ABA ball. American Basketball Association. It was red, white and blue. We also had a tile floor in our basement, so after I got the ball, I would dribble down there until Mom yelled at me.

My first coach was Dale Allen - for varsity. I was on Junior Varsity as a Sophomore. I believe our JV coach's name was Chuck McLaren. He was pretty quiet. We were all learning about this girl's basketball thing! That first year, something like 70 girls went out for the team. It was weeded out to 30 or so after a couple weeks. I was thrilled to be awarded that JV uniform. (all that dribbling paid off.) Though the school put their uniform order in so late, all they could get were silver. We called them the "silver bullets". It's ironic that teams like Kansas are wearing silver unis now. I think they're dorky.

Despite all my practice shooting at the neighbor's, I never became a good shooter. Recall this was in the days of 6 on 6 basketball - and I was a forward. But at only 5'6", and not all that quick, I was not great guard material. I did have a wicked hook shot. When Dale Allen explain how to do a pick and roll to us - it was so cool. I never knew basketball had actual plays before - it was like he'd invented it himself.

We chose the name Atlantic Trojanns over Lady Trojans or Trojanettes. Yes, it's dumb - but I still prefer it over the other two choices. I've never been an "ettes" fan. In the last couple years they started just using the name Trojans for boys and girls. We were terrible for the most part - playing catch up with other towns who had started their teams a few years before. But we had some exciting wins.

I'd like to say I was a big part of those - and perhaps I was. I cheered hard when we won in overtime my junior year at Red Oak. Cathy Hjortshoj made a shot for the victory. Sue Tyler and Sally Rodgers were other forwards on the team. The next year, Sally banked a shot in from long distance to beat our nemesis Clarinda on our home court. It was fun running onto the court and hugging everyone. Pammy played in the guard court - good thing Betty Heflin didn't see Chris Watson during hoops season, smoking those ciggies on her way out of the high school parking lot. She did during softball season...alas I believe Chris gave it later.

It was also really fun giving the youngsters crap on the bus - but not in a bullying kind of way. My little sis Betso acted as our manager one of the years. I still remember her - so skinny that she couldn't get pants long enough that would fit her.

My senior year, the school hired a real girl's basketball coach - Sharon Leslein. That was different after Dale Allen! I liked her a great deal, and she liked me - but that didn't increase my playing time at all. I would volunteer to ride with her to scout teams before playoff games. To this day I can't hear Aerosmith's Dream On without thinking of her - that song always came on while we drove to games for scouting. When she got married the summer after my freshman year of college, Sandy Larsen, Mona Jones and I were cake cutters at the wedding up in Edgewood, Iowa. I lost track of Sharon after she married Bruce and moved to Minnesota.

Kids don't have to be stars to be part of a team and to be "coached" up. The memories of those team years are worth all the sweat, shin splints and yes - even the dissatisfaction with lack of playing time.

Pella without the tulips

I got to travel with a group from work to a landfill near Tracy, Iowa today for an Environmental Management System Audit. The best part about Tracy - the town we never really went to - is that it's near Pella. We went there for lunch.

But first, I have to tell you about our drive to the landfill in the State of Iowa van. I had made arrangements to pick up co-worker Becky at a Casey's gas station in the town of Monroe. She lives in Pleasantville, and there was no need for her to drive into DSM to then drive back that way. Becky is 7+ months pregnant. She arrived before we did and was standing outside the store minding her own business when a guy gassed up his car and offered her a ride. And some $. Evidently, despite having a laptop on her shoulder and being dressed in decent clothes, Becky looked like a hitchhiker! I told her she shouldn't carry that stick with a bandanna filled with clothes on the end of it on her shoulder...I chuckled about it all day. It's kinda freaky though.

The tour part of the Audit - Jeff by truck, Becky and Leo from South Central Solid Iowa Solid Waste Agency

Our audit was interesting. We get to ask the nice people who work at the facility all sorts of things about what they do to protect the environment.

The interview part of the audit
 

After the tour part of the audit at the landfill, we headed up the highway to Pella for lunch. We went to the Windmill Café on the square. Afterwards we couldn't help ourselves - we stopped at a bakery for a treat.


town square

yummmmmm

Dutch Letter heaven...

I


Looking in the store window

 

We headed to Grinnell to the waste Transfer Station after lunch - to see how things are going there. They recently started collecting household hazardous waste there and they now accept shingles for recycling - from houses not from businesses as part of the EMS program. Saving space in the landfill and making roads out of shingles. Good stuff! Tomorrow - I'm off to Garnavillo with Scott.

Parenthood - we muddled through it

Our children didn't eat the healthiest meals. Amy tells people about our dirty little foodie secret - we ate Hamburger Helper. Heck - I admit it. The meals were easy and fast. Stroganoff, goulash, and cheeseburger - they tasted good, so the kids liked them. They also ate lots of spaghetti and pork chops/chicken and rice, grilled cheese, and soup. Your basic meat and potatoes. We'd serve vegetables with these meals, but it was tough getting Jud to eat them. I think we had the best luck with canned corn. Amy was more adventuresome.

 

It must have been "make a funny face" photo

We allowed them to order Happy Meals at McDonald's - before they were healthy. They loved the prizes and the fries. I bought sugary cereals - like Cap'n Crunch, Fruit Loops and another fave of mine - Lucky Charms. They're magically delicious, ya know. I grew up on the stuff and still like it today. We got Cheerios and Pop Tarts too. On weekends Paul sometimes made pancakes and eggs.

I was the baker - A & J helped me crack eggs for chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes they'd crack them right on the counter, missing the bowl. I'd try not to be impatient with the extra mess. It took extra work - I'd have to grit my teeth not to snap, as I'm not the most patient person in the world. I've written before about how rolling out Christmas cookies put me over the edge. Amy recalls how I threw the dough at the wall one year. Happy Holidays!

Loved those Easter outfits

Amy and Jud were lucky in the play department. I liked doing that! We went to lots of parks - we'd all get stir crazy at home. McKinley Park in Creston had a fun (and unsafe) kids area with a little swinging bridge and gliding animals that could knock unsuspecting kids down or unconscious. School playgrounds, Green Valley State Park and Rainbow Park - we liked them all. I loved pushing the kids on the swing. We also took Amy and Jud to cool playgrounds in other towns. Our dog Moki thought he was one of the kids. He'd go down slides with them.

Speaking of Moki - we made sure the kids grew up with pets. I know it's not for everyone, but I'm an animal person. It wasn't always easy for Amy and Jud to have Moki as a doggy brother. When he was 6 he starting drinking lots of water - and was eventually diagnosed as diabetic. I cried - thinking it was "curtains" for him. But no - we worked with our vet Dr. Brus to get him normalized on insulin. Everyone in the family eventually learned to give him the shots he needed twice a day. And we all had to make sure he didn't get any food besides his doggy food. Moki lived to age 13, followed by Odie - a plain but good hearted girl. Samantha the Pantha kitty was Amy's birthday gift when she was in 3rd grade. She lasted until last year bless her lil kitty heart.

I suppose I yelled at Amy and Jud too much. We attended parenting classes when Amy was 2 and learned to give "time outs" instead of spanking. Even so, at times I lost my temper and reverted to my childhood training of a whack on the backside. I hope my children weren't permanently traumatized. Amy was very stubborn and could last on our timeout bench for a long time before she would apologize for a transgression. Jud had to be relegated to his room - his 3 year old self would go into such tantrums, it was scary. Or he'd stop breathing and Paul would shake him and we'd yell "breathe" when he'd turn blue. I'm glad he grew out of that stage!

Looking back, it's amazing our kids grew up as well-adjusted as they did. Probably despite of everything we did rather than because of...
I like to read our niece Katie's blog about raising her children. The blog along with hearing my co-worker Becky's stories about her kids' antics bring back so many memories of the stages of child rearing.

This morning the CBS Morning Show featured a Mom who adopted a baby from Africa. The little girl turned out to have a severe heart defect. They tried to treat the problem once she arrived in the U.S., but she lived only 33 days and passed away recently. But the family loved her so well during her short time here - in photos she looked so happy to have a mom. I sobbed thinking of our baby Patrick - who died due to a heart defect after only 6 days of life in 1991. Stories like that bring it all back. I scared Odie with my antics! She had to get up from our chair - poor puppy. I would have liked a longer chance to mother Patrick.

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Pat Bullock. I miss your strength, humor and intelligence. Thanks to my children who sent a nice gift, and for making me a proud mother every day. And to Pablo - who left me a nice and funny card today - and I'm not even his mother!

All my bags are (un) packed

I'm not ready to go. I'm not standing here beside my door. Yes - it's the opening words to "Leaving on a Jet Plane." I was thinking of that song as I unpacked my suitcase over the weekend. For the last time!! I'm having a hard time with it.

You see I've lived out of a suitcase for 4 years now. It's become a habit. I grown accustomed to it's space. (Yes, I threw a little My Fair Lady in there for you.) Socks in the outside pocket. Undies in the inside mesh. Of course I had lots of stuff stocked at Joan's so I didn't have to drag makeup, a hair dryer and shampoo back and forth. Now I have 3 hair dryers. Why 3? When we lived in the loft temporarily, I forgot both of them and had none...so I bought another little one for travel!

I took my earrings out of my travel jewelry box, and put them back into the real jewelry box. Paul got the jewelry box for me from the corner drugstore when we lived in Osage. It's so weird to be using it again! I forgot I actually had other earrings in there that I never wear because they weren't in the travel container.

Our new home has a closet with shoe shelves.Woohoo! It's going to be so nice to have all my clothes under one roof. It seemed it never failed that wherever I was, the article of clothing I wanted was at the other place...Joan's or my house. Becky at work joked with me today, saying she'd probably see me wear a whole 'nother wardrobe now. Sorry...I pretty well rotated through my clothes even with my suitcase.

I sure won't miss packing each Sunday. Especially doing all that ironing. Now I can be like the rest of you slobs - ironing as I go!

Fried, but in a good way!

I'm fried tonight, so pardon me if this isn't my most scintillating post. I've been traveling the state of Iowa again, with a motley crew of co-workers, auditing Environmental Management Systems at solid waste agencies. Cast of characters:My supervisor

• Jennifer - her husband and 9-year old daughter were at home, where Molly only ate the carbs out of her school lunch
• Becky - a mommy who left her husband in charge of a couple kiddos. Becky actually partially dressed sleeping Trent the morning she left, and left a reminder note about "show and tell" Ah I remember those days... 
• Jeff - partner Nick was left in charge of pooches Leia and Lucy.

This week we visited Cedar Rapids Linn County and the Waste Commission of Scott County in Davenport.

Scenes from the audit, Scott County - wow, doesn't this look exciting?

Jen, Jeff and Becky look over the recycle beetle located at the CR Linn Landfill

They're doing good things for the environment at those places, despite what you might think about trash and landfills! I enjoy getting out and talking to the people that are on the "front line". The ones that run the dozers, collect household hazardous materials, pick up litter and run the scale.

But man, being on the road two days, and having to be "on" all the time. It's quite wearing. I drove about half the time - thank goodness Jeff shared with me. The traffic across I-80 is a bitch!

The scale operator keeps the bad stuff like chemicals and other hazardous things out of the landfill...plus she has Milkbones!

These are the types of projects our participants are doing - setting goals to sell composters and rain barrels and surpassing them - continuous improvement!

I was glad to get home to Joan's yesterday evening. The furnace guy was there - to the tune of a new motor for $600+. Joan was not a happy camper for a 7 year old furnace..

Paul returned home Wednesday evening from a successful hunt in South Dakota. He was with Mike Huston and Tom Sullivan- college buddies. Next - a weekend trip with my High School homegirls - Chris and Paula!

Liking people

When we like someone right away, is it a case of seeing qualities in them that we have? (or think we have?). I began thinking about this today when I was pondering people I've enjoyed hanging with at my various jobs through the years. (see blogs from months past to read about my exciting and not to exciting careers).

Take my little buddy at work at the Wallace Building, Becky Jolly. She's nearly half my age. Okay she's thirty - and preggers, due any day with child number two. Becky is nice to everyone - much like me. Alright, I'm not exactly like that, but I usually try to avoid being a jerk. I take time to word emails and letters just right so not to offend anyone's feelings.

And at my last job, our consulting firm engineer Christine was another youngster - from Chicago. You'd think we wouldn't have much in common. But she's something of a smart ass, and is smart - not afraid to let people know it. I liked that about her. Because I can be like that myself. Christine and are friends too - though we don't get a chance to see each other as much these days.

What does attract us to others - as friends, mates? Is it opposites attract? Or similarities?