Marching along

March is 1/3 over already. So you know what that means....or at least I do. Sunny Florida in 3 weeks baby!

February was rather balmy, but March has been a bit chillier, reminding me that I'd like to head south for a few days while Iowa decides to get its act together. I'm anxious for the Iowa legislative season to be done too. I am every year, but this year especially. I always hoped that Iowa would stay more purple - refusing to take marching orders from outside the state. It's disappointing to find that those outside influences are too strong.

Paul's birthday was March 1 and we celebrated by attending a retirement workshop all day. It was put on by IPERS - Iowa's public employee retirement system. If an employee is within five years from retirement you may attend. It was very informative and somewhat scary! How did I get to be this age?

When I first started working in a public job I had no idea I would be "on the job" twenty years later. So I didn't pay attention to what IPERS was. A pension is a wonderful benefit. As a taxpayer, I understand why there are concerns about the sustainability of such a system. I hope any changes will be fair, but have my doubts, seeing the types of things being ramrodded through the legislature this year.

Last weekend Paul treated himself to a walk in the woods to look for antler sheds. He hasn't had much luck this year. Either the deer are being tight with the horns or someone is scouting ahead of him. He is still one-armed and comes home with stickers embedded in his sling. Physical therapy starts in a week. That could be interesting! #beenthere

Back at home, I attended another IndivisibleIowa meeting. I find them therapeutic, meeting with others who don't want to moan and groan and post online. We are trying to work together locally to support and challenge pieces of legislation. Once the session is over, we'll turn towards working on supporting candidates in local races for school board and city council. Most people in the group are like me and have not been active politically in the past. I've enjoyed meeting them and hearing their stories and feeling their energy.

Saturday night we went out to Bubba's Southern BBQ for our "official" Pablo's birthday night out. We got our reservation late, so were in the early 5 PM timeslot (reserved for the elderly...). On our way home, we took the back route, which led us to Bullfrog's, a pedestrian-looking bar on a busy corner that we've been meaning to go to - because my that was my daddy's CB radio "handle".

There were few people there, so we settled in at the bar near a solo young woman. A group at the other end of the bar was playing a "Shut the Box" game. Hmmm Dad had one of those. Yep, Dad was looking down. We were regular barflies, chatting with the gal sitting near us. We learned the place is owned by the same people that own the Legends restaurants. Have I mentioned before that I love divey bars? We stayed for one and then were home and comfy before 8 p.m. Yawn.

Sunday we hiked about three miles at Raccoon River park. It was a lovely day and we saw lots of people and their pooches on the crushed rock trail. Sometimes I wish we had a bigger dog that we could take on hikes - then I remember how much more work that would be than Odie. We stopped for a beverage at 515 Brewery on our way to HyVee. A person needs a reward for all that walking, right?

On Tuesday, we received fabulous news from Amy and Corey. They're moving to Denver! Corey applied for that territory for his job with GE Corporation. Not that we don't like their current location - West Chester, PA. It's a cute little town where Amy can walk everywhere. But we like better them in Denver where other family members are close by. And we can drive there in one day. The move will happen in April, so wedding planning just got easier. It's set for the Botanic Garden in Denver August 5. I need to start shopping for a dress...

Our friends Mary Faber and Hank came to town on Thursday for a Joe Bonamassa concert. We met them at Peace Tree for a beer, then took them to Guru our new fave downtown BBQ joint. Paul and I were especially cheery, celebrating the Cyclones win that afternoon in the Big 12 basketball tourney. (I took vacation for a couple hours to watch the game)

It's always fun to catch up with my longtime pal - one of the first people I met after moving to Creston. Hank is a nice guy and easy to talk to. I am happy that she's living the good life, traveling and going to concerts.

I hope you are living the good life - marching along.  

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! 

Epiphany in the bathtub

No the Three Kings didn't come visit me in the tub. I'm talking about the other definition of the word - according to Webster "a sudden grasp of reality...usually striking and simple".

This happened way back before 1998, because I recall it was in my rose pink tub at our first house in Creston. That was my thinking refuge. The bathtub began to be my refuge when I gave birth to my first child. The tub was a place I could "get away" from everything - nursing bras, pads, a crying baby, the phone. It was all for me. I could think there.

This was about the year we moved to the new house. Paul must have been spending lots of time outside!
 

And just like thoughts that come to me when I'm driving, bathtub thoughts often come out of the blue. It's like they've been percolating in my subconscious, arriving fully formed from the depths of my gooey inner cortex. I told my friend Mary Faber about my epiphany in the tub - she said she was glad I didn't drown.

My inspiration was that I should start a desktop publishing business. Wordsmith Communications didn't happen until we got all situated in our new house out by Lake McKinley, and the kids were around 12 and 9 years old. But my business did become a reality - and actually made money! The cash was very helpful when it came to raising two kids. Athletic shoes for every sport don't pay for themselves...Paul was very supportive of my efforts. (and loved the income)

Newsletters were my forte. I helped our Catholic school with the Foundation newsletter a few times a year. Next I snagged a good gig from an offshoot of an ISU Extension program CHIPS (Cowherd Improvement Program). The beef experts would write articles and I would format them into a newsletter and apply labels and sort for mailing. Amy and Jud helped me.

The other newsletter I worked on was for the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations. As I got more involved with the trash world, I joined that organization and naturally slid into that job - great extra $! I kept it up until I took the job with the Department of Natural Resources. By then, I was emailing the newsletters - not mailing them. And newsletters were beginning to be an out-of-date method of communicating to stakeholders. They were looking for a more "quick hitter" article, not long pieces.

I wonder what's incubating inside my brain right now? Or yours. On behalf of my brain, my mouth (fingers, really) would like to say listen to your inner epiphanies. They're in there! Or that voice inside you that tells you a decision you made is wrong...listen to that too. You're smarter than you think - if you listen.

Hey La Hey La my baby's back

We picked her up at the Des Moines airport Monday about noon. It was a great feeling to get my arms around her again. Amy had been gone over 5 weeks on her trip to South and Central America. So glad to have her back safe and sound!

In the small DM Airport she ran into some Denver friends - they'd been home with their new baby. And we was Mary Faber there dropping off her sis-in-law Mary McCann, who had been back seeing CHS classmates and family. It was nice to finally meet the woman we'd heard so much about!

We stopped at Court Avenue Brewpub for a bit of lunch before we went home. Odie was overjoyed to see her Sissy (that's what she thinks Amy's name is - and Odie's feeling much better!). We got to hear some of her travel tales, but feel like I still haven't heard much of the story. She needed to get her photo chip from her friend Rachelle before she could upload all her pics. That night we shopped a bit, and even bought her running shoes and a Cyclone pullover - since we didn't have to fork over any ransom $ to get her home!



Strange RAGBRAI happenings - a guy brings his monkey to entertain...

Tuesday, she and Paul rode Iowa's bike ride across Iowa for a day - a/k/a RAGBRAI - from Perry to Des Moines. It was 48 miles. A couple guys Paul knows from Red Oak rode in with them. Paul has ridden all across the state before - when he was younger, but Amy hadn't. Plus she hadn't trained at all. I let her ride my bike Albie. And I worked. Sigh. But I don't wish to ride bikes with 30,000 (bigger than most towns they stop overnight at) people, standing in lines for food and pottys.

Paul and work buddies - yes he even has Cyclone bike shorts...

That night we drove down to downtown DSM for the big party that goes along with the traveling bike ride. It was the most gorgeous evening of the summer. We drank a beer, ate a sandwich and listened to a 90's band on the Court Avenue Bridge. We ran into my Atlantic matey, Marci Merrick (now Hinners) and her husband Jim - fun to catch up with her! Amy's pal Rachelle and another friend met us, but we retired early as we all had to get up early, so we headed home by 8:30 a.m. I'm sleeping easier these days - now that my baby is back and Jud is safe and sound in St. Joe.

Tuesday night pics


Rachelle and Amy
 

Looking south

Vendor tents set up

Bike valet parking

A beautiful quilted patchwork of friendships

I am blessed with a beautiful quilt of friendships. This weekend I'll be wrapped in it! Friday night, college friends gathered at our new home in West Des Moines. Kay Wilt was driving through with daughter Alyssa on her way from Chicago to her Mom's in Audubon. She contacted Paul to say we should go out to eat. We decided to make it a mini-reunion!

Catching up

Way back when, Paul met Kay even before I did - during our early years at Iowa State. I didn't get to know her well until her "Moose" years. Kay is married to Steve "Moose" Wilt, who coached our dorm floor flag football team my sophomore year. I've been friends with him ever since then. Oh it's really a patchwork thing - Paul's friends and mine all stitched together.

We were a little fuzzy at this point - must be the photographer (Paul)

 Kay lived with Mary Mormon in Willow Residence Hall at ISU. She dated one of Paul's friends. And I lived in Maple Hall on 6th floor with Jane Flack. Eventually, after college, Jane, Mary and Kay lived together in a house Mary's brother owned in Des Moines. I stayed with them one night when I visited the Capitol City for my job with Gamble Robinson. They were visited by a bat that night, and farm girl Kay took care of the thing efficiently. It was quite exciting!

It was fun having the gals over. Poor Alyssa, who will be entering her sophomore year at Minnesota, just got to mostly listen to our tales of yesteryear. We walked down memory lane, discussing people from college, events and the time period that Mary, Jane and Kay lived together in the mid 80's. It seems so long ago - but sometimes, really not so much. We can't really be this old, can we?

Our discussion briefly turned to Long Term Care insurance. Paul and I have been pricing it. Jeez! We just can't make ourselves pull the trigger on something so expensive and distasteful. It's a very volatile market. WTF. I think we'll wait for a conference with our pals when we head to the Lake of the Ozarks in August. That sounds like a good topic after several drinks...Donnie - we need your deep thoughts.

One of the nice things about our new home is the proximity to I-80. People are more easily able to visit. So we need to get better at entertaining! I didn't get that gene like the rest of the sisters did. We muddled through though. It helped that Mary brought a lovely fruit salad with flowers and Jane brought cake. Too soon, Kay and Alyssa had to head out. It was fun having everyone at our home. I hope it happens often!

I love the window art at the Wave!

I couldn't get Paul the Cheesehead Packer fan to stand under this sign...

Jane took this shot

This morning, we had breakfast with an old friend, Jane Buck - who I know from Atlantic. Bucks were neighbors, living near our home at 202 Crombie. Her daughter Linda was a good friend of my sister Susan, so I became pals with her son Tom. I liked Tom's boy stuff - he had a huge array of army men. We took Jane to the Waveland - or she took us, as it was her treat! She's active in historical issues around town - she's an Altoona gal. At age 82, Jane is sharp as a tack. We talked about all things - from current events to historical buildings. The food was good too. We may just have to make breakfast with Jane a periodic event! It was nice to see her in person, she's such a great supporter on Facebook.

Tonight we will host our Crestonian pal Mary Faber. She transplanted to Emmetsburg years ago, but once a Crestonian...in fact she often tells us local C-town news. The girl is "in the know". Mary can try out our new bed. We got new mattresses and box springs delivered yesterday. I blogged about Mary recently - how she is one of those people who makes everyone feel like you've known her forever. Paul and I are looking forward to seeing her tonight.

Sometimes - like this weekend, when different friends are visiting, I struggle to determine if the various friends we're seeing know each other. It seems like they should! But we are really the only link. Except with Facebook today - some of them know about each other! I told my friends last night that we were taking Jane Buck to breakfast and some of them knew of she was because she posts on many of my blogs and updates.

The friendship quilt stitches tighter and I enjoy it.

Amy update: Amy has been ill with a sinus infection and sounds ready to come home. She flies out of Nicaragua tomorrow for New Jersey and will arrive in Iowa on Monday morning. I can't wait to give her a hug!