Trash Be Gone

Last week I visited a manufacturing facility that promotes itself as "Zero Landfill". I know - it's hard to get one's mind around. How do they do that?

The company is West Liberty Foods (WLF) - formerly known as Louis Rich. they're the ones that prepare and slice turkey for Subway. They have 3 plants - one in West Liberty (duh), the one I visited in Mount Pleasant (employs around 500) and one at a town about an hour north of Salt Lake City, Utah.

I got to visit WLF to sit in on an audit they were doing on their Environmental Management System. I met their EMS manager, Michele Boney, a year ago at a conference. She is one of those "just try and stop me" kinda people, and she's fortunate to have top management on her side. They have bought into the environmental direction she feels they need to go. The company has invested a great deal of time and effort into "being green". And not in a Kermit the Frog kinda way.

WLF installed the Environmental Management System program in the mid 2000s. For their next act, in the past year they went zero landfill. Yikes! I can picture dealing with most items. Recycling is a no-brainer for tree-huggers like me. and they had recycling containers everywhere. They have also arranged for a compost company called Green RU out of Eddyville to collect their organic waste twice a week. But there are some types of waste - like bathroom waste - what do you do with that? WLF is fortunate. There is a cement kiln in their area that is looking for material to burn with coal to help boost the BTUs.

Michele says WLF recycles and reuses everything they can, and sends the rest to the incinerator for energy use. Landfill managers across Iowa are not thrilled with this turn of events - they are losing tons from their facilities. Solid Waste in Iowa is required by state code to be delivered to solid waste facilities within the "Planning Area" the waste was generated in. The WLF material (note I changed terms) is now going out of area - because now it's fuel!

I know - confusing. DNR's Solid Waste section writes permits for solid waste facilities for landfills and transfer stations - but they don't write permits for incinerators. That duty falls to the Air Quality folks. Still - controversial. In the meantime, WLF continues to strive to increase the tons they recycle and reduce what they send to the incinerator. They have purchased a machine that steams plastic to clean meat residue off of it - a reason recyclers haven't wanted it in the past.

I got to see the WLF water treatment plant which was pretty interesting. I must say though - trying to be landfill free isn't easy. The water treatment plant guy let us know it too! He had some items sitting around his shop that he just didn't know what to do with. He needed a matchmaker to help him funnel things to the right place. Figuring out how to recycle and compost everything from our HyVee carryout lunch was interesting though - so I could feel his pain!

Speaking of EMS - our consultants put together a logo for the program I oversee at work. I did get my baby girl, Amy's input (you may recall she is a fab Graphic Designer in Denver) after they sent some initial designs. Here is the finished product.

Hull of a gal

Marg Hull

We had our realtor and her partner daughter over last night for drinks. Vino, dip, shrimp, cheese and crackers. It was so nice to see them both! They even brought a gift, a cute tray with napkins - now we'll have to entertain even more. I thought I had cocktail napkins, but when it came time to set up my stuff, of course I couldn't find them. Except for the "It's my F'n Birthday" napkins from my celebration that my lil nieces at my Vail Birthday celebration. Didn't want to frighten poor Marg with those. Regardless of the lack of cool cocktail napkins, both women were very complimentary of our home.

Marg Hull is a great realtor - thorough and formidable, at least if you're a banker. She was recommended to us by one of my supervisors, Alex Moon, who just moved in 2012 too. Marg was our main agent. Holly, her daughter is a decorator by training, but serves as her partner. They work for First Realty. Marg is a "mature" lady and Holly told us last night that she is our age. Young! haha. Small world story - Holly told us her son Clayton lives in Denver and works near where Amy lives. Paul told Amy that last fall when we were still house shopping. When Amy and Kara were in Denver they all went to that restaurant and ended up meeting...you guessed it - Clayton!

Holly Craig - do you think she's talking to her mom?

We met Marg the first time on a nice September day at a Caribou Coffee on Ingersoll - that's Marg's home neighborhood. She drive a Lexus SUV that is a bit dented because she's not the best driver and Paul and I ducked and cringed out way around town as she drove! Marge showed us some places south and west of downtown that morning.We loved one house south of Park Street, north of the airport. You might have heard of the owner before - Nancy Sebring, she of school board affair fame. But I quickly decided I didn't have enough furniture or energy (to take care of the yard - get your mind out of the gutter) for that huge place.

Marg, Paul and I met Holly for lunch and headed west to Holly's stomping ground - West Des Moines, after that. One stop was this place, our present home, we all liked it. We had a few more dates with Marg. I spent a lot of time scouring the Internet - I knew every place in our price range (which was above Paul's...I think I make him nervous) in the area that was for sale. I'd send pics of places I was interested in seeing and Marg would set it up for us to go see them. One was a house out near Waukee that had ground source heat, like our home in Creston. That one had a urinal in the basement! That was a cop's house. Another had labels on the doors and a paper towel machine in the bathroom...hmmm what was going on there?

We found another townhouse we liked on 60th street, but not as well as this one. And we looked at a couple other houses built by Drake, the builder who built the home we liked out around 93rd Street. But the one we liked the best was a 2 bedroom - with a whole unfinished bedroom and no window coverings. Paul decided he could live in a place that did all the mowing and snow removal. (I think he really liked it when we had that big storm). Through all the viewings and discussion, Marg was very patient, and gave her input when asked - but she didn't insert herself into our big decision.

I hope I don't have to buy or sell another property to see Marg and Holly again. They are interesting and fun people!

Another small world Iowa story

I wrote in a recent blog about being on the Cabinet of Shilling House - my 6th Floor Maple dorm floor sophomore year. Each floor had a cabinet to conduct business and social events. I served as Vice Pres (just like Biden baby - I had that doofie charm thing going). Our floor president was Pam (damn - I remembered her last name Saturday night and now it's GONE). I woke up in the wee hours with a headache, so I was pondering life again. Don't you just love aging? Now I'm trying to write about it and the last name is GONE. It will come to me, just give me time..... Winjum! There - I got it and it only took a few minutes. I'm not doing too badly today.

Pam Winjum was a serious, studious young women - a great deal like myself. Haha! I didn't know Pam very well, and I'm sure she thought my pals and I were a bunch of knuckleheads. She was right. But we were a bunch of fun-having knuckleheads! She seemed kind of like a fun-hater. I lost track of her when Sally, Jane, Vicki and I moved to our apartment at 239 Campus Avenue our Junior year.

Fast forward to 1987. Paul, Baby Amy and I had moved to Creston and I was meeting people around town - who do I come across? Pam Winjum Young is now an eye doctor married to a physician Dr. Mark Young. Dr. Young ended up being our fam physician and my ob/gyn guy. I'd already chosen the top eye doc in town, Dr. Donald Evans McKim for eye care at that point - so I didn't see her professionally. I believe she may have briefly joined our sorority, Beta Sigma Phi - the group that helped me meet most of the peeps who still claim me as a friend (I think that's the case...)today. Small world!

After I finished that whole thought process...I started thinking about doctors through the years in Creston. Like it or not, when you go to physicians and other health care professionals, you become pretty intimate with those folks! Mark Young was one - and he was a great guy. He saw me through two pregnancies - Jud and Patrick and actually was the doc who delivered Judson David, all 9 lb. 4 ounces (his 24th birthday is coming up on the 30th of this month). Mark had a great bedside manner and was a very caring person.

Patrick was breach, so had to be delivered by C-Section. When he collapsed with heart problems Mark followed up and he felt so bad that he hadn't caught anything earlier. Today's ultrasounds do catch things like hypoplastic left ventricle, but back then - nope. Mark did research to try to find out if the defect was genetic, or if the fact that he was breach could have tipped us off. But he didn't come up with anything. Paul did find out later that a cousin's baby had a similar problem, so we do think there are some genetic origins.

About that time, Mark and Pam Young announced they were moving to the Indianola area - where they were from originally. I was so very sad. You depend on doctors so much! But I'd met a new doc in town - more about him later.

When we first moved to town, Creston actually had a pediatrician! The clinic was in the old location back then - across from Jack Davis's "Corner of Savings" where my pal Linda sells marvelous campers today. Dr. Martin Meindl's (it took me until morning to come up with his last name) office was down on the end - they also gave allergy shots there. I spent lots of time hanging out in the mini waiting area reading kid's books and playing with the toys. The rooms were also set up for kids - I liked that. My kids probably picked up lots of good germs from all those previous patients! Dr. Meindl wasn't great with kids, but not bad. I was sad when he moved away - headed for Mason City I believe?

The new doc, just out of Med School when Dr. Young left town was Dr. Chuck Hoyt - a local boy. But he was no spring chicken. The son of a Creston doc, Chuck had been a pharmacist when he decided his calling was really to be a physician - so he went med school. He must have been in his mid 30's when he graduated and came home to Creston. I'm glad he did. I grew to trust and enjoy this compassionate man a great deal, as does Paul. He was the kids' doc too. He really "got" Jud, and that was important through those years when we didn't know how do deal with tantrums. We got valuable advice and he's turned out to be a well-adjusted young man thank you very much!

Creston Medical Clinic brought in a wonderful Nurse Practitioner, Sheryl Young, later. She had gone back to school to achieve this level of education and we were so glad! We could get in to see her for stuff like ear aches and sore throats. When Sheryl and husband Bob relocated to DSM, I began seeing her here!

Creston has some other good medical folks - but just like us, they're getting up there in age. Dr. Bob Kuhl, longtime surgeon took out Jud's tonsils and did both Paul and my colonoscopies. We saw Bob and wife Denise at the Rusty Duck in Dexter Saturday night when we met Bobbie and Jeff there. Dr. Jim Mansour just retired from his practice as a general practitioner in Creston. He and wife Kris are wonderful community members and I know his retirement left a lot of people in town scrambling to find another provider. He was always kind and caring when we saw him when our doc wasn't available.

Good health care is important! Although I wasn't always happy with the administration part of Creston's system. (Sometimes I felt like Nurse Ratched was in charge of the books at CMC, and the lab...). From dental to eyes to medical care, for a smaller town, Creston is very blessed in that area. All those problems solved - my meds kicked in, and I went back to sleep...

The White Rose

Sheriff Bob Vogesser raises a cold one to us, right before he purchased a case of Michelob for us (I took my college pals there) to take with us - he even carried it out and put it in our trunk (he was the sheriff and didn't want us to get arrested...)

Another brand of beer we liked - back in the day, was Michelob. Remember that ad? Because tonight..tonight...let it be Michelob. Set to a catchy tune. Of course Dad called it Mickel Bob. He never called anything the right name.

I've written before in this blog about the very special pub we had in my hometown, Atlantic. It was called the White Rose. Dad remembered going there, so it must have been around a while. When I was drinking age, the proprietors - Armie and Erma (sorry - don't know their last name or if they were even married - but they must have been in their mid-70's by then) kept the little place open only until 9 P.M. so you had to go early. Our County Sheriff was a mainstay there. (see photo above)

It was so retro cool before retro was even cool! The pic on my previous blog post was from there - pink walls with green booths and a few round stools at the counter. I see from the pic there was a rack of magazines - grab a Playboy on your way home at 8:30 P.M. If one got to the White Rose at the right time, you got to see them feed the fish in the aquarium. Muy Excitingo! If you so desired, you could get a little glass cup to drink your beer from - nobody would think of stealing from Armie and Erma, but I knew people who purchased some. Wish I would have!

There were green curtains on the windows, so the joint wasn't too light. But there were pull string lights above the tables. I remember because one time someone at our table yelled out to Armie, who was tending bar, "Can I get a Lite?" (meaning beer). He shuffled over in his little zip front jump suit that he wore and pulled the chain to turn on the light above our booth. Um, no Armie - we meant a Lite beer...

My favorite thing at the White Rose was the rotating Hamms beer sign (yes, it's true, I have a sign obsession).

They have one of these at Hilife Lounge in Des Moines, but it's never lit up..

I could sit and watch it for long periods. Remember this was before any fancy digital stuff. The smoke and waterfall moved, and I always wondered just who was camping there.

When Paul and I were married, many people attending the wedding went to the White Rose right after the ceremony before the official reception started, while Pablo and I visited my grandpa who was in the hospital. I think they had a good time...I know one 15 year old daughter of our Wisconsin friends, the Hustons, drank a few too many brews. I guess Armie didn't check her I.D. too closely...

Of all the beer joints I've been to in the world, the White Rose has to be one of my all time favorites.

Why didn't Jesus's guys pick beer?

A few brews being consumed at the White Rose in Atlantic...

These are the deep thoughts I have when I get that "I'm solving the world's problems" look on my face. What if the Last Supper had included the hoppy brew instead wine? Would we be sipping Bud Light at communion at St. Francis tonight?

After that brief thought, I started pondering about how much beer has changed since I first started drinking the stuff - when I was 10 years old or so. No, I'm not kidding - and it's my dad's fault. Dad was a Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) or Old Milwaukee (Old Mil) guy back then. When he was home on weekends he'd enjoy a bourbon and water while a beer chilled in the freezer for 45 minutes. He set the oven timer so he didn't forget to take the precious nectar out of the GE.

He called them "beer Popsicles". They came out like slushies when poured into a glass, and they looked so delicious! So he'd let me have a sip. And so I learned to love ice cold beer at an early age. Dad would always say, "You're going to get what I got!" like he had some dreaded disease that I'd get from drinking from his cup. When I'd fall for it and ask, "What?" of course the answer was ice cold beer.

When I got a little older, and my friends and I started drinking alcohol, I didn't drink no stinking Annie Green Springs or Mad Dog 20/20 wine. I drank beer. PBR, Old Mil, Olympia, Hamms, Miller Hilife - I didn't care. We even talked friends into bootlegging Coors for us from Colorado because it wasn't yet available in Iowa. Other people were sipping cherry and lime vodka - I didn't try that hard  stuff until a couple years later.

Then I went to college - and the world of dime draws and $1.50 pitchers opened up! Beer got me a grade point barely over a 2.0 my first quarter of school - thank you very much. I had a hard time saying "no" when people asked me to go to the bars pretty much every night of the week. After that I buckled down, and reduced my nights out and beer intake. I didn't wish to flunk out or get on TE (temporary enrollment).

My sophomore year my friends and I all served on our dorm floor cabinet. I was Vice President - I ran for that position thinking it would be mostly be a figurehead. I don't remember what Sal, Vic and Jane were, but we all ended up helping plan and carry out the dorm floor parties that meant ordering kegs for our quarterly floor parties. I think they cost something like $25 (did we get them at Torks? and yes that was for a full size one in 1977). I don't remember brand we purchased, but we went through several each party, serving cups over the ironing board in our kitchenette. I seem to remember Jane rolling her ankle trying to maneuver one of the big beasts. There is a hilarious story that goes with this regarding me calling Mary Greeley Hospital (we thought her ankle was broken) in a less than sober state - too long to tell here.

That same year, we met Moose and Steve - our pals from Stevenson house. They too had great house parties on their dorm floor. They taught me to like "strip and go nakeds" the delightful concoction of beer with lemonade. Sound familiar? It should - Summer Shandy jumped on that bandwagon recently. Those fellas also treated us to bootlegged Red White and Blue for $2.50 a case from Illinois.

Post college we learned to love squaw piss ( know - politically incorrect, but it was long ago and we were young) - Leinenkugels, when we traveled to Wisconsin to float the Apple River. Since those days beer has gone upscale - even Leinie's. I like it! I especially like reading all the names at the big stores that sell a lot of brands.

So now you know...when I get that serious look - I'm not solving the world's problems. I'm just playing the "what it" game and taking a walk down memory lane. But it was fun - hope it brought back some memories of your favorite beverages too.

Dave Bullfrog Iowa Ambassador

Photo of Dad from a Jaycees function (thx to Ted Simpson for sharing) Isn't he a hunk!?! Dad not the porker
 

My father traveled the state of Iowa for something like 38 years. He was in ladie's underwear. That's what he told people - it always got a laugh. Dad was a sales representative for Lorraine Lingerie and later Cuddl Duds as well. He'd leave town on Monday with his samples, slips and robes hanging on hangers in the back seat of his car on a rod. The undies and half slips were in big bags in the trunk.


I probably had these "panties" as Dad called them. We got all the samples once he was done with them. I never bought a pair of panties until I was out of college. What a lucky girl!

We had a list of towns Dad was traveling to posted by the rotary dial (later push button) phone in the kitchen, with the hotel. He had a route - back then all the little mom and pop stores bought his wares, and they were his friends. He went everywhere - I think he hit all the towns - from Ackley to Zwingle. He got to know where the good food was too - he had a "pie" route. Anywhere we went, he knew someone - Dad was Iowa's ambassador spreading the love of who knows whom all around the state.

Now that I've reached the ripe old age of 55, I've lived in a few places in this great but smallish state - Atlantic, Osage, Creston and now West Des Moines. I'm turning into my father! My life's work the past fifteen years as trash diva has taken me to all corners of the state. I know a few people. Iowa really is a small world, after all.

Whiskey River - There is a beaver on the shelf...

Paul and I came to realize this before last night's Iowa State Men's basektball game. We headed to Ames early to meet some of his co-workers at Whiskey River a pub downtown we had never been to before. I know - hard to believe! One of the guys, Dana and his wife Mary (I know - hard to believe again, I remembered names of people I was just introduced to - and NO I didn't cheat and ask Paul) are from Marshalltown. Dana has the same position Paul had in Creston.

I started played the "do you know" game - I know Marshalltown peeps. First I chose Jay, the investment guy - friends with Dwight & Marilyn Conover. They supplied his last name - Merryman. Yes! That's him. We've met Jay and his wife (what's hername) several times as they're good Cyclone fans. Next I threw out Casee and Ben Veren (she's a Marshalltown cop and he's a sheriff, Casee is the daughter of Creston's Jeanne Piel and Sheriff Rick's daughter) - Dana and Mary knew who the Verens were. Finally went with my pal Pam Blake - recycling coordinator. Mary had heard of her because of publicity Pam does.

Of course we talked about other stuff too. I didn't monopolize the who conversation with the "game". But then out of no where, another connection appeared. We were discussing football tailgating locations - it's sad that tailgating season is 7+ months away. Dana mentioned that they tailgate in Tent #3. Who is the tent sponsor? Phoenix Recycling - owned by the Colosimo Brothers, Tony and Bobby.

 Bobby Colosimo is married to Dana's sister. I have known the Colosimo brothers since the early 80's, when they worked for their dad (and had a fondness for blow combs and TransAms) at C&C Produce in the East Village, and I worked for a grocery wholesaler traveling out of Osage. In my current life, I run across them in various trashy committees. Hmmm small world again. Bobby's wife and daughter joined us later - the daughter knows Paul's nephew Karl who teaches at Valley High School, where she's a senior.

Kevin Bacon anyone? Or should I say Dave Bullock...

My old Crestony Home

Any excuse for a party, and breakfast, and/or drinks! That's been the motto for my Creston homegirls these past few years. I've written about the group before - they are my homies, my gals - my clique.

I first learned that word - clique - in 6th grade (of course I thought it was "click") when Mrs. Nancy Pellett, the teacher used that word like it was a bad thing. And perhaps she was right in that case...we did have a large group of girls who had just learned how to be snotty. We could be bullies. Mrs. Pellett (related by marriage to the nice Pellett families - I think she and her husband (Gary?) eventually divorced) wasn't any help in dealing with us though.

There were two sections of sixth grade at our school - each with about 30 students. The other class had a teacher named Mrs. Harter. I perceived her as a crotchety old women, who used the word Shiste (not sure of the spelling) as an expletive. Doesn't that sound suspiciously like Shit!? She was no help with budding potential bullies in need of guidance. Of course bad then there were no counselors at Washington Elementary. We received little formal input on our behavior. We could have used some!

Wiki defines the word Clique as, "persons who interact with each other more regularly and intensely than others in the same setting". Even though I'm not it the same setting (Creston) anymore, I'm still in the group, thank goodness. Everyone needs a group.

Each year the homegirls have a holiday party - usually after the holidays so the pressure is off. Linda volunteered to host this year. McKims volunteered to host us overnight at their home. They even offered to have Odie, but I arranged for her to go to the Puppy Spa at Lila and Bill's - where she always went when we lived in town. I knew they'd be going through Odie withdrawals.

Prior to the trip, we bought supplies at the cult clubhouse - Costco. I was going to make a cheesecake, but then saw one there. And we bought brown water - Black Velvet and some Fess Parker chardonnay. After doing errands and a bit of cleaning Saturday a.m., we watched most of the ISU men's game before we hit the road. Odie was thrilled to go with us until she found out we were visiting Mendy at Creston Vet Clinic for a nail trim and another procedure involving her bottom. It's much cheaper to get that stuff done here than in the big city.

We found time to swing by our former house after that - we noticed they weed wacked Paul's native prairie area, but there were no trees missing. We'd heard tell that they had gotten a Christmas tree off of their own property.

Then we went to McKims. I thought it might seem awkward, but it didn't - since we've spent quite a bit of time there through the years. They're the kind of hosts that make one feel right at home. The Broncos/Ravens game was on. Jeff McFee arrived about 5:30, sans Bobbie who is in Idaho for work. Missing that girl!

We thought it was safe to leave for the party with the Broncos leading with a minute left. Wrong! By the time we got to Linda's, a couple minutes away, the game was in overtime and the Broncos went on to lose. A lot of Broncos fans in my family are not happy campers after that game! When we arrived at Linda's we got hugs from everyone - even the guys! I'm digging that part about being from another town now - I love hugs.

The guys retired downstairs to watch the Packers/San Francisco fame and we stayed upstairs to chat. And eat. I brought along my friend Jeremiah. Weed. Sweet tea vodka. There were 3 kinds of soup and I opted for Reuben - complete with sauerkraut. It was delish! Roll Call: Linda's BF (and my former hazardous materials tech) Mick Landers, Deb and Larry Peterson, Patti Kralik and Dean Leith, Susan and Brian Weinheimer, Nancy and Jim Anthony and the people who came with us. The missing: Bobbie, Pat and Steve Moeller and Lucy and Jim Hyde.
I did a lousy job taking photos this year...;>(

Patti, Deb, Nancy and Diana

Susan and Linda

I love these ladies. I don't have to pretend to be nice with them. I can just be my sarcastic self! They know my kids and I know theirs. We talked about Creston stuff - the basketball game and life in general. We used our collective memories to remember what people's names are that did that one thing that one time. We laughed at ourselves like only old friends can. It was relaxing and fun. I miss these guys!

So while the upstairs conversation went exceedingly well. The Packers game didn't - Paul and Larry are big fans. They weren't happy. Thank goodness for BV and Coke. When the game was over, we decided to head to The Lobby for karaoke and a bit of dancing.

Diana sings, while Don channels John Belushi

It was fun to go to a bar where we could see more people while we were in town. I saw Retta Baker as we walked in, and chatted with her for a while. The Baker kids went to school with Amy and Jud at St. Malachy. In the karaoke room my old pal Jeanne Piel and her hubby Sheriff Rick, and their son Chris with his partner Jason Hoke were hanging out. I haven't seen any of them in person for so darn long - hugs again! Barb and Joe Feld and family (they moved away some 10 years ago or so) were back in town celebrating Barb's 50th birthday. I also saw Brittany - the cute young Creston teacher we have run into at the bowl games the past 2 years.

Paul talked to a kid around Jud's age with an Atlantic connection - Lynn Kinen (Chuck and Collette's daughter) McCabe's son Bryant McCabe. We danced and Don and Diana sang. Don sang the Rodeo Song....a song that always reminds me of our years camping at Ridgeland, Wisconsin and floating the Apple River. I think it was after 1 a.m.  when we left The Lobby - Paul was lobbying us to stop at Sidetracked - the bar across the tracks, but smarter wives prevailed.

I must say we weren't moving real fast this a.m. when Diana served a great breakfast casserole complete with my fave tailgating food - sticky pecan rolls. We headed home around 11 a.m. Odie was happy to see us! We were sad to see Creston in our rear view mirror, but happy to be together when we walked into our WDM home. I don't miss packing on Sundays. Thanks girls (especially Linda for hosting) - let's get together again soon! Thanks McKims for the hospitality!