Tailgating planning moves inside

When I got home from the audit Thursday afternoon, I shifted into tailgating planning mode. Paul texted McKims and Donnie said he'd be home from the Country Club at 6:30 (Men's Night ya know). Diana texted just before that time and said RV is "in position".

I texted back "do we have to drink okay". Hard to convince. Guess it was a longer week than I realized. I mixed myself a Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka and Water in my University of Margaritaville Tervis Tumbler (complete with lid and straw), and off we went. Don and Diana were scrambling, putting stuff in the RV. We delivered some stuff for the week - booze, chips and the like. I noticed a cover for the air conditioner was on the driveway.

It was chilly - and windy. So we settled in the RV with our drinks. Diana had been to see an Ear, Nose and Throat doc - as she found out during a surgical procedure this summer that she has an arterial body tumor in her neck. In fact she has 2. Bummer. Drinks while we discuss. She needs to have tricky surgery to have each one removed. But will probably go to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion and to see if a surgeon up there has done more of this type surgery. Crap. What is the deal with all this medical stuff all the sudden. Age, I guess. Dee (Diana) just turned 50. Her mom is the one who died a year ago in the accident in NW Iowa - and her dad is left behind. Dee just turned 50 and this past year has been hellish. So we're all about having fun when we can!

And we decided Thursday nights are as fun as gameday tailgating! I think it's because there is no pressure to entertain and serve. My drink was going down smoothly. After a while Bobbie showed up. Diana and I had made the decision that burgers and brats are on the menu for Saturday's Texas vs. ISU game. Keepin' it simple. Weather is supposed to be sunny - mid 60's.

Lots of talk and laughter, amidst real discussion - should Jud pay of his student loan? Don is a good one to talk to about stuff like that. He thinks yes. It's only $3,900 and will be at around 5%. He's got the money and won't make that much interest on it. Diana cut up cheese and dug out some crax. Donnie turned on some RV tunes. Eventually farmer Jeffie showed up. The discussion turns to farm stuff - cash rent. Diana's dad's property and the place Jeff's renting is going out to bid.

After a few drinks Paul jumped up and said - we need to put that cover on the AC. What? Do I want a paraplegic for a spouse? But he climbed up that rickety ladder (Jeff held it for stability). Paul fastened the thing down without launching himself onto the driveway below. To celebrate Don poured us shots of wedding cake vodka and chocolate milk. Just what I needed! (not) I had switched to water at that point - work Friday ya know. We got home about 11:30 p.m. Crazy kids!

Busy times

Chris - the local guy, Jeff (in the vest - my co-worker) and Jen, my supe, check out recycled book selection.

Yesterday I was in charge of an Environmental Management System Audit in Centerville. Four of us DNR types headed down from DSM - I drove my own car, and two others were in a van. We stopped in Pleasantville to pick up my co-worker Becky, because that's where she lives. It took about two hours to get there. Here are a few pics from the day.

Jennifer is the education coordinator - and brains of the outfit

The big fella with silver hair is Rodger - the director. Quite a character. Nice guy.

The nice folks at the Rathbun Area Solid Waste Agency served us pizza for lunch as we worked away on auditing their program. Got out of there about 2 PM. It was a long week! I was glad to get home, and tailgating planning went quite well. The guys didn't even fall off the RV when they re-attached the air conditioner cover (after a few cocktails...).

Bull(ock) in a China Shop

I always feel so awkward in Victoria's Secret stores. I stopped in one recently to pick up a gift for a person who shall not be named. Like a bull in a china shop - ready to trip and knock a bunch of thongs over. Is it due to the nerdy phone on my belt? Um, nope. I think I'd feel just that nerdy anyway. Perhaps my second X chromosome didn't fully form.

I've explained before in this blog how inept I feel when I try to do girlie things like use a curling iron or put on makeup. Those things just don't come natural to me like say, digging manure out of a horse hoof with a hoof pick.

Hey, they're talking about umbrella being feminine on a TV show I'm watching right now - and I avoid carrying them. Again - my lack a fully formed second X. Lucky for me I didn't turn out transgender. Not that there's anything wrong with that - but it would have made life even tougher than feeling awkward in chick stores.

I took my leftover Jason's Deli sandwich out to Governor's Square for lunch today - mid 70's and gorgeous. My kinda weather. The first bench I picked was near these beautiful flowers.

You probably can't see it - but there's bumble bees buzzing around in there. The next bench I looked at was near this.

Hard to see - a grasshopper - yuck!

I hate grasshoppers! Finally I found a nice quiet bench. This was the view on the walk back.

Enhancing communication

Today I attended a training session on Communication Enhancement. State Gov provides training courses like this periodically - usually at the Hoover Building, which is kinda ugly - built in the same era as the Wallace Building. Here it is, with a scupture in front of it.

The trainer was a therapist from Kansas City - a nice guy, and good presenter. He wasn't afraid to wing it, and had a lot of good examples. My favorite part of the training was figuring out what type of person I am, and then how to deal with other personality types.

There are many ways to do this, but the one today broke it down into four quadrants -

• Relators are people who react with feelings. They're very empathetic. You can drive them wild with uncaring conflict.
• Socializers - like creative fun and want attention. Boredom and being ignored is their enemy and they attack with sarcasm.
• Thinkers are very deliberate. They into facts and details. They do not like being rushed and not having all the facts.
• Directors want to cut to the chase, without messing around. Wasting time and indecision makes them crazy.

In the excercise we did today, we answered a series of questions that helped us map out a rectangle on a quadrant that showed where we fall in these personality types when representing the State of Iowa. I came out as a mostly Thinker, Director. Which isn't really the whole story - as it mostly depends on what I'm doing. Being flexible is good!

I walked to Jimmy John's in the East Village for lunch. I enjoyed my Big John and reading Nan, my Nook.

 As I walked back to the Hoover Building from the Village, I walked by the Korean War Memorial on the south side of the Capitol Building. I took a couple photos in honor of Dad, who served there.

After work I went to Kohls and at Jason's Deli. I snapped this photo of work going on there in that shopping area - of the new Whole Foods coming soon (right of Best Buy) as Best Buy scootched over and downsized.

Got in a nice walk when I got to Joan's. Enjoying listening to my new tunes. So far Collection Soul is my fave new group. GooGoo Dolls not so much. Need to check out Kings of Leon tomorrow - haven't taken time to listen to them yet.

Age 53, maturity age 10....

Some people will never grow up! And I'm one of them. I made myself laugh today. Several times. By myself. Just now again....

Today the two sections that I work in - Solid Waste and Financial and Business Assistance (FABA) of Iowa DNR met at Walnut Woods to do a Strategic Planning session  - all day. The leader of the Land Quality Bureau, Brian Tormey lead us in several exercises to help set up how we'll move forward through the next several months. In order to get started, we did an "ice breaker".

The purpose of the little exercises was to solve 30 questions - figuring out what numbers the statements stood for (the answers were the numbers 1-30). Our group of some 22 or so people was broken up into three groups. I was with Becky, Laura, Theresa, Matt, Kathleen, Jeff - and our FABA supervisor Jen chimed in once in a while. The questions started out easy - stuff like "A typical round of golf is this many holes."  Answer 18.

They quickly got hard! There were things like the square root of 256. And the British race track is the M____.

But the one that got me laughing at me and my big juvie mouth was: The number of planets in the solar system is? I asked Jeff, who was sitting beside me the answer. He said - 9. Without thinking I said, "Did you include Uranus?" It still makes me laugh. Out loud. Jen heard me say it and laughed too. Sometimes I can't help myself...it's like a little evil witty person lives inside me. Turned out the answer was 8 - they tossed Pluto out not so long ago...not Jeff's anus...I mean Uranus.

We grilled burgers and brats (supplied by the managers) for lunch along with potluck. I took calico beans that I put together yesterday with Paul's help and lots of good salads and desserts. It was all very good.

Walnut Woods was a cool place to meet - though the wooden benches got a bit hard after a while. And the walnuts hitting the wooden roof of the lodge was a bit distracting at times. Glad one didn't hit me in the head (though I prolly deserved it..) The walnuts reminded me of our old house - the walnut tree and the shed out back. Bam!

Let's hope the day away from the office translates to a great plan for our two sections.

***********

On a totally unrelated note, my sis Bets sent us this cute framed print last week, as it made her think of Odie, my darling dachshund. Thanks sis!

My boyfriend's back

Bearded mountain man look

I'm finally caught up on my sleep. Paul arrived home Friday from his hunting trip about 12:30 a.m. So of course we had to talk and get caught up on each others' lives - which took a couple hours. Setting me back on my beauty sleep. I'm used to talking to the guy each and every day. We tell each other pretty much everything. So I was kinda lost without him and our daily talks.

It always bugs me when somebody says "Where's your better half?" But when he was gone, I didn't feel like something was missing. So I'm glad Paul is back. He seems glad to be home. And happy to have real food.

Paul lost about 10 pounds on the hunting diet. MRE's (meals ready to eat) and oatmeal were the main fare. Just add boiling water and it's a meal! Instant coffee too. Yum. Plus he did lots of hiking in high elevations near Snowmass, Colorado. The scenery was beautiful he said, and the photos show it to be true. He had one shot only at a 5x5 elk bull, and unfortunately missed. (or...did I really want a giant elk head someplace in my house?)

He enjoyed the many hours of conversation with Kevin Reynolds, his hunting partner - and former roomie some 30 or so years ago. They used to shoot mice along their floorboards in the old farmhouse they lived in. I'm glad they traveled safely, and my honey - my better half is now home with me.

A work of art

Beth, Alex, Evan, Todd and Olivia in front with
Jaxie the dog (named after Jack Trice - so you know their Cyclone fans!)

This is our neighbors - Todd and Beth Neilsons' home. It's homecoming week in Crestonia. What a work of art! And I'm sure this isn't the first time this week Olivia, Evan (sophomore twins) and Alex (freshman) have been TP'd.

You see, in Creston, students take homecoming week duties quite seriously. They must waste (I know - it's the waste reduction coordinator in me coming out) rolls and rolls of toilet paper late at night decorating fellow students and school staff members' homes.

We used to TP back in my day. But not as a mission from GOD! We'd grab a few extra rolls from our homes and sneak out from slumber parties to giggle whilst we decorated a few trees at a certain boy's house. We didn't go to Wal-Mart (which wasn't invented yet) and buy a 24 pack of tissue to strategically dominate a house. Kids today - so competitive!

We attended last night's homecoming football game. Creston dominated Red Oak, so we left at half time - leading 41-0. They were announcing the homecoming queen and her princesses as they walked across the field with their parents.

Always reminds me of how proud Paul and I were to walk across the field with Amy, a princess. Queen was Haley Walters, and other princesses Shawna Miller, Amanda Miller, and Amy Duree. That year Creston was playing Atlantic - kind of ironic for me. As we lined up on the visitor's side of the field to walk our beautiful girl across, who should be sitting there but our former Activities Director from AHS, Rollie Dyer - in a lawn chair. I introduced myself, Amy and Paul. A proud moment for me. (I'm sure he was thinking that do-nothing has a kid that is that successful? As they listed all Amy's awards and activities.

Not the best photo - but that's us, crossing the field

And then how proud we were of Jud during his senior year, surprising everyone as an All District punter. Standing by him down on the track for Senior Night was such a thrill. He seemed so tall, strong and handsome. And watching his 60+ yard punt against Harlan - I was a parent basking in the reflected glory of my child.

This must be the "first day of school" pic - Amy's senior year, Jud is a frosh.

Amy lined up this date for Jud - with the hottie new girl in town, Mary McCracken. Look how young he was!

By his senior year, Jud was a little more filled out and about a foot taller...

Last night was other parents time to bask. I was a little chilly. It was my time to go home early. I was beat from waking up in the middle of the night to greet my wayward husband and lay awake hearing about his hunting adventure for 2 hours.