Et me Brutae...and other stuff

Have you ever noticed "not that nice" behaviors in others that you recognize in yourself? I had that occasion this week while traveling with a group. We stopped at a rest area and one party member expressed displeasure with our parking spot. It wasn't close enough to the door - though it was only a couple spots from the absolute closest spot we could have gotten.

I wasn't driving, but I felt bad for the guy at the wheel. He took it like a husband used to such criticism. Like my husband. I myself have been a parking Nazi - critical of where Paul chooses to park, especially in winter. From the outside looking in, the behavior didn't look good. I vow to try for better behavior when it comes to parking. And other similar things like driving. It got my attention.

Other Stuff
You may have read Amy's recent blog. Amy's Blog
She comes home in about a week. Yippy! That kid is doing some cool things. She had a run in with a bad ass taxi driver a couple days ago. He tried to extort her for $90 for a 15 minute taxi ride. The accident and that taxi have been the only two things she's let us know about that have freaked her out. Can't wait to hear...the REST of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say.

Last night we attended Morgan Conn's Des Moines Christian High School softball game. Morgan is my ISU roommate Jane's daughter. Jane and her son Jacob, and Jane's sister Susan were there at the game. It was fun to see them all. Jane told us that DM Christian wasn't going to be able to field a team this summer because not enough girls were going to go out for the sport. It takes a lot of time! So Morgan talked a couple friends into joining her and she put in the time to go out for softball - after she graduated from high school! She hadn't played the sport since 7th grade. What a kid!

I'm sorry this lousy pic doesn't show Morgan who I think is behind #42

Morgan will attend ISU next year - she received a great scholarship in the food/nutrition department - 4 years of tuition! Way to go kiddo! They won the game and will play again on Monday night in Boone. Jane has done a great job raising her kids and can be very proud. I look forward to seeing Jane and Morgan at ISU football games this fall.

On the ride in

Strudel ahead!

Strudel!

This morning Paul and I loaded up the bikes on the rack on his car and drove to Gray's Lake in downtown. Then we rode a couple miles to the Farmer's Market - wearing our backpacks for stuff we knew we'd purchase. They have a bike valet service at the market that is free. I remembered to take my own coffee cup today so I didn't have to do Styrofoam! The market wasn't as crowded today - I'm not sure why. There was a DM Public Works thing going on at the Court Avenue Bridge too.

We scored some Iowa sweetcorn, got a couple baby gifts - our young friends keep popping out those babies recently! Congrats to Christine and Ryan (Christine was a consultant who worked with me when I ran the landfill and we still see each other lots through work) who are parents of Ethan born July 3rd and Karla and Andrew - (Karla worked for Paul in Creston) who had a little girl, Payton, to join big sis Lilly, two days ago.

Paul pointed out this t-shirt..didn't buy, but liked it!

We talked to the DM Public works people about bike trails and got free trail maps and a long sleeve t-shirt left over from a ride a couple years ago. I can't ever resist checking out the pony rides. Those were so thrilling when I was little.

Takes me back to my Bar-L Ranch days...

As we rode back to Gray's Lake  (we went the other way back, riding east) we saw the Color Run taking place. My friend Mona Jones' daughter Dru was running with friends. I would have liked to meet her, but figured meeting an old friend of her mom's was probably low on her list of things to do in DSM. Yeah, I can still remember what it was like to be 18!

This is a 5K for charity where participants get sprayed with colorant along the route.
 

I loved riding bikes around Gray's Lake on the trail! There were a lot of people walking, running and riding. It makes me feel so alive and happy to live in a place with active people and things to do. We need to continue investigating the trail system! I'd like to kayak at Gray's Lake sometime too. So many activities, so little time.

Odie update. Odie has weakness in her hind legs with no pain. She is on pain medication, but the vet and I are concerned that she has bad spinal stuff going on. It could progress or not. She's always been such a leaper - which is very bad for dogs like her. We need to baby her back from now on. Send good thoughts her way!

Jim

My friend and workmate Jim was scheduled for a stem cell transplant today in Iowa City. I am thinking of him and sending up prayers to a higher power, whoever that may be. I met Jim Bodensteiner nearly five years ago - when I first started working at DNR. I didn't find out that he was in remission from what I believe was non Hodgkins Lymphoma until many months later. I was shocked.

He's a private guy, and just didn't want to share that information. Somebody else actually told me about it. That's the kind of guy he is. Jim is 62 years old, and now that cancer has returned, he's decided to retire from DNR. He has worked as the Solid Waste Alternatives Program coordinator for the past few years - assisting people who apply for grant funding for waste diversion. He was never too busy to answer questions or help someone working on a grant app with a budget.

JaimeBo, as my co-worker Scott and I named him on one of our roadtrips, is the nicest guy ever. We decided we had to come up with a meanish nickname because sometimes Jim really needed to talk a little sense into some of our stakeholders. We thought he should morph into his alter-ego - JaimeBo. It didn't really happen though. Jim was too nice.

I liked talking to Jim about pets. He and his granddaughter volunteered at the Animal Rescue League - handling pets that were to be adopted. Jim loves his cats, and he would enjoy getting a dog someday. Maybe now that he's retired, he can. Jim patiently listened to my stories about my pets - and commiserated with me when Kitty died.

Jim will be in isolation in Iowa City for several weeks, and even when he comes home - they live in Altoona, he won't even be able to open the house windows. We won't get to see him for a long time. My supervisor called Jim to see if he and wife Jackie would consider accepting a benefit DNR staffers would put on for them. Nope - they're doing just fine they say. Jen said Jim sounded good last week when she spoke to him, just before they left for Iowa City.

Mick, one of the engineers on staff suggests we hold a retirement party for Jim "In Absentia". I think Jim might like that. On today's road trip to Cedar Rapids we talked about doing something like that - taking pictures and signing a big card for Jim. I said we could spell out his name in bodies - but Bodensteiner is kinda long...

God Bless you Jim. Thinking of you!

Jim might have considered going JaimeBo here, but didn't...

Susi and the Baby! (Uncle Harv) and a walk

My sister Susan is now an Uncle Harv. One time she told me that she worked with a guy that didn't want to be called Grandpa. So he was going to have his grandchildren call him Uncle Harv, or Tom or something like that. Anything but Grandpa. I'm not sure what little James will call Susi. Nanna, Gramma or Momo. Whatever it is...I'm sure she'll love it!

Susi has arrived in Pasadena to help with baby care! She looks like a natural.  

I took a power walk after work tonight. I'm worried about Odie. She isn't jumping - because she's sore or weak - I'm not sure which. I had her anal glands attended to yesterday to see if that might help. I'm hoping she's just still sore from that. I figure it's a bit like hemorrhoids. But today she's still not jumping. The vet yesterday checked her back and legs and they seemed okay. Wiener dogs can have back problems. So I'm worried. If it's not your wandering kids, it's your dog. Walks help relax me.

On the corner of 68th and EP True- you can see Jordan Creek Mall in the distance

I walked along Elmer P. True Parkway and let dog problems fade away. I checked out progress on the new apartments. Who will live in all those units I pondered? Then I began to think about the apartments I lived in through the years.

Our Big 4 (Sal, Vic, Jane and me) first apartment in Ames - at 230 Campus Avenue. It was brand new in 1978 when we moved in, built by real estate guru Scott Randall. We paid $80 each per month that first year - for a two bedroom (2 girls per room).  The apartment was fully furnished - plaid couch/chairs and kitchen table with vinyl chairs, twin beds. I bet they've installed dishwashers at the place by now - but back then we were washing by hand. Vic, Jane, Sally and I sure had a lot of fun there. And that's where I met Paul - he lived in the 200's and we were in the 400's. When it came time to put together a co-ed softball team, he knocked on our door. He hasn't stopped knocking since!

After life pulled the college rug out from under me - graduation is a cruel thing after one has grown used to hanging with 3 best friends daily and partying several times a week. I was fortunate enough to land a job so I didn't have to move home to Atlantic. I found a furnished apartment in Sioux Falls South Dakota. The bed had seen better days. Ick. I lived there about ten months before I moved to Omaha.

Chris Deardorff helped me look for a place to live in Omaha. We checked out several and I ended up with a nice unfurnished apartment with cathedral ceilings on 144th and Pacific. I also went to Nebraska Furniture Mart and selected a couch, a queen sized bed and bedroom furniture and a butcher block table and four chairs. Exciting! Good thing I was a single girl and had actually saved money from working. Then I got engaged to that door knocking guy. He had gotten a job in Oakland, Iowa by then.

We decided to live partway in between our jobs - in Council Bluffs. We looked at a few options for living quarters - including a home on Lake Manawa. But we ended up living at an apartment on Little John Circle. Betso even lived there with us before we got married - keepin' things legit ya know. That was a nice 2 bedroom 2 bath place nestled up against a bluff and well-maintained. That was the end of apartment life for us though - when we moved to Osage we found a house to rent.

This place we thought about buying is right on 60th and had just been re-done

It took a while to think all through this. I walked to 60th and up to Ashworth. I took photos of a place we considered buying and that cool barn - the Aldrich Barnes place. It was a good workout in the steamy heat with a few light sprinkles.

I'd never noticed this sign before - we have Aldrich relatives on the Bullock side...

This barn is now sitting on some lucrative West Des Moines property

On the back side of the barn, development is taking place - looking south at Jordan Creek Mall

 

Last I walked by St. Francis, our church before turning south again on the home stretch. It was a nice 3.5 mile jaunt. Odie has a vet appointment on Thursday if she's not better by then. Tomorrow I'm off to Cedar Rapids.

St. Francis of Assisi

 



Odie - my bambino!

Market Regulars, Jud's Visit, Pie

The beer chasers in this photo had bacon in them - and were icky!

Pablo and I are becoming Des Moines Farmer's Market regulars. This week we were happy to meet our friends Jane Ertl and Ken Root downtown at the market. They traveled in from their home in Dyersville for some business in the area and we made plans to meet Saturday Morning at 7:30 a.m. - you know where. Ken was gadabout the whole time we were there - being the ag radio guy that he is. Heck, he wrote the TV commercial for the Busy Bee Garden Center. He knows most of the vendors up and down the street and was gathering plants for the garden he's getting started in Dville.

Paul, Jane and I headed for Farmboy Hearty Food Company - for breakfast burritos. The gal that takes the burrito cash knows me. Yep! I'm important. The family that runs this successful business is from Prescott, just west of Creston and her husband works at the Creston News Advertiser. (I wish I knew her name). She remember back when I wrote a monthly column in that paper. Awww - that warms my heart. Or ego or something. Plus the burritos are darn good!

The flowers at the market always perk me up

Paul is addicted to the Farmer's Market strawberries. This week I talked him into buying a bunch of rhubarb - and you know what that means! No? Let me tell you.

We lived in Osage, Iowa for a couple years - from 1984 until 1986 when Amy turned 1 year old. The neighbor who lived in the house just north of our rental place, Mrs. Clara Wall, was a very nice lady who brought us a homemade pie that first spring after we moved in. It was the best pie ever - rhubarb with French vanilla pudding. (In the small world department - when we moved to Creston, we met Mark and Pam Wall, who were about our age. Mark is Clara Wall's son!)

Laura Goldsmith, bless her heart, taught young Paul Goldsmith how to bake pies. So I've never been charged with that task. I'm the cookie, bar and cake (except Angel Food) maker. Paul does pies. He even makes crusts! We got special Rhubarb Pie from Clara Wall before we moved south - so Pablo could bake that pie. We tried to grow our own rhubarb - transplanting some from the Joe Carroll household down by Rainbow Park in Creston. The Carroll Fam kindly gave us some of the plant after we rode our bikes by their house one year. Joe was out gardening, and we professed our love for the stuff. That's all it took. Nice people.

Paul confessed recently that perhaps he got carried away with weed killer. That was the end of our rhubarb. Regardless, we don't need to worry about growing it these days. We can purchase the fruits of other peoples' labor. I also purchased red potatoes and bread and Paul bought corn. We were set! Then it was Bloody Mary time at CABCO (Court Avenue Brewing Company). Such a gorgeous morning. We were lucky to snag a few chairs outside on their patio. After 1 drink, we headed home with our wares, leaving Jane and Ken to lunch with Ken's CABCO buddies (he still has his own mug there).

Jud got here about 3:00 p.m. Saturday. He had dropped Kara off at the airport that day - she was on her way to Ohio for work. We were out riding our bikes when he arrived and he was sitting on the steps of our place when we rode in. He was ready to go to Jethro's for some wings. That night we went to the Lone Ranger movie - I'd advise waiting for it to come out on DVD. It was entertaining but not great.

Rapt Attention

Sunday "dinner" menu for our baby boy: steak - sirloin, a chopped salad - kind of oriental, a mix I bought at HyVee, the red potatoes sliced with Hidden Valley Ranch and some onions/carrots, corn, garlic bread from the market (with special olive oil from Northfield, MN) and the rhubarb pie. Fabuloso!

After our food comas were over, we headed to Valley Southridge School to watch Capital City League hoops. Iowa State present and future players scrimmage Drake and other players. Jud and Paul are huge fans of sports. They follow recruiting and watch videos of high school players. I enjoyed watching them watch the game more than the game. A Creston lad who will play at Simpson College plays on one of the teams. We talked to his dad at the game. Phoenix Recycling company sponsors one of the teams, and Tony Colosimo - one of the company owners - I guy I've known for years, coaches a team. Small world.

Tony in purple polo

Creston's Trey Thompsen

Jud took off about 6 p.m. for St. Joe not long after the 2nd game started, and we came home. It was nice to have him home. We miss Amy. I received a short email from her today - she and Rachelle are in Uvita Costa Rica - which looks like a beautiful remote beach. They head to San Jose on Tuesday.

My Little Sis Chiya reports she is leaving Wednesday for Mississippi. She's not sure how long she's going to be gone. I'm feeling abandoned by my kids!

My sis Susi got to meet her new grandson James in person today. I can't wait to see pics! It's going to be hard to go back to work tomorrow. Weekends are fun.

Amy update, Jud's coming and Yankee Doodle Pops

We heard from our darlin' girl a couple times this week. She was joined in Panama on Sunday June 30th by college roomie Rachelle, who will travel with her for 10 days.

Rachelle is a teacher in Ames. She had not traveled outside the United States before - so this is quite the adventure for her! Amy met Rachelle in the airport so she didn't have to maneuver around there all by herself. The girls knocked around Panama City for a couple days, staying in the Spanish In the City Hostel for $12.50 per night. Amy reported Panama City was "awesome".

Next they are on to Boquete, Panama - which I see is listed as a retirement town for Americans and Canadians. They went on a coffee plantation tour, which Amy loved. She purchased a burlap sack.

Amy so reminds of my mom. She is so fascinated with travel and seeing the sites of foreign lands. She enjoys researching where she is going on each leg of this trip and what she will see. As Amy put together the trip, she built a spreadsheet on Google Docs showing where she'll be each day, with color codes for type of transportation she'll use, and columns for town, country, accommodations and cost. (called "where I rest my noggin") Yes, perhaps a little OCD going on...in a good way.

They are off to Costa Rica today, the 4th. They are still doing some planning for the activities there. Some of the locals suggest things to do and Rachelle took her iPad, which helps for booking when they are near WiFi. Paul and I still count down the days until Amy comes back on to our place on the 22nd. She has the price of that listed as FREE. (She's sadly mistaken - we will make her pay in hugs).

Judson David will be appearing at our doorstep this Saturday all by his lonesome. GF Kara is traveling for work. Though we saw him at Kelli Behr's wedding in early June, it seems we haven't really talked with him for a while. So this will be a treat! Odie will be happy to see her bro too.

Last night Paul and I attended Yankee Doodle Pops in Governors Plaza right by my office. Since 2009 I have watched the setup for this event, but have headed back to Creston for Independence Day where we hosted friends to watch fireworks off our driveway. Except Conover's trees grew and we began wandering over to their driveway the past few years...

It's a new era and we're trying new things! We headed back downtown after a stop at home for the pooch. We parked on the west side of the river just south of Wells Fargo Arena for quick getaway later and had a sandwich at the Standard, which was very quiet - though cars were streaming by on their way to the Iowa Cubs game.

Next we stopped at Lime for a cocktail and met some people from Norwalk who know Creston natives Tracy and Karla Purdum. Our new friends' daughter must have played volleyball against Amy, we decided. We talked concerts with our friends, and the bartender who is also a big Fleetwood Mac fan. Well drinks were $1, so the vodka cranberry tasted specially good.  Then we walked the couple blocks east to find a spot for our chairs for the show.

It was already packed - I saw people setting up their chairs and blankets before I left work at 4 p.m. So our 7:30 p.m. arrival was late...we located near the Wallace Building and couldn't really see a thing. The sound system was good though.

We noticed this youngster rolling down the hill - reminding us of the time little Jordan Alvillar did that at Mom and Dad's in Atlantic. She ended up with chigger bites in places where the sun don't shine. That resulted in me sending a text photo to all parties with some hilarious comebacks from my fam - including new Momma Leslie, who sent a pic back of baby James. Aww.

The evening featured the Des Moines Symphony playing many traditional patriotic tunes such as - the Star Spangled Banner, When the Saints Go Marching In, and we got a real treat when nationally known Iowa grown baritone Simon Estes sang God Bless America. The guy is getting up there - he graduated from the U of I in 1957, but he still has the pipes!

I can't resist a pic of that reflection...

The DM Symphony

 

As the sun slowly went down on the night, they broke out the Sousa songs (Dad would have loved it) - and the booming fireworks. Since the trees were in the way, Paul packed up the chairs and we began walking toward our car.

That's Paul in the visor on the right

We walked across the footbridge by Wells Fargo

We are so fortunate to be Americans - to be able to calmly take in a beautiful evening like Paul and I did last night. God Bless America!

We were supposed to be paddling...

My friend Deb and I set a date for a NE Iowa, SE MN kayaking trip several month ago. We decided to go in June in case it was dry again like last year...we wanted to go while the rivers still had water in them. HA! Mother Nature sure fooled us. Again. She rules.

Yet Deb and I could have fun in a paper bag. So we decided to go anyway - take that Mom N! So we loaded up the bikes last Thursday night (she worked late in Creston that day and drove up after) and headed out Friday morning after a walk near our house and breakfast at the Waveland. I know - I've become a regular there!

We were so into our initial catch up chat that I missed the turn...we ended up weaving our way through Minnesota and Iowa on our way to Lanesboro, MN, our weekend spot - arriving about 3 p.m. Then we checked into our bed and breakfast - the Stone Mill Inn, Lanesboro. The Mill Room - which is the only room in the room with the checkout area. We hauled our stuff in, put our bikes in the barn and went to the work of shopping.

I got this coaster for Pablo

Lanesboro is a small picturesque town built along the Root River. There are some cute little shops and some nice places to get a beverage there too. And we did! One gift store tickles my fancy.

And I don't know why I bother working for the Department of Natural Resources anymore as I now have a new talent...I tell fortunes...I got this so I can predict the shit out of my high school friends' lives when we get together in October.

Lanesboro is one of the few remaining towns with one of these.

Deb is pretending to be Superwoman - changing clothes...

Our B&B had a wine and cheese reception. It was that sweet local wine, but I suffered and drank zinfandel anyway and we chatted with other patrons. We rested after and changed for supper. I was delighted to find out there was a GASP martini bar in town. This was a new development since the last time I was here. We walked the 2 blocks to the restaurant and found a little corner table for a couple martinis and supper. The food was nothing special, but the martinis were good.

Deb pretends to own the place

During the night, it started raining. A lot. It didn't stop by morning - so biking was out. We were disappointed to find out the breakfast part of the deal was only continental. What? I was looking forward to something yummy and hot. We had the whole check in desk to ourselves that morning early...when the clerks are away...

Cheers!

 Deb and I headed south (after going north due to a detour) to Harmony to the huge antique mall. One of the many Amish families in the area was sitting outside the store selling their wares in the rain. I told Deb they looked like they needed blast jackets. Remember that term? Mom used to call our jackets that...anyway the bonnets they were wearing weren't cutting it...we wondered where this guy had disappeared to. He stiffer than ever and in not living in Harmony.

Love me tender!

We at lunch in Preston, then headed back to Lanesboro. After cleaning up - that shopping is dirty stuff - I picked up some items we had scoped out earlier. One of the coolest things happened when we went into a store that re-purposes things and I saw this:

 What - you don't know what it is? The shopkeepers were amazed that I did, when I said, "Hey, it's a Dey-timer!" This one is bigger than ours, but the one Mom spied in the basement of Bullock's store and had refurbished looks nicer and has a top. The piece, that was an old clock used by workers to punch in and out sits by my chair.

Saw this sign at the recycling store

That night, after a couple more martinis, Deb and I joined a group at the art store reception for an artist who received a grant. We got there just in time for her speech - and for wine, chips and salsa! The locals may have wondered who we were...

That night, I had a fabulous meal of Red Snapper.

Sunday broke with no wet stuff falling from the sky. A minor miracle! We broke out the bikes and rode the trail until we ran into some mud. Then we made a circuit around town - including a huge long hill. Then we headed home, stopping in Osage for a winner winner chicken dinner.

You can see where the flooding has been around the parking lot

I loved having time with my good friend Deb. We never ran out of things to talk about. Saturday night we broke out our fave book "If" by Evelyn McFarlane - and discussed questions like "Who do you most want to be like?" and "What Pro Team would you like to coach?"

Can't wait for our next trip!

Welcome James Calvin

pre-baby birth

My niece Leslie had a baby yesterday - James Calvin Lopez, 6 lbs 11oz, 21 inches. This carries the Bullock genes into one more generation. I'm happy, and think that Mom and Dad - somewhere, somehow are happy too.

James - day 1. Isn't he adorable!?!

I think back about seeing Leslie for the first time - she was just a few weeks old when Cindo and Bolder got married August 18, 1984. She was so tiny!

And now she and husband Jordan have their own tiny little guy. Can't wait to meet him in person.