The traveler is back (my 1,100th BLOG!)

Light the fireworks - it's my 1,100th Blog! Hard to believe, when I started writing this blog a few years ago, that I'd be where I am today. I'm a happy blogger - no longer the same kind of commuter that I was when I began writing this blog. But glad to still have a forum for my thoughts, memories and words. Thanks readers!

I don't sleep well when my baby is gone. Which seems dumb since he kinda snores - even worse than Odie! I even drag my feet at going to bed when he's not around - staying up later than usual.

This past week I worked on Genealogy stuff on my computer - the Morehead clan (Mom's fam). They originated in Bedford County, Pennsylvania and ended up in eastern Iowa - around Tipton. I know it seems dumb, but I get jacked up when I find a grave or Internet information and can fill in a birth or death date. Right now it's all on a free site - which is dumb. I need to get it all someplace I control. I plan to sign up for a genealogy class West Des Moines is hosting this fall - then I'll get some good tips!

Kevin and Al - hunting mates - both do what Paul used to for the Natural Resources Conservation Services

Paul arrived home from his hunting trip early this morning - causing me to get only a few hours sleep. Odie was pretty excited to see her papa! Of course after he showered (it had been 7+ days - the man was stinky!) he climbed into to bed and we talked for a half hour or so. Then we got up around 7 and hit the Farmer's Market. He's craving carbs and a breakfast burrito hit the spot! We did a bunch of other shopping too. So great to have my partner in crime back home!


That's Al up there

Of course we had to tell each other all the news and stories we stored up throughout the time we were apart. Me - work and other stuff. Him - hunting. You must know this involves all the nuances of hunting. No - you don't understand if you've never been married to a hunter. Jeanne Piel gets it! She and I used to laugh about how Rick and Paul would relate their hunting stories to us: "The (insert animal or bird) turned (insert direction) it went (insert the description of the landscape the creature went through or over). It's head turned (insert). The (antlers/beard/length of fish) was X.

My honey

The only thing nearly as scintillating as that is hearing a play-by-play of your spouse's golf game. I got to hear more today - even the second hand story of Al's big miss. I smile and nod. Hey it's important to him. I'm sure some of the things I tell him are not all that exciting. You've seen the Owl commercial? I love that one - it goes something like this: (I think it's about all men). Her "I'll be home late I'm having a drink with Charlene from work" Him - "Who?" Her: "You know - Charlene" Him "Who?"

Despite the fact that he doesn't often really listen to what I have to say, I'm so very happy to have Pablo back to say "Who?". We went to church tonight at 4:30. Father Jim Kiernan (retired) filled in. He's a chaplain. His phone started ringing as he preached - he finally answered it - we could hear it through is microphone. He said, "they probably want me at the hospital but I'm stuck with you!" He's a funny guy who is old enough he tells it like it is!

During his sermon, he talked right to the kids as well as the oldsters like us. He asked them if they said "hi" to the unpopular kids. Fr. Jim used to teach at St. Alberts High School - He was used to teaching teens and was called upon to talk to younger kids a few times. He hated it. He said third graders all raise their hands like they know everything - then, when called upon, they just say anything that comes into their heads.

Father told the St. Francis girls they were beautiful but  - "you boys are ugly", he said. He said it's his usual line when he works with school kids. He said at one school a boy stood up and said, "but Father, you're one of us!" That got a laugh. Father Kiernan always gives a running description of what each part of the Mass means. I like that. He's a "tell it like it is guy".

After church we went to Granite City for drinks and dinner. We sat outside, and spied Ray and Bev Courtney leaving the restaurant with son Tyler and his fam. Creston connections are truly everywhere in DSM.

Are you ready for some football?

It's the opening game of professional football tonight. Even though Pablo isn't here (he should be home from his hunting trip at O dark thirty Saturday), I've got the Denver/Baltimore game on. It's raining in Denver - where they have no corn planted. Send some our way Rocky Mountain State!

I'll be sick of pro football soon - especially my husband's obsessive need to plan our lives around and watch every Packers game. But tonight, I'm on another little walk down memory lane. Mom and I used to watch Monday night football together in the family room at our home at 202 Crombie. She'd be in her spot on the couch. I'd usually be sprawled on the floor in front of the color screen.

Mom would usually pop some corn on top of the stove - in a metal pan with oil. That method of popping left good old maids! I loved pouring a nice Coca-Cola to go with that - hot over ice. The other things Mom liked to munch on at night were dill pickles and chewy candy fish. Holy crap was she a loud chewer for a high society Cedar Rapids gal!

Ed Podolak - Chief!

The Kansas City Chiefs were our fave team of course - since they were close by, and featured Atlantic's own former Hawkeye Eddie Podolak. His brother Charlie dated my sis Susi way back in the day. Of course I didn't know back then that there was another more worthy university in our state...I had the black and gold glasses on. I also had the good taste to like the Washington Redskins - hmm visions of the colors I'd love later in life? My cousin Richard and I used to argue about who was better - the Chiefs or the Broncos. Rich lives in Denver. My Grandma loved Fran Tarkenton (Vikings) and Roger Staubach (Cowboys). We're a football family. But we were never huge on the Packers like my husband is!

Dad would get home from a hard week selling lingerie (it just doesn't sound right, does it?) on Friday and stop at the insurance company Tom Clithero worked at for "the sheet". He was in DTAC - the Down Town Athletic Club (DTAC) - a group of guys who got together for a football pool. He'd bring it home and sometimes we'd all take a shot at picking the games. He'd turn the sheet in and the winner each week would win X$ and the winner at the end won the big pot of cash. At the end of the season, DTAC held a big banquet with prizes and everything - and oh the prizes! I remember seeing a girlie magazine he brought home one year. But the best was the cat. Perhaps my sisters or Ted Simpson can help fill in this story...

It was a sailcat (probably hit by a car - dead for quite some time. So you could probably hurl it like a Frisbie if you wanted to). Someone took the time to paint it fluorescent pink and put it in a cardboard box that was just the right size for it's little body. It would go well with the Waxing business that I took a photo of yesterday because I believe they called it the Pink Pussy Award. Of course I didn't know what that meant back then... I don't know what Dad won it for. I do remember parading my friends into see the thing!

Mom and Dad used to have a framed photo of Dad from a DTAC banquet - 8x10. He was leaning up against a support beam - and needed support if you know what I mean. He was looking mighty disheveled. That group of friends sure did know how to have a good time!

I don't think any of these groups playing fantasy football have anything over the Atlantic DTAC.

Birthday Walk

I love this pic of Mom and Dad - they must have been dating or newly married

It's Dave Bullfrog's 85th birthday today. My dad. That is one of our nicknames for him. He was born in 1928 in Atlantic, Iowa. He was a heck of a guy - loved by many. I sure miss him! It's been nearly seven years that he's been gone - it was too soon.

There's a shot of my parents with me...I'm probably looking for the lighter fluid to drink...

Dad wasn't the best dad ever when we were growing up. He was gone a lot - working hard to make money to support our family. That's what dads did back then. They didn't engage with the family on all levels - making sure the kids did their homework - talking to them about emotional issues. Dad did things like snap my bra when I was uber embarrassed in the first place about wearing one. Then he let Mom deal with the fallout...hmmm come to think of it, maybe he's in purgatory. haha

But he was a fun-boy and we loved him. So I forgave him - eventually - even after he embarrassed me. And when I grew up - he was a wonderful dad - giving advice when needed and not sticking his nose in otherwise. He was a swell grandpa too. The kids loved it when he took them to "feed the ducks" and all the other Country Club activities. In Marco Island, Dad would pop popcorn to feed the gulls and would help the kids prepare shells to take back to their classmates. He was a real hands on Grandpa! (He still didn't handle stuff like Jud spilling soda pop at the Country Club very well...).

Today I pictured him playing golf with his buddies - like Eddie Freese and Tom Clithero. Then they'd have drinks in the heavenly clubhouse. Happy Birthday Big Guy!

To celebrate Dad's bday, I took a walk during my lunch break and took some photos. Readers know how I enjoy that.

Check out the bike on this doorframe of an antique store

Check out this new biz on Grand - a well groomed beaver is a Pink Beaver?

The rest of my walk was fairly uneventful. It felt good to get outside into the late summer heat because the Wallace Building is over-chilled.

The big job news is that I've put in an order for a stand up desk. I'll get a tall chair to go with it - so I won't actually have to stand up all day. In order to raise my workspace up, I asked to move to different cubicle so all 5 foot 6 inches of me won't be tempted to peep into neighboring cubicles. I'm moving into an empty cubicle that is up against a wall. Stay tuned - I will post pics once it's all set up.

I heard from Pablo the Poolboy today. The weather has deteriorated in SW Colorado. It sleeted and the elk are now laying low. He's talking about packing up and heading back either tomorrow or Friday. Yay!

A pic of Pablo from last year

Three degrees of separation

I'm starting to think the world is three degrees of separation from Creston. It's bigger than Kevin Bacon! Now that Paul and I have moved away from there, we keep coming up with Creston connections to everything.

A couple of people at our new home, which is a townhouse (Diamond Brooke), have Creston connections. Gene Gardner (wife Mary Ann) was the president at Southeastern Community College. The Gardners know the Crittendens - Creston's own resident college type folks. Barb has been a college prez for many years already now. Steve is merely a banker, but he gets college status as he goes to college gatherings with Barb. Gene and Mary Ann know him as well. Connie Nixon also lives here at Diamond Brooke. She worked for a company that helped independent hardware stores purchase things. She knew the Seckingtons from Creston.

Now even Amy is getting into it. She's started a new job at Moore Brothers Design + Label Agency. It seems her new boss, Charlie Moore and his family are friends with Don Leith from Creston. Don's son Dean is my friend Patti's um, fiance. (for the past 20ish years now). Small world.

At Moore Brothers, Amy will again be designing labels, but unlike her last job, she'll get to work on lots of different projects. Moore Brothers is a graphic design business that helps with labels, marketing materials and web sites. Amy hopes to be able to help start-up food companies (and others who just want to re-do their present packaging) package their food to get ready to market it. A woman on their staff knows how to prepare the labels for USDA compliance - you know % fat, that kind of stuff. Most new food companies don't have any idea about how to do that. If you know anyone - not just in Denver but anywhere - that wants to package and market a new food - Moore Brothers is who they might wish to talk to.

This story has no Creston connection. During Amy's work hiatus, she helped the guy who lives in the place above her new apartment with cookie deliveries. He's a manager at this place - Check it out: http://www.thedirtycookie.net/ 
Recall that pot is legal in Colorado...picture all those dopers with the munchies. Plus just hungry folks who would like a nice warm cookie. You can get a "Dirty Duo" - cookies, milk and ice cream. One night last week, when Amy was helping, a guy requested that she use a Batman voice when she delivered the cookies. She got a big tip! She said she practiced the voice the whole way there.

I guess Creston people do like Batman and cookies...there IS a connection!
I'm glad she's starting her real job now!



  

Lunch at Costco

I took my neighbor Jo's advice. She's a sample lady at Costco. I talked to her last Sunday when Paul and I went to the Diamond Brooke picnic. We enjoyed the picnic a great deal - it was hot but there was a nice breeze. We were glad many of the new people who have recently moved into the in the 66-unit complex attended. It was nice to meet them.

Around 30 people attended the picnic

Many of the people were original owners of the Diamond Brooke units



Jo, the sample lady told me I should eat at Costco - the samples! So I did that yesterday for lunch. The menu:

• bratwurst bite
• spinach dip with crackers
• cream cheese with salmon
• hamburger bite with bun
• pumpkin chips
• dark chocolate covered pumpkin seeds
• coffee

It was a good light lunch - to tide me over until supper. Of course I had to shop a little too. I didn't buy a bunch of food though - I was full! haha. At home I packed up four bags for Goodwill - some shoes even - it's hard to part with shoes for me...but sometimes I have to tell them - "it's for the best!" They deserve to live in a home where someone loves them. At home I finally took time to organize the pantry shelves - something I'd successfully avoided since moving in.

Then, as a reward, I went to Valley West Mall to the Fit to be Tied Store and bought - you guessed it. Shoes. Just one pair though. I got Merrells for work - so nothing too exciting. That's what happens when papa goes elk hunting...

This morning I made the trek to Creston to have breakfast with my home girls. Bobbie had planned to do a breakfast casserole in the crockpot - but had a timer snafu. Thinking quickly like a good girl scout, she threw it into a casserole pan and baked it. It tasted great! It was nice to see Pat, Linda, Patti and Deb along with Bobbie. We caught up on families and talked about recipes - the usual stuff. I miss that.

Afterwards, Deb and I picked up some cappuccino and drove to Green Valley State Park. Right before we turned in - we saw a near accident as a gal pulled out in front of the pickup going south on the gravel road onto Green Valley Road. I considered my options - as there was no shoulder to pull off onto...but at the last second the truck veered and missed her and me. Phew!

Deb and I sat near the beach and talked. I miss my Debbie talks. About noon, I dropped her off and headed home, listening to a stupid book on CD that I can't seem to pull the plug on. I hate the ones where the women keep making one poor decision after another, especially when it comes to sleazy men. I want to reach in and slap them. I'm glad I surround myself with smart women - that means you, oh readers. ;>) smile.

Must upgrade tailgate experience

That's what Jeff McFee said after last night's game - a loss vs. the University of Northern Iowa. I was expecting a close game - usual against an in-state rival. They bring their A-game to play us. But I wasn't expecting the butt-kicking that felt like. Between that, and the 90 degree heat, it was pretty brutal. Take away the RV tailgating we've grown accustomed to...together with the fact my honey was gone. It was pretty sad.

My day didn't start out badly. I took a nice early morning walk. Then Odie and I drove to the neighborhood Starbucks. I haven't gotten the coffee recipe down for 1 person - it's been too weak since Paul left. He usually makes it in our Bunn-O-Matic drip coffee maker, manufactured right in Creston with Starbucks beans, ground by him. I'll have it down by the time he gets back - then I'll forget again. Anyway - I got a skinny vanilla latte for a million dollars. The barista asked if Odie would like a puppy latte. Um, would she ever! She had to wait until we got home to lap it up and read the paper. haha.

Next we were off to get her nails done. They grow out every three months or so. I like to take her to PetSmart - they use a grinder thing that leaves them smooth. It's $11. The guy was pretty busy - grooming a Westie, so I just stood and waited. Odie moaned the whole time she was on the table! Very dramatic. She was very happy when she was done, and received a nice treat when we got home.

Bobbie and Jeff arrived about 1 p.m. I was packed up and ready to go. I even remembered to put the tickets and parking pass in my purse ahead! It was a lot of pressure doing all this without Pablo to help. We decided to eat lunch at Mavericks before heading to Ames - out of the heat. We were the only Cyclones amidst Hawk fans there, but didn't take any heat.

We arrived at C4, our parking area, about 3 p.m. and there were still many spots to choose from. I think many were avoiding the heat. B & J had picked up Don's tent - to help shade us from the sun. That was a life-saver! We got that set up along with our chairs and plopped down with our drinks sweating. No TV, so we just sat and talked. I wasn't really hungry. We were parked next to ISU punter Kirby Van Der Kamp's family. We noted how they were using a generator for crock pots. We may need to get a generator for a TV and crock pots.

Soon our friends Bob and Sheryl Young walked by with their son Jesse. They stopped to chat. Then Beth and Todd Nielson came. They were our Creston neighbors - good to catch up with them. Hard to believe twins Olivia and Evan are seniors, and Alex, a junior, helped the CHS Panthers defeat Chariton the night before. Then Kimmy McFee arrived with her new roomie and bf. Kim just returned to school at ISU to obtain a degree in genetics. It was nice to see my little buddy - she was using Paul's ticket. She has been dog sitting for us the past year - we'll miss having her in DSM. Putting the tent back in the back before we headed to the game proved to be a team effort, but we got it done (it might not be too pretty though). Don and Diana arrived just in time to head to the game.

Folding up the tent - with Kim and her roomie's BF's help

It was damn hot at game time. They did allow people to take full bottles of water in. It was nice to see our usual seat neighbors - Pam and Randy from Carroll and Andrea and her husband, the enthusiastic guy from Ankeny. Even the lady behind us that Diana chewed out a couple years ago seemed happy to see us! Kim got to hear that lady yell "Run forward" throughout the game, as we have the past few years. So enlightening! Stofferahns sit by us too, but we sure missed Higgins who didn't renew their tickets this year. The place was packed though.

The air seemed to go out of the crowd quickly - between the play of the team and the heat. The Cyclones couldn't get much going on offense and the D could not stop the UNI Panthers. At halftime we were behind, and the UNI band played. They sounded great! The normally excellent ISU band tried to do a medley using the giant video screen between songs - but it didn't work for me. Every time I started enjoying a song, they'd stop playing it. It was like they tried too hard. Maybe that was what was wrong with the football team too - they were trying too hard to tackle so they missed! Right...

Paul texted me a couple times during the game. I tried texting him game updates, but I'm not sure they got through. He's lucky he was spared from seeing this though. Jud too - who is with gf Kara in Nashville this weekend doing the tourist thing. Good choices for my guys. I'm glad they're finding other outlets besides football. What's wrong with me?

By the end of the game, I was a tired, melted, disgusted fan. I just wanted to get home and shower the day off of me. Jeff had a great quote. "I think I'm going to need an improved tailgating experience to get through another game like that." That is fo sho!

Kicking off another season

We're kicking off another football season today! It will be a different one. For one thing, I'll be without my honey. Paul texted Friday to say the hunting group had arrived at their camp near Ouray, Colorado. It's very lush and green there, he said, since they've had lots of rain. A nice change from past years in that area. Good luck me amore. I don't really want a fricking giant elk $ head in the basement - but know how much joy that would bring you.

This year, we will be tailgating at Iowa State Cyclone games without an RV for the first time in several years. Don and Diana have traded up - a home on Lake of the Ozarks for a 1992 Pace Arrow Recreational Vehicle. (Okay they had to get a home loan and the RV cash is really just helping with some of the cost of remodeling.) But the fact is - we won't be tailgating in the RV lot any longer.

Donnie had an ISU skin put on it when the new logo came out - so it looked sharp! (so did we in our snuggies)

 

Paul grilled often - we had the routine down.

The new lake place is a work in progress - but is moving along nicely!

Cap'n Don is at home behind the wheel of his new pontoon, just like he drove the RV.
 

I'm sad that tailgating, as we've been so spoiled to be accustomed to, is over. But that's the way life goes. Life changes all the time. Last fall was different because we weren't there to "pre-tailgate" with the gang on Thursday nights before home games. We moved away and life changed for us in a big way then.

 

Those pre-tailgating nights were sometimes more fun than the actual games because we didn't have the stress of entertaining any other tailgaters - nor the stress of the actual game! (some of us actually care about football - not just the party). On pre-tailgate Thursdays, we delivered food, chairs and liquor to McKim's home in Creston and ended up staying there - setting up lawn chairs in their driveway, if it was nice out - or sitting in the RV if it was chilly. Sometimes we would get pizza delivered. One time Dan Coen brought it to us from A&G because it was on his way home. Ryan McKim usually got stuck with the duty during his year coaching in Creston.  

 

Important decisions were made in those group meetings! We came up with the menu for game day, and split up who would bring what. And a lot of other real, real important stuff. And stuff. Yeah! It was often hard to get up for work on Friday. We had a lot of fun. McKim's neighbors thought we were nuts. Paul Eckhoff was known to stick his head in to give us the Hawkeye perspective now and then.

 

McKims drove the RV up to Ames on Friday nights to get a good spot in D2 in the RV Parking area. Lots of ISU games were early, so Paul and I often found ourselves heading there from Creston bright and early on game days to assist with RV setup and to help cook. One year we went through every type of breakfast food we could think of - burritos, casseroles, Egg Mcmuffins. Good thing we had Pablo's Bloody Marys to keep us company. The RV kept us toasty too - I'll miss that plush velour seating. And the toilet facilities! It was also a plus to have somewhere to be able to change clothes if one needed to - put on longjohns or take 'em off.

 

Our RV connection helped us be in the "popular" group. People from all areas of our lives stopped by to see us at our tailgate.  College, work, Creston, former Creston - they all came and they'd hang around - to have some food, watch the TV Don set up on the side of the RV, under the awning. If they were young cute girls (and of age) Don would set them up with shots. Don likes to make shots for girls.

 

Jud's college buddies went all through 4 years of school spoiled by the RV. And then even after they graduated they found they liked to hang out and play the bags game and eat - even if Jud couldn't make it to the game from his home in St. Joe. Amy surprised me there for one birthday - it was quite a shocker. I was speechless, if you can imagine that. We like seeing her friends Ginger and 'Chelle at games, and the McFee children. Katie McKim brought the "grandpuppy" Lena last year. 

 

We've gotten to know Don and Diana's marvelous parents during these past years of RV tailgating. They didn't come for the games - though they'd watch on the RV TV. They just liked bringing food and hanging with their families. I really have enjoyed that, especially since our parents have left us - too early. There is something about hanging with that generation that is calming. Except when you hang with Margaret - who is an enabler....It's been fun. I'll miss it. I doubt D & D will miss the messes they were left with on Sundays (Mrs. Clean, Diana had to scrub everything down each week), though I know they loved seeing everyone too. Their son Ryan, who has been on the ISU football staff in some role or another (except for that one year when he coached in Creston) since 2006, took a job with the Oklahoma Sooner staff. He's an assistant special teams coach. So no sidelines passes or high-fiving Ryan as he does the Spirit Walk this year. Changes - they just keep coming. It makes life interesting, no?

 

Now we'll come up with a new routine. Maybe we'll be the ones to visit someone else's RV! Paul and I have a parking pass so that's what we're going with tomorrow. Bobbie and Jeff will pick me up. It will be hot as hell so I'm in no rush. We have a tent, so we can get out of the sun. Game time is 7 p.m. Don and Dee will be running late - coming over from Margaret's family reunion near Lincoln, NE. We'll find a way to have fun. Because that's how we roll. Don't worry - you'll see pictures.

Go Cyclones!  

 

 

It made a great backdrop.