Garden tour to Cherokee

Up for devos.  Denny was up early and headed to Boone to meet Jeff and go to the ISU UNI football game.  I went to Bob and Teresa's coffee at 7:30.  Jane and Jack H. and a neighbor came to enjoy the pinterest yard that they have.  SO pretty.  I headed to Cherokee where Mo Johnsons were visiting the Cooks.  It was a fun afternoon.  We had wraps for lunch, with chips and apple pie and lots to eat while we watched the game.  Hurrah for the ISU WIN after a LONG game.  We played outside slingshot, kickball, strider, bikes, carpet ball and the tacos.  I headed back to Arthur to meet with Pete and Whitney at church.  Denny got home a little after me.  

TJ Day

Water exercise at 5:30, sauna, and then head to Cherokee.  Tyler was sleeping on mom and Jack was moving full speed ahead when I got there.  I got to hold Tyler while Mandy did a task.  When it was time for the little one to sleep uninterrupted, he went to the spring baby holder and I started cutting up peppers.  Mandy and Tyler went to the chiropractor and Jack and I played outside with bubbles.  Kathy R. texted that they picked huge avocados from out tree.  Jealous, but glad they are enjoying them.  One good thing about August in Texas.  I watched both little guys while Mandy and Jason went to look at a van for the family of 4.  After lunch I headed to Spencer to enter 2 paintings and 12 photographs in the Clay county fair.  I got home about 6.  Wonderful day.  Denny spent the day successfully fixing the bush hog mower ... and lights in the bunk house ... and something else, too.

Jack can help and put Tyler's pacifier in his mouth.  

Iowa

Up for AM mix.  Then home.  I picked some flowers to take to Susan's.  and didn't do very much else all am.  Study at Susan's TP.SG.LS,JP,O, At 5:30 we picked up Jacob and Bethany and they treated us to supper in Carroll.  YUM!!! great steaks.  Fun night.

RULES OF RURAL IOWA ARE AS FOLLOWS: 

1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.
2. Turn your cap right, your head isn't crooked.
3. Let's get this straight; it's called a 'dirt road.' I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.
4. They are cattle. They're live steaks. That's why they smell funny to you. But they smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-80 goes east and west, I-35 goes north and south. Pick one.
5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $150,000 combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year.
6. So every person in rural Iowa waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.
7. If that cell phone rings while an 8-point buck and 3 does are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.
8. Yeah, we eat taters, gravy, beans and cornbread. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at Jim's bait shop..
9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.
10. We open doors for women. That is applied to all women, regardless of age.
11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak. Or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey.
12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three seasonings - salt, pepper, and ketchup. Oh, yeah.... We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat ... IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!!
13. You bring 'coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice.
14. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.
15. College and high school football are as important here as the Cavs and the Knicks... and more fun to watch.
16. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards -- it spooks the fish.
17. Colleges? We have them all. We have State Universities , Community Colleges, and Vo-techs. They come outta there with an education plus a love for God and country, and they still wave at everybody when they come for the holidays.
18. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers. Refer back to #1.
19. Four inches of snow isn't a blizzard - it's a flurry. Drive in it like you got some sense, and DON'T take all our bread, milk, and bleach from the grocery stores. This ain't Alaska . Worst case you may have to live a whole day without croissants. The pickups with snowplows will have you out the next day.
A true IOWAN will send this on!!!
20. By the way.... if you want to talk to God in Iowa , it's a local call.

Most excitement ... mowing the lawn

AM mix started out with a bang 'cause one gal took another gal's "spot" to exercise.  Oh, my, I thought it was funny.  Really????   Upset????  Literally ... if you snooze (and are late coming to exercise) .... You lose your "spot".   Actually I thought it would be hilarious if the rest of the class set up a schedule to rotate getting to class early and taking the "spot".
At home I talked with Denny about some things that have been troubling me.   So good.  I have been wondering who I should share with ... Who is better than he??? No one!!! We didn't love any problems, but he was unaware of my thoughts/feeling.  It helped just to know he is for me.   The rest of the am I got pictures ready to take to the Clay county Fair on Friday afternoon.  Then around 5 we mowed the lawn.  Then we walked to Julia WT.  It's Mark S. birthday and he stopped over later.

golf

AM mix.  Now that was really a workout! ... IF you did the 50 sitsand the rest of the hard workout ... (which I did not.)   So I was not hurting as much as the people who did the real thing.  After class I walked to the rec center with Laura and Izzie.   Next was OGT from 8-11.  They came out to the farm for lunch.  Nice bunch of people.  Nice time.   At 3 I played golf with Julie.  Not a good round  57, but it is enjoyable.  Then we joined 4 others (Colleen, Arlis, Bev and Phyllis)  for "fun night" and played a best ball.  When we got done with 8 holes there was a wonderful yummy potluck food.

Hearing test What????

I stayed home from exercise, but found out Tuesday that some of the gals met and did a work out.  Kinda nice just to hang out with Denny in the am.  Denny went to IG and ordered parts from Vetter for the bush hog mower.  We left for Carroll and stopped at Walmart, then to the HD place that was closed on Mondays, then to Pruis to wait to have new front dim light put in.  (And new brakes and rotors that were sticking).  We overate Mexican.  Nice day spent with my honey!!

Happy birthday Jean

It was so great to have the birthday girl (and Arlan) spending the night.  Denny fixed another awesome breakfast out on the deck.   They left for church in Denison about 8:15.  (Denny got to get going earlier than normal.)  At church we invited Kim and Paul B. for lunch.  When we had church at our farm Kim and Jaiden had brought bag chairs and left them here by mistake.  I thought this would be a good way to pick up the chairs and get to know their family better.  Beside Jaiden they have a son Owen.   We went to the rec center for yoga at 5, then drove around IG looking at various sites,  The grain silo that fell, the best walking sidewalks for Laura to take to the rec center, the stop sign that is being placed on the new pavement to the hospital.  Real exciting!!!   Living on the edge.  Thank you, Jesus.

Jean and Arlan came

Up for a great breakfast on the deck.  It's a great way to start a day.  I finished putting together the 12 vases for the Haiti fundraiser.  I texted Tiffany at Selections to make some 5x7 enlargements for the Clay county fair.  Denny took the bobcat and pulled out some posts across the road.  He got it stuck, so I was a big help not pulling it out with the pickup, but driving the bobcat when Denny hooked up the tractor and getting the bobcat out.  I picked flowers and took to Maryann before going with the vases to Prairie Pedlar.  At home Jean and Arlan came about 4.  SO good to visit on the patio, play carpet ball, sit in front of a bonfire and have pork chops that Denny grilled for supper.  Great night.

TJ day Tyler/Jack

I didn't go to water exercise this am and arrived at Cook's about 7:30.  Such a tough job for about the next 2 hours holding a sleeping Tyler.  Love it!!!  Jack and I went outside to play while Mandy was prepping food for this week, we came in when Jason came home for lunch.  Mandy and Tyler had a doctor appointment at 2:30.  I stayed home with napping Jack.Tyler is at 7 lb. 14 ounces now.  All checked out ok.   I headed home about 4.  Fun day with T and J.

flowers for Seniors at FM

Exercise at 5:30.  Devos at Rec center and Dose garage sale.  The airbnb'ers left for the weekend.  Bible study here, SG SG TP OK JP LS. It was nice after prayer time and so we finished the study out on the patio.  I took flowers into the FM.  There were some from the nursing home and other Seniors who got to take a few flowers home with them.  When I got home Denny and I mowed.

August 22 ...

My Rainbow babies ...

Matthew Brent Johnson

Luke Tyler Johnson

My family friends:  Rory and Kathy W family

Just home

Well, not actually.  I did get up and go to weights this am at 5:30.  It is not my favorite class, but I came home and went back to bed.  In am Denny pulled wild cucumber vines off the pine trees and I started to put together 10 vases for Saturday night Haiti fundraiser at Prairie Pedlar.  It was a slow wonderful afternoon.

Love Kim's Grands!!!!

Home school picnic

Up for Devos.  It rained last night, so deck was too wet for coffee.  Jacque and I went to Orphan GT and volunteered sorting and boxing clothes.  We had a quick lunch and Mike and Jacque left about 2. I went to play golf with Julie.  It was hot, I didn't play the best, BUT I really enjoyed it.  Julie came over and we put together a vase of flowers for a friend of hers.  About 6 pm the home school families had a kickoff the year picnic.  About 27 --- 13 adults and 14 kids.  I had a great visit with Sue G.

Pesto

Wonderful slow morning.  Denny fixed breakfast on the deck a little before noon.  We picked and took the leaves off the basil as we sat in the shade of the river birch tree.  The guys mowed and we gals picked flowers for the farmer's market and hopefully some for Saturday Haiti fundraisers. We texted Cooks and they met us at the Backdraft in Holstein for pizza for supper.  We went to the park afterwards.  When we got home we made 4 batches of pesto.  Another great day in Iowa with family and friends.

46 years

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!!!

Great day!!! From Denny rolling over and wishing me Happy Anniversary first thing in the morning ...  to church ... to having kids call ... to making cilantro dressing on the deck together ... to having Mike (our best man) and Jacque from Wyoming come and stay with us and talk and talk and laugh and laugh.  Thank you, Jesus!

Showers

I woke and had coffee and worked on the blog out on the patio.  It was so nice.  Denny came out about 8.  I left about 8:45 to go to church to get ready for Amy's wedding shower.  It turned out very well.  I went to Larson baby shower at Kim's about 10:15-11.  It was so very nice.  Denny and I went to the windmill lunch north of IG.  Very slow afternoon.
So proud, and happy to see my friend, Mary Kay's business.

A TJ day ... as in Tyler Jack Day

So fun!!!!!  I had thought I might not go to water exercise today, but I was awake, so that was first on the agenda.  In Cherokee Jack was up and getting ready to ride to daycare with his dad.  Mostly all day I just held baby Tyler.  He ate, then slept.  Mandy is doing great.  She said she was in pain when I got there, but by noon she told Jason she was feeling good.  Hurrah for antibiotics finally helping after 2-3 days.  We got a few things started on her list: list gifts received, write a few thank you notes, polish kitchen floors, wash white baby blankets, fold clothes, sort away maternity clothes.  Jan came to visit right before Mandy went down for her afternoon nap.  Tyler is a good eater and sleeper.  AND he sleeps well when I was holding him.  And that was quite a while I spent holding that sweet baby boy. SO NICE!!  When I got home Denny had cleaned the house really well.  In his words,  he likes to have it clean and nice for people that her really cares about who are coming to visit.  Brushes, Schrums, home school families, OGT volunteers.  We talked to Bill and Kathy.  It was a treat.
So much to be thankful for.

Re-do the water lines

Up for exercise at rec center.  Good workout with Laurie.  Barry and worker got to the farm about 9.  They got lots of digging and work done ... and were left by 12:30.  GREAT to get these things done!!!! Dug and found pipe to shut off water that has been constantly running across the road at the old hog tanks.  Now it took 3 major digs, but the pipe was found and capped.  Then Denny asked if they had time to put a hydrant on the west side.  All the machinery was here, so it worked out great.  Well, not easy, the concrete pad was bigger than we realized, but Barry banged on the concrete and broke it out so they could dig the pit to put the hydrant in the ground.  SO good to have both of those projects done.  Denny worked all afternoon putting dirt back into the holes and transporting the chucks of concrete to their new home.  There were six of us for Bible study: Teresa, Sharon, Oksana, Jenn, Brenda and me.   At night we had a great meal.  Jalepinio poppers, salad and tine 99 cent steaks that we bought at a Dubuque gas station where we filled up with gas.  Go figure..

                                     

Golf with Renae

Zumba at 5:30.  At 8 I met Renae and we played a round of golf.  Well, I didn't play my best, but it was still good.  Here, I thought I had it figured out ... NO!  from at 47 to a 59 UFFTA!!   Still got a lot to learn/apply/practice.  Denny had a haircut in the afternoon.  I put together flowers for Amy's shower.  The lisianthus are so pretty.  Mandy sent a picture of Tyler.  Oh, My, What a sweetheart!!!  Denny washed the motorcycle later this evening.  So much to be thankful for!!!

Well, we mowed.

Up for 5:30 exercise.  I read at the rec center until time for OGT.  I had a cardstock invitation for OGT to have lunch at our place August 27 and a card stock of pictures of new Tyler Matthew.  At home Denny was working on rust on the Jeep.  In the afternoon we mowed the lawn.  Mike B.  called about 6 to see if we wanted to go to DQ.  So off we went.  LOVE summer activities.