Category: General (Page 3 of 64)

I was in Colorado for two weeks, working around The Lot and riding my ATV on new trails. A few repairs to The Box were undertaken, one successful, the other not.

I will cover these events through this and the next few posts, starting with a few around-the-lot photos and an ATV trip to Hermits Pass. There will be many images!

There were a few repairs I had to make to The Box: Replace the A/C cover and repair the refrigerator. The old A/C cover had been damaged in a hail storm last year, and I had found a replacement on-line. That chore went fairly well, but I do not relish working on top of the RV.

A second chore involved the refrigerator. Last fall it would work on electrical power but not on LP gas. Research indicated the gas burner was not lighting for some reason. I had purchased a new “flame tube” (which is what manufacturer Norcold calls the burner) and a new igniter. With these parts installed the refrigerator ran on LP, a great relief for me as I had not wanted to be running the generator on and off to keep my food cold.

Unfortunately, during a heave rain storm I found I have a leak somewhere in the roof. This I tried to fix with a can of FlexSeal, but I must have missed a spot as a second storm showed me a leak was still present. I pulled a tarp over the front half of the trailer before I left, but it looks like the next trip out will have to include a new roof sealing kit. Look at the top of The Box and you will see the blue tarp.

Other work around the lot included cutting some brush and a few dead trees. The ATV was pressed into service to haul salvageable trees to my stack of logs to be cut into firewood at some future date.

With nighttime temps in the upper 40s and daytime temps in the upper 60s to low 70s, I was quite comfortable. Humidity ranged from 17 to about 40 percent. I spent time under my canopy, sitting at my table with chairs enhanced with some red cushions I had brought along. (ATV is under the black cover.)

The first few days I was in Colorado were spent with a couple friends based out of Westcliffe, SE of Salida. While they did Saturday and Sunday rides on their motorcycles I took off to ride trails with my ATV. One of these trails was to the top of Hermits Pass, elevation 13,037 feet.

This trail was originally a supply route between the San Louis Valley and the Wet Mountain Valley. There are no mines or any sign of human activity along the way. I did see lakes, flowers, butterflies, and marmots.

The trail was rough and rocky but not technically challenging. I was fortunate to have good weather for this scenic trip as you can see in the following photos.

While the trail was rough it was a good outing and I was pleased to have made the trip. Later that evening my friends and I had a dinner of barbequed chicken, veggies, and good companionship. It was a very good day.

In my next post I will document my trip to Rainbow Lake and the Cloverdale Mine plus an excursion from Pitkin to Tin Cup.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

There is no Pam’s Penny this time around.

Today’s Humor:

Lately I have not done back-to-back posts, generally preferring bi-weekly updates. However, I will be in Colorado for a couple weeks and wanted to get a post published before I leave.

Topics this time include our local celebration, Elma Trail Days, and a trip north to attend my 55th class reunion. Read on!

Elma used to be a railroad town, with the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad having a large roundhouse here that repaired locomotives and rolling stock. After the railroad left, in the early ’80s, the road bed was converted to a hiking / biking path that connects with others trails in the area. Trail Days celebrates the town’s role in using these trails and is held the weekend following the 4th of July.

A parade is the centerpiece, along with a free concert, vendors, and other local events. Here are a few photos of the types of entries one will see in an Iowa small-town parade.

Old tractors are common.

Agricultural equipment is often showcased.

Classic cars, such as this early Thunderbird, are common.

Hoses and mules are always included.

Water cannons and thrown candy are a staple.

This year’s parade was one of the better ones we have seen. One thing we miss, however, is the absence of bands or musical groups. They just don’t show up in Elma.

We watch the parade from our front porch, as the route comes down Main Street, right in front of our house. The weather was very good with cooler than average temperatures and a light breeze that helped keep the bugs at bay. I enjoyed the morning’s event; Pam was in-an-out watching Grayce.

The other news of the week centered around my 55th class reunion. Held in conjunction with the class of ’68 and ’69, there was not a massive turn out. My class of ’70 was only about 63 people and the other classes had similar populations.

Held near Medford, Wisconsin, I drove up and stayed overnight. Of my classmates, I recognized only a few and had to guess or be re-introduced to others. The conversations were similar: Where do you live now, what was your occupation, have you kept in touch with so-and-so?

The event lasted about 3 hours (3:00 – 6:00 PM) and I enjoyed touching bases with the guys and girls with whom I had gone through high school. I was sorry to learn that many of my old friends have passed away or have very serious health issues. We are all getting old.

While I have no photos to post of the event, I do have a couple photos of odd (unusual?) things I saw on the way there and back. Take a look.

Keeping with the chainsaw theme, here is a collection presented in an unusual way.

There were several more posts in the lineup that I could not fit into the camera’s field of view. Me, I would have tried to restore these relics instead of turning them into yard art, but whatever floats your boat!

Another place had some interesting yard art, including this piece.

I guess one needs something to do during those long and cold northern Wisconsin winters.

In a few days I will be heading out to Colorado for a couple weeks so my next post will be somewhat delayed. I will be meeting up with a few friends near Westcliffe (in south central Colorado) before returning to The Lot. There happen to be several ATV trails in that area, all new to me, and I am looking forward to the trip.

A brief note: I have created a new Gallery consisting of photos from various ATV trips taken in Colorado and Utah. Please check it out!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

One objective for returning to the Midwest to live was reconnecting with people known while living here previously. This July has certainly been active in that regard – my brother’s visit, the funeral of Himself’s aunt, and the aforementioned class reunion. Added to these — one of Himself’s college friends recently read this blog and made a connection that had lapsed for over a decade.

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

There were two major stories of the last week: 4th of July and a funeral for my Aunt Gina. Expanded comments below.

The 4th of July is always a big event for us. This year we had guests consisting of Pam’s brother Craig and his wife Dianne (plus Sully, their dog) and Pam’s sister Becky. A good July lunch was consumed, consisting of boiled-in-beer bratwurst, potato salad, chips, fruit, lemonade, vegetable tray with dip, and rhubarb desert with ice cream topping.

We spend a few hours in good conversation, catching up with family news and events that had happened since our last meeting. We stayed indoors for the most part as temps were at the 88 degree level and it was quite humid. Not the hottest day of the year, but among the top 5 so far.

Sully and Grayce (the two dogs) had a good time playing with each other as Sully’s activity level is quite a bit higher than our older dogs. They played outside for a while and inside as well. I think Grayce enjoyed the visit as much as we did.

We enjoyed the visit, the company, and the good conversations around the table.

The other major event was the funeral of my Aunt Gina. She passed away at the age of 104. Of that family of 4, including my father, my Uncle Frank is the only one left, and he is 100. Due to rehabilitation efforts Uncle Frank was not able to attend, but some of his family was there.

it was interesting to reconnect with some of my cousins. Some I recognized, some I did not. It really hit home to me how old my generation is getting, however. Many of my cousins had their grandchildren in attendance, a generation I know almost nothing about.

The funeral was held in Withee, Wisconsin, at the same cemetery where my parents are buried. The Catholic mass was held in Chippewa Falls, west of Withee, in a quite nice (and air conditioned) church.

I had to get suits out of the closet and try them on to see if I had one that still fit. Luckily, one did, and a few others were donated to the resale shop here in town. Of my few remaining good shirts, Pam had to move a top button so I could fasten the shirt to put on a tie.

While it was a somber event, I still enjoyed getting out and reconnecting with some extended family. The day was long, on the road at around 8:00 A.M. and getting home just before 10:00 P.M., but I had chosen a couple routes not previously traveled and enjoyed seeing parts Minnesota and Wisconsin new to me.

I’ll post one photo of the event, taken at the cemetery just before internment.

As I mentioned, my parents are buried in the same cemetery:

Yes, my brother and I both had our last name legally changed to Fields before each of us was married. Dad used to tell us the original name translated into “field of flowers” or “field of violets” which is where the name Fields came from.

Around the yard, day lilies are blooming and new grass is coming in on the bare spot left after the sidewalk repair. Good to see it filling in. I will be heading to Colorado in a few weeks, meeting up with a few friends before taking some ATV rides and working a bit on The Lot. Looking forward to that trip. Also have a class reunion coming up in about a week, don’t know how many of my high school classmates (class of ’70) will show, looking forward to that as well.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

July 4th is THE holiday where Heart House really shows off, with bunting and flags. The relatives saw the place in its glory, with the lawn and plantings at their peak. NE Iowa delivered its trademark heat-plus-humidity summer combo.

Be cool and rock on.

Today’s Humor:

Summer is here; temperatures this weekend are predicted to be in the upper 90 degree range with “feels like” ratings of over 100. The peonies bloomed and I attended a No Kings rally. Details below!

We have three varieties of peonies in the front yard. They include a deep red, white, and traditional pink. The deep reds bloomed first, followed by the pink and white varieties.

Unfortunately, a heavy rain and high winds did a number on the peonies and their blooming days were cut short. We enjoyed them while they were at their finest!

Note: I have added flower photos to my Gallery page. A few are from Colorado and the rest from around Heart House.

I attended a No Kings rally, held in Cresco, Iowa. The crowd was small, just over 60 attendees in this very small town, but we received many honks and thumbs up from traffic going by (in addition to a few thumbs down).

There were some really good signs from other protests as well. I liked these from Buzzfeed:

At any rate, it was good to get out and express my feelings with others of a like mind.

I have a few unrelated comments regarding some odds and ends. The first concerns replies to my blog posts.

A few weeks back I had changed a setting on submitting comments, removing the need to add a user name and e-mail address. I immediately saw a dramatic uptick in spam and advertising, so I have put the requirement for name and e-mail back on.

I hope this change back to the original settings does not make a problem for regular commenters.

Here is a photo that shows off a Christmas gift from Becky, a phone holder for my truck. I used the holder on my trip to visit Felicity and Peter in New York. The holder, which attached to the AC vent, worked fine and I was glad to have it.

A medical note: I had a routine eye exam this past week and it appears I have small cataracts developing, particularly in my right eye. Two more exams are scheduled to do advanced diagnostic, but it appears I may be having surgery sometime in October. This is a developing story.

Speaking of developing, here is a recent photo of the house going in across Main Street from us. Progress appears to be slow, but I believe the electric service has been installed and the porches have been framed in. Roofing should follow shortly.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

The local weatherman predicted the weekend weather: NE Iowa would have humid “air you can wear.” An accurate prediction (this time). Elma is experiencing Midwest humidity at its most oppressive. These conditions are hardest on the dogs and outside cats; long hair and fur obviously are not an advantage in hot summer conditions.

Be cool.

Today’s Humor:

Flowers come and go this time of year. The lilacs and butterfly bush are done, but other flowers are blooming. Here is a short photo tour of our yard as of June 6th. Please click on the image(s) to open a larger version in a new tab.

We are nearing the end of another project: Sidewalk renewal is nearly complete. We received and spread a load of dirt over the mess caused by the tearing up of the old sidewalk when replacing the water line. I put down some grass seed a few days ago and hope the new grass comes in OK.

A part of the same project included a reconfiguration of the dog run. Part of it had been removed to let the equipment have access to the old sidewalk, and the fencing had to be reinstalled. We decided to place the fencing and gate nearer to the back steps, granting easier access to the water hose and making the area a bit easier to mow.

This was a multi-day project as I needed to let the concrete set up around the posts before stringing the fence and hanging the gate. Pam had a section of temporary fence in place during this time.

It has been an active time since my last post, with work on the yard, planting flowers in baskets and hanging them, finishing the dog run, and doing other yard work. I received a new lawn blade sharpening fixture, pulled the blades off the rider and push mower, and sharpened them. (Previously I had sharpened them ‘freehand’ using an angle grinder.) Both units are now cutting very well and the yard is looking good; the recent rains helped keep everything green.

One other change affected my stereo system. My old Pioneer receiver had been having a channel cut out every now and then; it finally died altogether. I replaced it with a used Denon DRA-425R found on eBay. It is nice to have both channels back again, particularly on Saturday mornings (when I usually do my blog) with American Top 40 oldies playing on the radio in the background.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Grayce Update: Dare I say I think she may be toilet trained? Hard to say definitively, because she’s been spending so much time outside. I still don’t trust her to run free (unsupervised) in the house. Besides which, that pup is a destructive chewer; she could easily take out a few pieces of furniture left unattended. Grayce will be spayed this coming Tuesday.

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

A major project began this week: Replacement of broken sidewalks. I have many photos of the action plus a Gallery of photos.

Lilacs make another appearance as they are at peak this week. I hope you enjoy the pics.

We knew we needed to replace the sidewalk that had been taken out when the water line was replaced. Mervin, the cement guy, came out to give us a quote for the work. To meet the minimum amount of cement that needed to be ordered, we expanded the scope of the work to replace a section of the Main Street walkway and another section around the south end of the house. (This section runs between the east porch and the south walk that goes out to the garage.)

Work began this week. While not yet fully completed, the cement has been poured and all that remains is to remove the rest of the forms and cut the expansion slots. Here are a few photos of the action.

We are now looking at a fair amount of work to clean up around the new walkways, but are pleased to have the new walks in place.

If interested, I have created a new Gallery with these and other photos of the project.

I have a few more photos of lilacs and other plants from around the yard. A recent rain and few days of strong winds have done a number on the lilacs but their fragrance is still strong.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Those damn outside cats walked across the wet cement at least four times. One of them actually waded into a freshly-poured section with ALL four legs. (I had to grab that cat, scruff him, and wipe down his legs with a soapy wet towel. Idiot.) The work crew was patient about repairing the damage every time.

Mervin, the cement contractor, is one of my favorite Iowa people. He is such a pleasure to work with; his crew of young people is a well-oiled machine of worker bees. His team does have the unfortunate habit of showing up around 7:00 a.m. however. After retirement, we rarely “do” 7:00 a.m. anymore.

Rock on.

Humor corner:

This will be a very short post, consisting mostly of a 1:30 video of Grayce trying to play with Elmo. (Elmo was not buying into it.) Also included: A couple shots of lilacs blooming around the yard.

Grayce continues to try and play with Elmo with very mixed results. Sometimes Elmo will join in and chase Grayce around the laundry room. Other times Elmo will just ignore Grayce, as is the case in this video.

Grayce also tries to play with the outside cats when they come around the dog run. So far, these cats won’t join in but that does not stop Grayce from trying to find a play partner. One cat, Cookie, does get close to Grayce but keeps the fence safely between himself and the dog. I will try to get videos of these interactions if I can.

The lilacs are in full bloom — I sit on the porch and enjoy the delightful aroma of the blooms. Here are a couple photos of the blossoms.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I guess if the resident dogs don’t want to play, Grayce will settle for cats. Grayce’s “ah-roo” bark seems to be developing.

Rock on, Grayce,

Today’s Humor:

There has been some action in the neighborhood; the modular home across Main Street from Heart House was installed. I have many photos and a video of this event! In addition, spring has fully arrived and the flowers and shrubs are in full growth mode. Lawn care has begun. A few photos from around the yard will help illustrate the season.

The “Big Event” this week was the arrival of a large crane that was used to maneuver the two halves of the new modular home onto its foundation. Here are photos and a YouTube video of the action. Run time on the video is long at 23:25.

The owners, who were on-site for this process, said they hope to move in during the early part of June. There is a lot of work to be done before that can happen, perhaps they can keep to their schedule.

Here is the link to a YouTube video of the event.

With the summer-like temps we have been having, approaching 80+ degrees, the yard has been doing well but it has been dry. The tulips did well this year, the daffodils not so much.

Lilacs are beginning to “pop” with both white and lavender blue blossoms just beginning to appear.

We made a trip to a local greenhouse and came home with multiple flowers and some yard art. Pam has planted the flowers around the house and in the garden, in pretty much the same location(s) as the last five years.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Nothing says NE Iowa like a John Deere tractor pulling two halves of a boxy modular house down Main Street. Or parking the construction porta-potty right on Main Street by the mailboxes, rather than on the side street or in the alley.

One of the 100+ year old oaks in the back yard is definitely dead. Bummer. I am trying to devise a scheme where the main trunk and a few auxiliary branches [that connect to other trees] can be left in place, while the rest of the tree is carefully demolished. That dead oak hosts the hollow for the squirrel nest, and provides food for three species of woodpecker (plus nuthatches) year-round. There is a place in the urban ecosystem for a beautiful ancient dead tree.

First, though, the cement work to repair the damage from the water line placement has to be arranged and paid for. Then comes the tree trimming company search.

“Amazing G” is getting very long and lean. Wish she would start to get along with the other dogs. She and Elmo seem to be trying to establish a play date relationship though.

Rock on.

P.S. Deb, I have some Grandpa Ott morning glory seeds left. Wanna give it another try?

Today’s Humor:

(Any resemblance to the occupant Crazy Cat Lady is purely coincidental.)

There are two major stories for this post. First, we had the Heart House water service line replaced. Second, I took a trip to visit Felicity and Peter in New York and worked on a number of projects for them. Here are *many* photos of these events and narrative about the projects.

We had planned to get our water service line replaced as the old line may have been lead-lined or galvanized with a high lead content. Two reasons for the replacement: Make the house more attractive (in a future sales scenario) to families with children by having lead-free water lines, and proactive replacement of the line before it ruptured.

Given the age of the lines, many of our neighbors have had leaks in their supply lines. We decided to be proactive and replace ours, knowing the insurance would not cover any cost of the project.

Pam took a few photos of the men replacing the line.

The city does not assume the responsibility of sidewalk repair, so we have asked our concrete man, who did the walk between the garage and house, to stop and give us a quote. In the short term I will see what I can do to make the walk passable.

The other “big” story was my trip to New York to visit Felicity and Peter and work on projects they wanted done. Projects included: 1. Amish-style clothesline installed. 2. Insulate floor under kitchen. 3. Build an “ice house” around incoming water pipe to keep it from freezing in the winter. 4. Repair and upgrade broken front door and convert screen door into a storm door. 5. Build a “firewood deck” where they could stack wood off the ground. 6. Cut and split some of their wood pile. 7. Try to level out ruts in yard made by construction machinery.

All this in 10 days. I did put Felicity and Peter to work where they could help.

1. Clothesline construction was straight forward. Two 4×8″ poles, set about 32 feet apart, buried 2 feet deep in an 8-inch diameter hole. I used 300 pounds of Quickrete to set the poles. Once set I attached the crossbars and hung the pulleys and lines to complete this project.

The new Gorilla cart was a gift from Pam and me. Other small tools were also provided by me to be added to the tool collection.

Other projects were accomplished, most with the goal of making the house more livable. I won’t go into detail on all of them; suffice to say the home has been improved a bit. Two other projects I will mention include the door upgrades and the firewood platform.

The main door had broken glass in it, and the matching screen door had broken screening and trim. Felicity wanted me to convert the screen door to a storm door and do what I could with the main door by replacing the broken glass with plexiglass. Both doors turned out well and are much improved from the time I arrived.

The other major project was building a firewood platform where wood could be stacked to keep it off the ground. There was a fair amount of lumber on the lot, including several pieces of plywood in various states of usefulness.

I put together an 8′ x 16′ frame and used the solid plywood to make the floor. T-posts provide end points to keep the firewood from falling off the deck. In retrospect I might have done things a bit differently and used more lumber instead of the T-posts, but that may be a future upgrade.

Here the deck is finished and some wood already stacked on it.

The wood you see is mostly cord wood they bought. I did have access to a splitter and managed to process some of their wood pile, but I ran out of time and did not get all the wood split. Peter was introduced to basic chainsaw techniques and cut several longer chunks of wood into shorter pieces. For a beginner he did pretty well.

I did not get to filling the ruts left by construction equipment, but I did talk to a neighbor who has a tractor and rock rake. He will come over with the tractor and work the ruts out, so in a way I did give that project some attention.

One the way home Pam had me swing by a couple properties in southern Michigan. The most attractive was this old church and house next to it.

I don’t know what we would do with a church, but it was in an attractive area. Drawback: It is on a dirt road about a mile or so off the paved road. Very quiet neighborhood!

Also worth noting: Prior to my departure, we celebrated Becky’s birthday with a candle, pie, and gift.

Taken together, it has been a very busy and event filled few weeks since my last post. The next weeks should be somewhat calmer!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Busy with puppy training. Incremental progress!

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

Generally I stay away from politics in these posts as there are many other places where political commentary can be found. Today I am going to make an exception.

On April 5th I attended one of the Hands Off rallies that took place across America. Mine was in Decorah. Here are a few photos and some thoughts about the event and the reasons for attending.

I have been sending emails to my Federal representatives and getting very unsatisfying answers, mostly form replies thanking me for my contact and little else. It was time to take stronger actions such as appearing in person at a rally.

Pam found a “Hands Off” rally scheduled for Decorah, one of around 1,500 such rallies organized across the country, and I decided to attend. These were organized for people to come out and express displeasure at what is going on with this administration on many levels, concerns Pam and I share.

Pam decided to make a sign for me to carry.

The Decorah organizers announced attendance of around 500 people, this in a state that has been solidly Republican for decades. Other news outlets report that thousands of people took part in other Iowa rallies and tens of thousands did so nation wide.

These rallies are in opposition to cuts in Social Security and other large programs (CDC, VA Affairs, EPA, NIH, USAIDS) but also to a range of smaller programs, many of them grants to cities and towns to help promote clean water, air, and energy diversification. In all, this administration is seen as incompetent, anti-science, and just plain stupid. The actions being taken will hurt us.

The First Amendment states, in part: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…”

People are social animals and have been gathering for various reasons, including political ones, since well back in history. That is why the right to assemble is the first right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

As for the Deborah rally, it was interesting. Only one of the speakers was an elected official; other officials opted to skip the rally. (The elected official attending was a member of the Decorah City Council.) The other speakers were locals, including a couple teachers, a farmer, a small business owner, and a guy that writes editorials. Quite the cross section of people.

There were songs as well, three in fact. I was standing next to a pair of younger girls, possible local Luther College students, who had very good voices. The music went down well. Selections including the first chorus of “America the Beautiful” and a couple other protest songs. The lady leading the singing had an excellent voice.

What are my takeaways?

First, I was reminded of how public gatherings are such a part of our American culture and how they are integrated into our political system. Alexis de Tocqueville once wrote “…the only guarantee of liberty is for everyone to combine forces…” in his 1835 two-book volume titled Democracy in America.

Second, it is good to be among people who share a common interest. This observation may seem to be self-evident, but in our modern post-Covid world, face to face meetings are getting lost. As one speaker said, “you can’t make changes with a comment” left on a YouTube video. In-person gatherings for a common cause are a powerful motivator.

Third, such gatherings reinforce the idea that you are not alone and are part of a larger movement. It is easy to stay at home and wonder if anyone else in your community feels the way you do. National reports are not the same as seeing your local neighbors standing up for the same causes. The feeling gives you motivation for doing more than sitting at home.

Lastly, non-violent rallies are kind of fun. You are standing with other people, holding up signs and singing, and being led in responses by the organizers. New information comes to light from people who follow specific parts of the government. Rallies are part of the American experience.

I have several photos from the event, and a couple sent from friends who attended other rallies, in my Gallery page. I encourage you to take a look. Some are funny, most are serious, and all express a point of view that may be different (or enhance) your own.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Prolonged walking and standing are no longer in the comfort range of my superpowers. However, sign making is in my wheelhouse.

My childhood girlfriend, Janean (Hurd) Lang texted me re: our plans to locate an Iowa event on “Hands Off” day. This motivated me to search for the Decorah rally, which motivated Himself to be in attendance. Janean attended the LaCrosse rally, where about 1,000 people gathered.

Rock on.

Today’s Humor: