Shifting Gears   Baby Boomer…Member Life 2.0…Wife, Mother, Grammie…Bicyclist…GoldWinger…Mensan…Girl Scout…Reader…Knitter…Rotarian

This coming week marks the first of September which to me always signals the last hurrah of summer.  I know we’ll still have plenty of warm weather in September and we’re certainly not ready to close up the pool but there’s something about Labor Day weekend that is a rite of passage.  The garden is pretty much done for the year – except for the second planting of green beans which are appearing sporadically - and I’m so done with deadheading and watering flowers, yet I hate to see them die.  Guess I’ll let Burl continue to water and I’ll enjoy them while I can.

One of the most significant changes will be in my wardrobe.  In case you’re wondering, I’m NOT a fashionista – far from it.  I did give birth to the head of the Fashion Police and I try to coordinate my wardrobe when I leave the house so if I do see Tammy, she won’t arrest me.  She is a font of fashion knowledge though and her recent blog posts can fill you in not only on what’s hot for fall but also what to put away for the season.   I’m happy to report that I just put my favorite white shorts and Capri pants in the laundry and after they are ironed, they will be put away for the year.  I have no white shoes to store, I carry a red Coach clutch wallet year-round and I bought a pair of dark wash jeggings before I even know how hot they were for fall! 

We’ve spent most of the summer at home this year – took an abbreviated trip in June to the east coast and had a weekend in Des Moines but other than that, we have just enjoyed Chez Brown immensely.  I got a new pool deck, we had lots of company, I’ve gotten in a lot of bicycling and plenty of time to float in the pool and read – it’s been a great staycation for us in between all our normal volunteer obligations and golf.  Now we’re ready for a bit of traveling.

Later this week we’ll be in Oklahoma City for a few days for the Central States Shrine Association.  Burl is on a drill team with his mini-cruiser and they compete on Friday morning.  Then Saturday he’ll ride in the huge parade before we head home.  We’ll have some free time to explore the city and the one “can’t miss” place will be the Murrah Building memorial which is just a few blocks from the Sheraton where we’ll be staying.

Mid-September Burl and some of his buddies are taking a motorcycle trip to Birmingham, AL to tour a motorcycle museum.  SNORE!  While I certainly don’t mind staying home with Mulligan, I figured it’s a perfect opportunity to visit a couple of little girls in Des Moines and see if they really are as awful as their mom thinks.  Now that Branson has added a direct flight to DM I’ve opted for an hour-long flight versus six hours of driving each way.  It’s not cheaper – just more convenient!

Then at the end of the month we’ll be in Chicago to visit Burl’s brother Ed and his wife Agnes.  I also hope to see my college roommate Sally in St. Louis en route and while we’re in Chicago, visit my Callaway Memorial Hospital nursery roommate Sally!  We’re also planning a trip into Wisconsin with Ed and Agnes for a couple of days.  We missed our visit with them last year so we are really looking forward to catching up on our lives.

Guess we’ll stay home most of October so Burl can work on getting city water brought from our property line to the house – we don’t plan to connect unless our well goes dry but want to be ready just in case.  We also need to get a new furnace and air conditioning unit which means Burl has to clear out clutter in his workroom downstairs so the HVAC guy can install it – that should be interesting!  We replaced one of our units a few years ago and figured since Obama wants to give us $1500 if we install it this year, we may as well go ahead and get it.

By mid-November we’ll be on the road again if Stacey, Len and Alex have found a home in Charlotte, NC where they recently moved.   Thought we’d join them for Thanksgiving and see their new digs and hopefully by then they will be out of their temporary apartment and into their own home.

While I love to travel, it’s almost as much fun to plan our trips – especially the sightseeing adventures, what to knit while I’m gone and especially what to read. 

Maybe – just maybe – my “books to read” stack will go down a bit before the next used book sale at the library!  Ya think?

My dear friend, Robin, recently started working in downtown Springfield so it was a given that we had to meet for lunch.  I got a tour of her new digs – including her office which borders the sidewalk on McDaniel Street – and loved the original hardwood floors, high ceilings and light fixtures from the early 20th century.

Then we were off to lunch – with a plethora of choices available!  We settled on St. Michael’s because I love their salads plus the decor is reminiscent of my high school days – early 60s!  The food was excellent and the conversation even better which of course was the real reason for lunch – food was a good excuse to get together.  I wasn’t at all surprised to find that one of the things Robin likes best is just being downtown – the location, the energy, the stores and restaurants and even better, free parking a short block away from her office.

After lunch we headed down South Street and I got my first look at the new Bistro Market which opened recently.  At 1:30 in the afternoon the place was packed!  Every available table was full of people enjoying late lunches or snacks and the line at the dessert/gelato bar kept us from indulging our sweet teeth.  I was in awe of how the whole place is arranged – from the incredible meat case to the tempting produce section to the vast wine/liquor area – all of it is aimed at the urban shopper who wants a gourmet selection along with the basics of any grocery store.

Almost makes me want to go back to work downtown just for the experience…………almost……….not quite!

After Robin returned to her day job, I browsed in Ampersand and picked up a few bargains on their sale racks.  I needed a few grocery items but didn’t want to go back and battle the crowds at Bistro Market so stopped instead at old faithful Harter House on my way home.

But I have no doubt I will make a return visit to downtown Springfield soon – even if I can’t coax Robin away for lunch I may just treat myself to browsing all the neat little shops and see what discoveries I can make.

And if/when the Heer’s building project is ever complete, downtown Springfield will be even closer to the heyday I remember from my days at Drury.

Life is so full of blessings and I try to remember to enjoy each of them as they happen and appreciate them – and roll with the punches when life doesn’t go according to the scripts I write in my head.  I always know that God is running the show but my controlling nature often wants to take over and let Him rest which is NEVER a good idea.

Last week I surprised Burl by asking him for a date on Saturday night – movie and dinner.  We both seem to run in opposite directions so many days and I felt we needed a “time out” from the rat race and a night to ourselves.  We love seeing our friends and social gatherings but I was feeling selfish so he readily agreed to Saturday night!

On Friday night we played couples golf at our club with friends Ron and Barb and then all enjoyed dinner at Houlihan’s where we used our 417 magazine half-price gift certificates.  Always the big-time spenders!  Saturday morning I had signed up for a charity bicycle ride and I was thrilled when Burl offered to take me and pick me up.  He loaded up all my gear and I was able to drink coffee and read the paper as he played chauffeur on the way to the start.  My friend Merrill and I opted for the 50-mile ride and were thrilled we didn’t try to 70-mile route after we encountered tons of big hills, lots of headwinds and a hot and humid day.  I appreciated her staying with me for the entire ride because my buns were dragging the last 10 miles.

Saturday evening we had our date – just us!  We had originally planned to see “Winter’s Bone” but it was no longer playing so we saw “The Switch” – a romantic comedy that we enjoyed very much.  It was fairly predictable (no surprise!) but mostly just a feel-good movie that didn’t tax our gray matter to watch it.  We followed the movie with dinner at Millwood – a place we enjoy since they carry our favorite beer.  Beautiful summer night, tons of fun.

More relaxation followed on Sunday – late breakfast at IHOP, walk with the dog, relaxing in the pool and then dinner at Tammy and Steve’s.  Steve smoked some pork chops and chicken breasts and served them with smoked new potatoes with fresh rosemary – all accompanied by a yummy salad.  Our contribution was some homemade ice cream we had in the freezer.  Best of all was just sitting on their deck relaxing and visiting with them – and of course seeing all of Tammy’s shoe photos from her trip to shoe market in Vegas last week.  You can check out her adventures on her blog

As we drove home I once again had that sense of being so thankful for Burl and for all our family – that our kids are all healthy and doing well, that we have such fun with all of them, that our lives may be very ordinary but we are so rich in what really matters in life.  It’s a sweet life and I’m richly blessed.

Then we got home and I glanced at Facebook to see that a dear friend, Dennis Whaley, had coded yesterday following open heart surgery on Friday – and he was not doing well.  I started sending prayers to Dennis along with his wife, Teena and their daughter Sara and hubby Jason.  Sadly the collective prayers of his hundreds of friends were not sufficient to save him – he left this earth about 10:15 last night.

News of his death greeted me this morning as I drank my coffee and looked for updates on his condition.  I was stunned.  This wonderful man who never met a stranger, who was always kind and friendly and lived his rock-solid faith every day had died at the age of 58.  Dennis lived his life by Christian example – he was a true believer who lead by example.  No wonder God wanted him in heaven. 

I’ve been sad all day and have talked with so many other friends from Rotary who all agree that Dennis’ death leaves a big hole in our community and especially for his family.  We are left with wonderful memories and great stories to share and while we feel a great loss, I know Dennis had no doubt about where he was going. 

It’s bittersweet –  just knowing Dennis and looking at his example inspired me to be a better person and now he’s gone.

Think of those people who matter in your life – and make sure they know how much they mean to you.  Fortunately, I had a chance to share my thoughts with Dennis before his surgery.

Thanks to God for letting Dennis be a part of my life.

We live 30 minutes from Branson but somehow we rarely think about going there for a dinner and show.  Fortunately our friends Les and Tana are ahead of us on the social scene and invited us to join them last night.  All of us are enjoying the offerings from the 417 Magazine Restaurant Month and the Dobyns Dining Room located in the Keeter Center at the College of the Ozarks was the best we’ve had so far.

I started with the Ozark Nicoise Salad which featured field greens with pea shoots, baby beets, goatsbeard farm goat cheese, garden green beans and mountain spring smoked trout.  It was topped with a very light vinaigrette dressing and was truly salad nirvana!  Our exceptional waiter, a college junior named Matt from Marshfield, shared that the greens, beets, cheese and green beans were grown right there at the college and the flavors attested to their freshness.

For an appetizer I opted for local peaches with black pepper and clover honey topped with crumbled bleu cheese and Missouri pecans.  Only the black pepper kept this yummy concoction from being a dessert – it was such a heavenly blend of flavors and was served in a little black cast iron skillet. 

And then I got my entrée - College of the Ozarks raised pork mignon with house cured bacon, fig reduction, smoked gouda grits and green beans from their garden.  Oh. My. God.  All four of us chose the same entrée and it tasted even better when Matt told us we got the last 4 pork for the evening!  And to think we got all of this fabulous food for only $20 each!  Awesome!

Even more amazing is the exceptional standard of service we received.  These college kids obviously take a great deal of pride in all they do.  Matt was knowledgeable about each of the menu selections and attentive to keeping our water glasses refilled without being obtrusive.  This young man has a bright future ahead of him with the great work ethic he exhibits.

We all agreed we needed a long walk to stave off nap cravings but instead  we headed for the White House Theatre to see “The Legend of Kung Fu“.  Les had discovered they were offering area appreciation tickets so for the low price of $5 each plus canned goods or school supplies, we were treated to a phenomenal show.  The majority of the 65 cast members participated in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and their combination of martial arts, aerial ballet, dance and music were incredible. 

Part of the cast from "Legend of Kung Fu"

Told in seven acts, the story centers around a little boy who becomes a master and reaches the sacred goal of enlightenment through Kungfu and Zen.  I watched in awe as these performers put their bodies through moves that didn’t seem humanly possible!  While there was no spoken dialog in the show, a video screen kept us apprised of the various stages from the little boy to the master.

My favorite quote was “it is when we think we are the strongest, that we are really the weakest.”  Very profound!  We also learned that Kung Fu is not meant for fighting but for preservation of peace and as an avenue to achieving spiritual goals.

What a great evening with good friends, fabulous food and enlightening entertainment.  Just the pick-me-up we needed in the middle of a busy week!

It’s 417 Restaurant Month so Women of Substance chose Farmer’s Gastropub for our $20 3-course dinner tonight.  We had tried to have lunch there a few months ago but they are closed at noon on Mondays so we were really looking forward to our meal.  Unfortunately it fell under the “did not meet expectations” category!  Vickie and I chose the salad with shaved vegetables which featured a lemon vinaigrette and it was excellent – for the same course, Robin got the chilled corn chowder and loved it – even mentioned she thought it would be good either hot or cold.

I opted for an appetizer instead of dessert so I shared my mozarella-stuffed fried rice balls with red pepper sauce with my friends.  It was an unusual dish and the sauce was excellent but it just didn’t WOW any of us.  For the entrée, the others chose the Chimichura steak with smashed yams and fresh veggies – the both mentioned the steak was a bit tough and just so-so and the yams lacked flavor.  My entrée was braised short ribs with rice and I was totally underwhelmed.  Most of the meat was either overdone or fat – what little I did get was quite tasty but the white rice was pretty plain and only spiffed up with a few green peas.  Even I can improve on that and I’m no Betty Crocker.

Robin’s dessert was a stout ice cream with an Askinosie chocolate brownie and fried bacon – she never did find the fried bacon and wasn’t too impressed with the ice cream and brownie.  Vickie’s selection of vanilla pound cake with blueberries was okay – I personally thought the pound cake was a bit dry.

Looks like we can mark that place off our list of repeat dinners!  However, we did enjoy scintillating conversation as always and here’s what is fit to share with our adoring public:

• Vickie bought a new red wallet because it reminded her of me.
• Robin looked HOT in a new sleeveless silk top from Marshall’s – black with bright red flowers and a cool flounce at the shoulder.  She had on a new pair of killer shoes – peep toe heels in faux snake-skin with black patent heels – very chic.  Great way to jazz up a black suit – fashionably professional.
• Vickie heard a rumor that Metro Grill is closing – hard to believe since their parking lot is always packed.
• Vickie brought us gifts from Yellowstone on their vacation but she forgot to bring them tonight.
• While on vacation, Chaz took over 750 photos and keeps wanting Vickie to watch them with him.  She put 15 of them on Facebook – I love the one of her holding hands with Hannah and also the one of Hannah on the beach.
• Last year, Chaz took a picture of buffalo balls and a few years earlier, he captured moose balls on camera – Robin wants to know if the buffalo balls were huge, how big was his “package”!
• Vickie wanted our thoughts on the argument between Jennifer Anniston and Bill O’Reilly – according to Jennifer, “women are realizing they don’t have to settle, they don’t have to fiddle with a man to have that child….They are realizing if it’s that time in their life and they want this part they can do it with or without that.”  O’Reilly claims her attitude is destructive to our society and diminishes the role of a father.  Vickie agrees with Bill – Robin and I think there are certain circumstances where a woman may have a chile without the father being involved but if that’s the case, the child still needs a strong role model in their life.
• We were surprised by the outcome of the 7th district congressional race – and wonder if Scott Eckersley really will turn into an Independent if elected.
• Vickie thinks the diapers shaped like blue jeans are stupid – I haven’t seen them.
• I decided to drop out of the Leadership Springfield Alum group – just don’t get my money’s worth with my dues since we are gone so much – and all agreed the educational offerings have not been that great lately.
• Vickie said her mom is so cheap that she re-uses her coffee grinds – just runs more water through them and drinks weaker coffee.
• We always dislike the things in other people who remind us of ourselves.
• Lili’s Diner downtown has closed – and none of us ever ate there.  Heard it was good.
• The owner of Farmer’s Gastropub stopped by our table and introduced himself.  He said the 417 restaurant month is not bringing him a lot of business.  Vickie mentioned her meat was tough and he claimed it was because the beef he serves is grain fed.
• I called Social Security today about an issue – I pressed “1″ for English and was connected to an agent who spoke very poor English – I kept having to ask him to repeat what he said.  I suspect his first language is Spanish.
• When Robin was a kid, her mom let her eat ice cream for breakfast.
• Vickie doesn’t have a blender so can’t make smoothies – every time she’s in Wal-Mart she tells herself she needs to buy one but doesn’t.
• I didn’t renew my Newsweek subscription last month and so far I’ve gotten 5 issues since it expired.
• We made homemade ice cream yesterday using Junket tablets.  Robin and Vickie had never heard of them.  Turns out Junket is a brand name for rennet – still don’t have a clue what that is but the ice cream was sure tasty.
• Hannah set a goal to kiss five boys this summer – so far she’s kissed four.  She said it’s good to set goals.
• Robin loves “Dancing With The Stars” and wants to take dance lessons with Jim this fall.
• Vickie took season #1 of “The X Files” on vacation but the remote in their cabin was bad so they could only watch the first episode on each DVD.
• Robin’s favorite show is “Big Bang Theory” and Vickie has the first two seasons.  There’s a new show for fall called “Outsourced” that Robin thinks she’ll like.
• Robin is ready for all the flowers to die – she’s tired of watering them.
• In high school, a long-term relationship is one that lasts a month.
• Do teen-aged girls have a misperception about romance because of the movies they watch?
• Robin wants to meet the people who are having sex 2.5 times a week.

That’s it for August – tune in next month when we’ll come to you live from HuHot!

I have a confession to make.  I am addicted to yarn.  And when it’s on sale, I’m truly powerless!

Case in point – my dear friend and bad-influence gal pal Nancy called me late this afternoon to tell me about a super closeout on yarn at Hancock Fabrics.  An hour later I was home with 23 skeins of yarn that cost me $25.08 including tax!  Now it’s not the super quality stuff I buy at the specialty yarn stores but I got some great yarn to make hats and prayer shawls with my knitting group at church.

Nancy was also responsible for my trip to Yarn Worx last week where I got some beautiful Tempo by Filatura Di Crosa to make a sweater for me along with a skein of Alp Premier that will yield a Christmas gift or two.  She is definitely leading me further down the primrose path to yarn stashing – although I was doing a pretty good job of it be myself before we met earlier last year!

Every time I bring home more yarn I promise myself that I will inventory what I have – and I did that once on Ravelry and then didn’t keep up with it – and will certainly NOT buy another skein until I’ve made a dent in my stash.  But my willpower is nil when it comes to yarn – and patterns.  Good thing Burl never goes into my sewing and craft room – it’s getting hard to hide all my treasures.

So I’ve taken the first step to recovery – I’ve admitted I have a problem.  But will I really work a 12-step program to get over yarn and knitting?   Don’t bet on it! 

 I’ve heard there are worse habits than being a knitter and stasher but I’m not going to pursue them – I’m too busy clicking my needles and thinking about my next project!

This past Tuesday was primary election day in Missouri and there were several heated contests as well as a healthcare proposition to ponder at the voting booth.  The biggest race was the Republican race for 7th district congressman.  From a field of 7 candidates, one was the winner by a wide margin and will now face a “former Republican turned Democrat who says he is really an Independent” in November.  If he’ll guarantee me that switch to the “I” column in Congress, he may get my vote.  I’m a bit tired of partisan politics.

The Show-Me state voters also gave a resounding hands-down to national healthcare reform.  The vote can’t really change the federal law but can guide our state lawmakers and national representatives on how the voters in Missouri feel about the issue. 

I love watching the election returns on TV – I just don’t care for national elections when the media starts making predictions when the polls are still open in the western states.  Let the voters decide first, then you can start in with calling out the winners and losers when it’s official!  And my suggestion to citizens is this:  get out and vote or keep your mouth shut and don’t complain!

This morning’s paper brought news that the public libraries in Camden, NJ will be forced to close by the end of the year due to budget cuts.  The idea of a community not having a public library is so sad as I’ve always thought the whole concept of a public library as being one of the most ingenious ideas ever.  Let’s hope a not-for-profit organization like Rotary or Kiwanis can step in and help keep the doors open in at least one location there.

Even more alarming is the fact that East St. Louis, IL has to lay off a significant portion of their police force for those same budget issues.   I find it hard to believe that tax revenues and other government income can’t provide for what is truly necessary – but because people have become adjusted to Big Brother supplying all their needs, government dollars are stretched to the breaking point.  Perhaps we need to get back to the basics – such as personal responsibility and what are the differences between needs and wants.  Just a thought………

This week at Casa Brown, we’ve again had a busy schedule.  Burl has played plenty of golf and in his “free time” has helped with a building project at the home of one of our church members.  I joined him for golf on Friday night when they had the Couples Scramble but my guilty pleasures came from going to the gym and riding my bike.  I did enjoy dinner on Monday night at Haruno where I got to feast on the 417 Restaurant Month special – I chose seaweed salad, split the jalapeno tuna tempura appetizer with friend Belinda, chose the sushi entrée (and brought half of it home) and then we shared the red bean ice cream.  So very tasty – and all for $20.  Tonight we’re trying Doe’s Eat Place to see what we’ll get for $20 there.

I also bought some yarn (like I needed more!) for a sweater for me and for a couple of Christmas gifts so have been working hard on finishing the sweater that’s already on my needles.  Here’s hoping it fits!

And I read two books – “Oprah” by Kitty Kelley was so-so and I speed-read a large portion of it.  The book confirmed a lot of my impressions of this superstar – not all of them favorable although I admire her rise to fame from humble beginnings.  The other was “The Lion” by Nelson DeMille which easily earned an “A” from me – I love the FBI vs. terrorist theme and the sarcastic main character was fabulous.

Today we got in an early morning ride to Rockaway Beach with friends Dave and JoAnn who are visiting from Phoenix.  I wanted to get their take on the Arizona immigration law but talking about our grandkids and planning motorcycle trips while we’re there next winter took precedence!

Gotta run – the pool just called and is waiting for me!

Yesterday was the annual Tour de Cox bicycle ride and one I always look forward to riding – and especially this year.  First of all, I got to ride the whole ride with my buddies Ann and Norb who are training for a ride this fall from St. Augustine to San Diego – almost 3100 miles!  They are dear friends and Norb had the dubious honor of being my boss for a few years so we always have plenty of conversation topics.  Due to a pinched nerve in his back, their training has been limited this summer and he’s having to ride in an upright position Pee-Wee Herman style!  It also keeps his speed down so I can ride comfortably with them!

Second, the day was perfect weather-wise – mostly sunny but not too hot while we rode in the morning.  And we only did the 45-mile ride too so I could save my energy to come home and mow the yard and pull weeds!   

Does anyone else find it annoying that our legislators passed a bill allowing the taxpayers/voters to opt out of unwanted phone calls….and exempted their own calls from that bill? 

I am so sick of being interrupted by politicians who call and leave canned messages on my answering machine.  Out of the dozens of calls we’ve gotten in the last two weeks, only one was from a real person!  Someone called to ask me to vote for Jack Goodman for 7th District congressman and I told him that while Jack is on my short list to get my vote, I would like to be taken off his call list – and he agreed!  We’ll see if it works.

Even worse are the candidates I don’t even know who want to friend me on Facebook!  A candidate for state auditor has sent me two friends requests – both of which I ignored.  I don’t know the man and I think we showed 2-3 friends in common.  All he did for himself was to insure that he will NOT get my vote.

I guess the only people who are coming out ahead with this race are the postal service (political junk mail is quickly filling up my paper recycle bin), the media (tons of TV and newspaper ads) and those who make signs.

And for all the candidates who lose on Tuesday, here’s a request.  Please take down your yard signs and either save for another campaign or recycle them.

In the meantime, if they want me, they’ll have to get on a bike and find me because I don’t want to stay home and be inundated by their calls.  Better yet, they should get elected and change the “no-call list” to include anyone running for public office!

And remember, Tuesday August 3rd is the primary election in Missouri.  Please get out and vote – if you don’t, you have no reason to complain about your government.

I’ll personally be looking for some fresh blood at all levels – national, state and local.  Most incumbents of either party haven’t proved they deserve to stay in office.

Yep, I’ve been missing in action – a busy life coupled with lack of creative juices and quality think time have all combined to keep me from blogging.  If I’ve been missed, I thank you.  If not, well you can also thank me!  And trust me, I’m not complaining about being busy – just stating facts.

Last Thursday night while Burl played golf I met some of my former work buddies at Touch for happy hour.  Two of them are in my Rotary club but we just don’t get enough quality talk time at those meetings.  It was fun to all catch up and I could just chuckle at their work stories since I no longer have to deal with them.  When they tell me they’re jealous, I just remind them I’m older, not necessarily richer!!

On Friday night we played couples golf in the league at our club.  We were paired with our buddies Ron and Barbara and they barely saved us from being DFL thanks to a couple of penalty strokes.  I’ve been enjoying golf a little more but that evening I was pretty much done by the 5th hole and thinking ahead to going out to eat and visit with them.  I do have my priorities!

Saturday morning I lured Burl into a bicycle ride to Strafford with a promise to eat breakfast at the local cafe.  We got in about 20 miles and it was a beautiful morning – also ran into some other biking buddies having breakfast so got to visit with them.  I had considered doing the Pancake Ride which was a training ride for Bike MS but decided the thought of riding with 400 other riders wasn’t my idea of fun that morning.

Ralph and the girls arrived Saturday afternoon for a few days and the girls had one agenda – swimming!  They raced in the front door, gave us hugs and immediately changed into swimsuits.  Julia has become a little fish this year and is fearless in the water.  She loves the diving board and now does front flips off the board at their home pool – ours isn’t as high so we didn’t encourage her to try it here.  I even impressed her with an attempt at a swan dive – the lack of spring in our diving board didn’t leave me sufficient time to bring my hands back together so I hit the water face-on with a SPLAT!  Only tried that once!

They were in the pool Sunday morning right after breakfast and probably would have stayed all day if we’d let them.  However, Tammy suggested a picnic and trip to the butterfly house that the Park Board had on display at Close Memorial Park and that proved to be quite a winner. 

Up close and personal at the Butterfly House

The display was awesome and featured several volunteers who shared information about the insects and the plants.  They had a luna moth that had hatched that morning and also showed all the stages of creation from egg to butterfly.  The organizers had set up several booths outside the screened-in house so the girls were able to make their own tissue-paper butterflies, get their hands stamped and learn more about these creatures. 

But after about an hour, including the ride around the park on the tram, they were ready for a picnic!  These girls burn a lot of energy and I only wish I could eat the way they do and not show an ounce of fat on my body.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool while Burl made homemade ice cream (actually I mixed it up – he just put it in the freezer and turned on the electric crank – but he gets credit for making it!).  I made a fresh blueberry pie which everyone said was really good – I used my calories for the ice cream and a piece of crust.  My one claim to cooking fame is that I can make a killer pie crust from scratch – not even Ralph/Rachel (Ray) can do that – she buys them pre-made at the grocery store.

Monday was again a day for a picnic (Phelps Grove Park) and more swimming!  Bella joined us for the afternoon and the three little girls had such fun in the water until they got rained out.  Bummer!  But it was great to see our pool getting so much use this summer.

The Iowa crew left Tuesday morning and my friend Agnes and I headed to Rogersville for a 30-mile bike ride.  We were a couple of miles outside of Rogersville when we came upon a train blocking the road.  Some locals told us this happens often and the train may sit there for 20-30 minutes.  Not to be deterred, Agnes threw her bike onto a flatbed railcar and scampered to the other side before I could even consider my move.  So of course I followed her! 

Agnes after she hauled ass and bike over the flatbed railroad car!

Figured as long as one of us was on the ground, the other would help if one got stranded.  And we made it safely and had a great rush from our adventure, complete with high fives, while our audience of locals got out of their truck and applauded.

We rode again this morning and did another 30-mile ride this time going to Strafford and beyond.  It helped that we both had to be at Rotary at noon and of course had to shower and change clothes before showing up.  We are very compatible riders since we go at about the same pace and both try to avoid hills whenever possible!  I’ve suggested a ride next week to Marshfield but warned her it will be hilly.

In my “spare time” I’ve been working on finding our winter residence in Phoenix and have finally found a place.  There are lots of homes, apartments and condos available in the winter but we had a few criteria that limited our search – we wanted something reasonably priced (I skipped the $10,000/week places!) preferably on the west side of the valley which is closer to Mike, Annie and Devin and they had to take pets! 

Finally found one in Sun City West that was vacant for January and February so Annie met the owner there on Monday, got to see the place and gave us a favorable report.  It’s a two bed, two bath house about .3 mile from one of our favorite golf courses and there are seven more courses within a 2-mile range.  There are two community centers with fitness facilities,  swimming pools (heated), tons of activities, a dog park and biking trails.  And I’m pretty sure we won’t have to deal with snow and ice!  As soon as we get the contract and send the owners some $, we will be set.

Instead of thinking five more months to Christmas, I’m thinking five more months until winter vacation!!!