Sunday May 15th 2011

The sun isn’t shining this morning, at least not here, what I’m trying to say is it is cloudy and raining.  The air is very chilly, I think it is in the forties this morning.

We got ready and went to church at Harvest Time.  We miss the “home” church but I believe that Sikeston is now our home.  It seems funny that when we go to church we spend the first ten minutes saying “hi” to all the people we knew from years ago.  The couple we saw at the “Pizza Ranch” were in church so I got a picture of them.  Kris and his wife.  Now I’m not sure if it is Kris or Chris, think maybe Chris,  I don’t really know…

Can’t understand why he likes the Pizza Ranch so well???  He says he goes there mainly for the chicken which is excellent.

We have to go to Franklin Grove to see my brothers and my sister and I just happen to have a picture!!

This is a very small restaurant and the waitress took our picture.  We should have stood on the other side, the light from the windows doesn’t help any.  I was very surprised though that all of them made it.  We don’t get together all that often.  From left to right, Ed and Lorena, Fred and Joan, Sr Margaret Anne (Betty), Dennis and Joan, Sr Lois Anne and Linda and me.  Sr Lois Anne and my sister live together in Rockford IL.  They have a convent up there.

From the restaurant we went to see Marian. Well, we got to see our step sister Jean Louise from San Francisco, who came back to see her mother and spend a little time with her….

Marian isn’t a happy camper.  She is so used to doing everything for herself and now she can’t do much of anything.  It is sad because she was so active.  I have a picture of Marian and her sister Betty…

We actually had a very nice visit with everyone.  Marian was really tired and I think she just wanted to go to bed and rest.  She had so much company that I think it was very tiring for her.

Well, we had time to “crash” a birthday party for Frank.  We have gotten together with Frank and Maggie quite a few times down in the Valley.  He had some heart problems this year and couldn’t go to Florida with Dave and Judy, their daughter.  Had to stay at home in the house because it was so cold he couldn’t go outside…

Seventy Five today!!  Happy Birthday Frank!!

They had music there also and a lot of it was impromptu from band members etc.  Dalmus and I even got to sing a song together which was kind of sad, his brother Cloyd and Cloyd’s son, Dalmus and I sang in a quartet and Cloyd passed away quite a few years back and it just brought back memories for Dalmus..

Dalmus and I singing I’ll Fly Away, one of our first quartet songs.  On the guitar and Bass are Don and Marilyn, good friends, and on the guitar in the left of us is Maggie’s brother and the young fella in the yellow shirt is Jerry.

I also have a picture of Maggie singing and I think this is the first time I’ve heard her sing!!

Maggie is Frank’s wife and a very neat lady and good singer.  On the guitar in the back is Les and I don’t usually put last names but his is Pastor Les Funderburg.  He is a great musician and singer.  I kind of envy people that can remember words to songs because I have to go over songs everyday after I learn them to keep them in the old noggin!  This singing makes me want to start again.  God gave me a voice and I sure haven’t been using it, need to change that.

After leaving the birthday party I took Linda to Marilyn’s for another visit and I went to church to see the children’s program.  Kids have the greatest memories!!  They don’t need books they can remember the words to most of the songs!!

After church I went back to pick Linda up and then went back to the Rock Falls Motel, which used to be the Ramada then the Holiday Inn.  Hope they can keep this name for awhile, it is a pretty nice motel and cheaper than the Super 8!!!  Anyway, I’m tired and I need to get some sleep.  Tomorrow is going to be another long day..Night Y’all…

Saturday May 14th 2011

It is a dark dreary morning here in Rock Falls.  We hit Illinois at just the right time.  The first of the week was in the 90s and now it is struggling to get into the 50s.  Guess it could be worse, we have hit blizzards here before and now it is just cold and rainy.

We had to stop at Wal Mart and get a couple pillows.  The pillows here at the  motel are just to big and solid.  I need one that is soft and cuddly. We also got some popcorn chicken there for our lunch on the drive to Dixon to see Marian.  We think she is still in the hospital.  They have really changed KSB hospital!  Took us awhile just to find the parking lot then the short walk to the entrance was a little different also.  We made it!  Marian is still in the hospital but we made it at the right time because she was being released to go back to Franklin Grove to the nursing home.  We got to talk to her for awhile and pray with her.  She really doesn’t look well, I think she is depressed because she has always been able to do for herself and now she can’t do much.

We were there probably a half hour when they came to get her.  Glad we got to visit.

On the way back we had time so we stopped to see Mike and Cindy. Cindy is off her pain medicine and really looks a lot better than she did the last time we saw her.  We had a pretty good visit and Mike was at a movie with the boys, Marc and Gabe, so we only got to see him for a few minutes before we had to leave for Morrison to see Tim and Connie.

We got to Morrison about 4:30PM, rained most of the way.  Tim had just gotten home and we decided to go to the Pizza Ranch in Clinton IA.  We like that place, good food and plenty of it…

This place is really popular! We waited in line for about fifteen minutes before we got up to pay then a few more minutes before being seated.  Their pizza is good but their fried chicken is really good!  We ate our fill that is for sure.  We saw Kris and his family there, that is Kathy and Loyd’s son.  He is a big fellow.  He really likes Pizza Ranch.  Guess I should have taken their picture.

We went back to Tim and Connie’s place and visited for about an hour or so and I showed Connie how to get our blog on their computer.  Showed them pictures of Sparky and our place in Missouri.  I think it is just incredible that I can use their computer to show them our pictures, of course anyone can see them but I still think it is amazing!

We got back to the motel and it is almost bedtime.  We put pillow cases on our new pillows and tried them out.  They are nice and comfortable so I think it is time to go to bed….Night Y’all…

Friday May 13th 2011

Friday the 13th!!  It rained last night and it is cloudy and cool out today.  We have a lot of stuff to pack up and Sparky just can’t figure out what is going on.  He gets to go on a vacation today.  We are boarding him for the weekend.  We are heading back to Illinois for the weekend.  Time to reunite with the family, it has been about seven months since we have been back.  I really don’t like the drive.  It takes seven hours and by the time we get there we are both kind of tired but we did go out to eat and had a great meal at Angelo’ Pizzeria.

I think the last time we were here we ate here also.  We really like Angelo’s they have excellent food and actually these are sandwiches.  Linda has an Italian Hamburger and I have a sub sandwich.  The hamburger is a lot better.  The whole meal was under ten dollars, not including tip.

On the way up here we stopped at a little rest area and I had to take a picture of a wind turbine.  I think this is the closest I have ever been to a wind turbine….

The turbine is still probably a quarter mile away.

We had a pretty decent trip up here, no traffic jams etc.  Hit a little rain but not bad.

We went to see Linda’s sister Marilyn and visit with her.  We will get together with Linda’s other sister, Connie, tomorrow and will probably go see my step Mother, Marian tomorrow also.  There are lots of people we want to see but a very short time to do it.

Time to watch a little TV and then go to bed.  Night Y’all….

Thursday May 12th 2011

Another beautiful day, it is nice and cool out but will probably get pretty warm.  I go into work again at 9AM today.

The wind is blowing pretty hard so I won’t spray any more Roundup today, just mow.  Mark wants the sites mowed so it will be done, there is still rain in the forecast.

I mowed until Grant go out of school at 3:30PM then I turned the rider over to Grant and he didn’t have a lot to do so I asked if he wanted to use the push mower…..no thank you….HMMMM, guess he has soccer practice tonight.  I finished up the park with the push mower.  Got done around 5PM and decided to walk on over to Ag Mart to get some oil for the weed eater. I got the gas and oil mixed up but by the time I got cleaned up it was time to go home.  Maybe next time.

Well, I still have green peppers and ???? well, I just drew a blank.  I know I planted two things, I will remember soon,  oh, it was zucchini squash.  I planted those two rows and still have quite a bit of room left in the garden. Not sure what else I will plant, one of the twins, Keaton I think, came over and was talking to me and suggested subtly that I make some more cinnamon rolls.  Then he suggested I make some pizza with the cinnamon roll dough.  He got onto the subject of pizza when he asked if I could grow mushrooms.  I told him one of these days I will make both and make sure he gets some.  He is funny, for the twins birthday, they had a sleep over, not sure how many kids there were but I made a whole pan of cinnamon rolls and took over and I asked him about them and he said he didn’t get any that his dad ate the WHOLE thing!!  Imagine that.  He said next time I need to bring them over in a box with a lock and to give HIM the key!!  Oh well, he is a character.

I watered the garden  with the garden hose for a little bit then went inside to take it easy for the night.  I was really tired today, that push mower is really hard to use for a couple of hours.  I was really thirsty tonight.  Think I may have gotten a little dehydrated.  I sure drank a lot of water.  It rained tonight.  Got about a half inch of rain, perfect for the garden!

Anyway, I am taking it easy tonight, we have a really big day tomorrow. Night Y’all….

Wednesday May 11th 2011

Today I go into work at 9AM so won’t have much time this morning to do anything.  It is already a beautiful day and hopefully it will stay that way.

At work Mark had me spray Roundup.  The grass and weeds are really growing fast.  The wind blows so much here that we seldom have a day without wind.  Today the wind is really light so it is roundup time.  Mark showed me all the places he wanted sprayed and the sites, which have weeds and grass growing up in them, need to be sprayed so that the sites are somewhat straight.  The golf cart is set up with a tank that holds about twenty five gallons and I ended up filling it up three times.  I am anxious to see what I did.  It takes about a week to see the results.  About 11AM the wind picked up enough that I figured I better quit spraying and do some mowing.  I mowed until Grant got back from school and I started spraying Roundup again over in the mobile home park.  I didn’t get it finished but I did a lot.  By the time I finished over there it was about time to head home.

When I got home I figured I better mow the lawn because there is rain in the forecast and it is looking kind of shaggy even though it has only been four days since I mowed.  The fertilizer must be doing it’s thing.

After I mowed I got the tiller out and tilled the garden again and planted a row of Okra, a row of green beans and a row of sweet corn.  I had to stop, it was dark and the mosquitos and bugs were trying to carry me away.  I didn’t even get to cover the last row and mark the row.  Going to have to wait until morning.

May not seem like much but I am really tired and I think it is about time to go to bed…Night Y’all….

Tuesday May 10th 2011

OK, it is going to be sunny and kind of hot today.  That is good!  We have had enough rain for a little while.  The flood waters are drying up quite fast now that it is sunny, windy and hot!

My tooth feels great today, no problem, still kind of careful about brushing my teeth and what I eat.  Linda fixed me some soup for lunch and I put some oyster crackers in it and, well, they get kind of soggy so they aren’t hard to eat.

I have so much I want to do this morning, I just don’t know where to start. The garden has to be planted and I wanted to work on the wood pile.  Well, garden first.  I got the tiller out and tilled up some of the garden and planted ten tomato plants and four jalapeno plants.  We bought an “Heirloom” tomato plant that our daughter, Kim, said was the best she had ever eaten so we are planting one.  It needed a little water I think, looks a little droopy. I got them all planted and then split one big piece of wood that about wore me out, hardest splitting wood I have ever split! Got all my wedges stuck again but I finally got it. The fire is still burning so guess maybe it may all burn up, hopefully.  Not much left of the wood pile!

Work this afternoon wasn’t to bad.  Had something happen I never had happen before.  There were a group of nine “big” rigs coming in and when the first two got there they paid for the whole group and they said they would park them and have them fill out the registration forms.  I had the spots marked already so I said “OK”.  That was the easiest nine rigs I ever checked in and parked, well, I didn’t park them.  Very nice people but they really wanted a place, meeting room, to have their “happy hour”.  We don’t have one unless they give us a really long prior notice.  I guess they weren’t to upset.

Another end to a beautiful day, Linda fixed spaghetti, which I had requested, for supper.  It was really good.  I had eaten some crackers at work and that didn’t bother me at all.  Guess I am healing nicely.

Well, I am still behind on writing my blog and I haven’t even checked my emails.  Time sure is flying by fast!!  Night Y’all…

Monday May 9th 2011

Today is the day!!  I’m not looking forward to getting my tooth pulled but I guess it is better than getting stepped on by an elephant!

I went in to the dentist by myself, I always get nervous when they start sticking me with needles.  Not real fond of getting shots, well, not fond of getting teeth pulled either but she did it…

I had Erin, which I think I put her name in earlier as Amanda, took the picture of me and my tooth.   I didn’t know Dr. Elizabeth was behind me but I just want to say that this was probably the easiest tooth to come out I have ever had extracted.  Starting at the beginning, she still wanted me to go to an oral surgeon and I didn’t want to do that.  She put medicine in my mouth, not sure what kind, but then she started pushing on my tooth trying to see if it hurt me, which to her surprise, it didn’t.  Then she started with the nova Caine (sp) shots which I didn’t feel any of them but I knew she was doing it because she kept jiggling my cheek to get all the stuff in there.  It didn’t hurt at all but I was sure nervous.  I think it all took about a half hour to deaden the nerves or what ever you call it, then she said she was going to be putting some pressure on it, then she said it’s done!!  Didn’t even know she was pulling!  Well, she finally told me why she didn’t want to pull it, seems she had a lady that had the same problem I did and she wouldn’t to  the oral surgeon either.  Guess she cried through the whole extraction it hurt so bad.  Thank the Lord this didn’t hurt at all.

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Well, this kind of ruined the rest of the day, she said I needed to take it easy and not do anything, especially anything strenuous. So I couldn’t till the garden, Jim returned my tiller and it is in running condition.  Can’t split wood, can’t lift the big pieces to put on the fire so I carried some from the pile and put on the fire to keep it burning.  Took it easy the rest of the day and all I ate today was a container of cottage cheese and a yogurt.  I was full!

Well, so much for Monday. Oh, the weather has been sunny, hot and beautiful!  Drying up the water and getting back to normal.  The bugs are terrible though.  Little flies that bite like crazy!  Gnats that like to fly into your ears and eyes, just very annoying.

Time to call it a day…Night Y’all….