The Surprise

It started with a phone call from my son James aka Rusty. He wanted to know if we could drive to Ames Iowa to pick up a package. The RV Park we were staying in Clear Lake wouldn’t accept packages so I told him we would drive to Ames, where there is an UPS store and spend a couple of days. The park we went to was flooded so a phone call was made to James aka Rusty and we ended up in Waukee Iowa. Mom and I wanted to visit Winterset and the RV Park in Waukee would accept packages, so it worked out well.

Anna (James aka Rusty’s girlfriend) worked her magic in the kitchen and the package was sent. It arrived this morning. Anna you are truly a creative person and to quote mom “she is very clever.” We are so happy that the two of you met, you are truly a magical person. This really made mom’s day. Thank you so much for making her cry, and smile, and laugh.

Happy 80th Birthday Mom - Here is to 80 more!!!!!

No Robert, No Isabel and a Whole Lot of Lonedog

AT&T service stinks in Iowa and I haven't had very good service.  One of things that I do that probably drives my family nuts is I like to take phone picture and send them to everyone on my list.  Today I found myself surrounded by graffiti. Since I couldn't take pictures using my phone and annoy the bejesus out of my family, I will do it here.  When I started searching through the graffiti one name kept popping up - Lonedog.  After you see his name and dates you start to wonder who is this fellow.......

Here is Londdog

Lonedog Again

When mom found this one she said "He found someone."  Of course she wondered if they were still together.  She is a romantic at heart.

Click Here For Pictures of Elmwood Cemetery Mason City Iowa

"Family Stuff"

Dear Anonymous

I would love to exchange information about the Richardson family but you didn’t leave your email address. I have heard of the “Richardson Book” but never could locate it. I am descended from Ebenezer Richardson, a devout Mormon with 4 wives and 34 children. His first wife, Angeline King was my g.g.g. grandmother. His son William Alma was my g.g. grandfather, his son William Alma was my g. grandfather, and finally my grandfather Ray Alma.

I have never met anyone on the Richardson side of the family, with my exception of my grandfather, and I was so young I don’t remember him. My grandfather had 6 children, not counting my father, by different wives and I never had the opportunity to meet them. I have been contacted by folks descended from Ebenezer but no one from William, William, or Ray. How do you fit into this family tree?

Ebenezer was someone I would have loved to have a cup of coffee with. He was baptized into the L.D.S. Church by the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was with the church from the beginning and never once did his faith waver. At the time of Haun's Mill Massacre, he was sent with another man to Haun's Mill to get Joseph Smith’s young family. Ebenezer was shot through the chest. The bullet went through his body and lodged in his back just under the skin. His companion cut it out with a knife. He was a sheriff in Utah. He played the violin. He was a missionary and traveled to South Africa. He was a well liked and respected man who led a very well rounded life. He was in the gold fields when the accident occurred that eventually took his life. I would have loved to hear his stories.

Please send me your email address and I will be happy to share information with you.

Hannah, the last two videos were the two songs I wanted you to listen to. The show is Bones.

For those that want to know - We are in Waukee waiting for a surprise. It is a secret and when the time is right I will let everyone know.

Instead of ending this with “click her for pictures” I have another link for you…. Click here for my ex-husband’s artwork on Etsy. I have no hard feelings for him; he is a very talented person both musically and with his drawings. I just wish I could be half the person my children think he is.

Life is good!

Bottle In Front Of Me…..

One of the ladies I met in Clear Water was a real sweetheart. We shared our stories between snorts and giggles. It was just an instant connection between two people who doesn’t give a rip about convention. We both tried to be politically correct in our introductions but after hello it all went to hell in a hand basket. I don’t’ know how it all began –if it was her story on getting drunk and falling off the porch or my frontal lobotomy story. I know I asked her why she walked so funny and that led to the porch story. Then she said “Fortunately when I tumbled off the porch, I was given all the necessary tests and it was discovered that I have a neurological problem.” Then she chuckled and said “I thought it was peripheral neuropathy because I was a really bad drunk.” She since then quit drinking. I started laughing and explained that my father had peripheral neuropathy because he drank. Then we both got the giggles because I told her not to feel bad by telling her the story of my sister saying “I rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.” A lady sitting next to my sister became quite irate because her son had one. We shared our war stories with laughter. By the end of our lengthy conversation a friendship, however brief, was formed. I am not a huggy person but when saying good-bye a hug was definitely in order. She and her spouse are off to Massachusetts and maybe someday our paths will cross again……

We had to move. We woke this morning and found we had a lake in our back yard! The old Skunk River was giving the campground we were staying a fit. So we are on higher ground with a poor internet connections. Once again I can say “life is good.”


I know what some of you are thinking….. Alcoholism, peripheral neuropathy, frontal lobotomy – these are not funny. For those thinking this – you can kiss my….. Click here for pictures

Moving On Day

During our stay in Clear Water Iowa we had the most delightful neighbors. One of our neighbors that came in after us had a Great West Van, which they just purchased at an estate sale. They had asked a dealership how it operated and was told about the grey and black tank and which “knob” to pull first. They were two women with the cutest dog and we just had a grand time going through their van. Okay we were doing a tiny bit of male bashing but I swear that was it. It just felt good to explain how to hook up their sewer, and how it operates and what you need to get it to work. I was able to help with their electric and answer some of their questions. They just retired and were amazed that mom and I live in our van full-time. My advice to them was “take the back roads.” They were the ones that talked us back in Minnesota in the future and told us of a couple places that we could go on our way to Minnesota. I have my itinerary planned and we are so excited to be leaving for our next adventure.

Click here for pictures of Sleepy Eye.

Thank God For Church Basements

Need I say more? 

We just received the wind and rain.  We are currently under a severe thunderstorm watch until 3:00 a.m.  I just hope we don't end up in the basement again.

Thank you Rusty aka James for keeping me posted and letting me know it is safe to wade home - love you.

Can You Tell By The Song The Show I Enjoy?

Click here for pictures of New Ulm Minnesota Cemetery

New Ulm MN

We are thoroughly enjoying our time in Clear Water. We have met some really nice people and seen some interesting sites. I am spending the evening uploading pictures and writing seven blogs. If we leave Saturday I want to be ready to put this blog on automatic pilot since we will be without internet for at least a week. My neighbor’s talked us into going back to Minnesota and I figured out a route that will be interesting and there will be no backtracking. Then we will scoot across into Wisconsin.

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry… I will think positively.

I am still showing off my New Ulm pictures. The City of New Ulm was important in Minnesota's history. The first steamboats passed by New Ulm in 1853, going up river with troops to lay out the site for Fort Ridgely. For the next 20 years, boats brought setters, freight, Indian supplies and gold to the area.

The Indians mingled freely with New Ulm settlers in those days. Much trading was done between the Indians and the settlers of New Ulm.

New Ulm was nearly overrun in the Dakota Conflict of 1862. A few buildings which still stand along Minnesota Street served as a refuge for residents and nearby settlers.

Because of its German heritage it has the “Herman the German” statue and Herman Missouri can now lay claim to having one of their very own, only smaller in size.

Click here for Herman the German, and no I didn’t make it to the top.

The Storm Has Passed and Another Is On The Horizon

The storm came in around midnight and it was a doozy.  I feel the wind more in the van and I became car sick even though the van isn't moving down the road.  I won't lie to you.... I am done with storms.  We are leaving Saturday, the day of the next storm and I just hope we don't drive into a doozy.  I don't sleep during storms.  This time I took two sleeping pills and then laid there watching the lightning, listening to the thunder, and getting car sick.  There was no rest for me last night which makes me a crabby person in the morning.

Click here for pictures of New Ulm Minnesota and mom's dumpling. 

I really enjoyed driving through this town.  It was picturesque .


May
Sara Teasdale

The wind is tossing the lilacs,
The new leaves laugh in the sun,
And the petals fall on the orchard wall,
But for me the spring is done.

Beneath the apple blossoms
I go a wintry way,
For love that smiled in April
Is false to me in May.

More Severe Weather Heading Our Way

Greetings from Iowa

We are back in Iowa! Minnesota is a great place to visit but not to stay. There are cheaper places to stay such as county parks or fairgrounds but you have to be quick. We like to explore as much as we can and when mom gets tired or we run out of daylight we go hunting for a place to stay. Half the time we got lucky and the other times we were flabbergasted. The last park we stopped at was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

We are on a budget folks; sometimes we eat beans for a week in order to afford the luxuries of life. "Never complain, life is just a big old adventure and learning experience" is our motto. The folks at the last campground were beyond that.

Upon arrival I was asked, “How many in your party?” I told her 2. How many are in your van? I should have said “we are transporting 21 illegals and we have them stack up like firewood.”  I didn't say it because I though might get in trouble for saying I was transporting firewood.

We found out there was a base rate, followed by “extras.” $5 per person that visited us or stayed with us, $2 for Internet, $2 for cable and list went on. I was told the showers were for rinsing off swimsuits and not for bathing. Then there was the trash issue. I was given instructions on how to deal with my trash and was told if I had trash I need to go through it. There was wet garbage, plastic, aluminum, glass, paper, dog droppings, and they were to be put in  separate containers located somewhere. I stopped listening after a while. I figure I would take my garbage somewhere else where it was appreciated. After dinner I looked at mom and said “I am through with Minnesota.” Maybe when we stock up and save up we will venture back someday. Minnesota is a beautiful state with a wonderful history.

Meanwhile we are in northern Iowa. We plan to stay put for a few days in order for the mail to catch up with us. We are also staying in a park with full hook-ups, showers that you can get naked in, Internet, and has normal garbage procedures. Oh and a storm shelter. All of this for under $25 bucks – Life is good!

I have plotted out our adventures for a week and I happy to say the most I will be paying for a place to stay is $18.  Woo Hoo

Owatonna MN

We drove to Owatonna Minnesota to visit the Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children Museum, an orphanage.

It was a sad visit that made you appreciate what you did have as a child.

Click here for pictures!

Hope

I just loved this little RV park in Hope Minnesota, Oak Knoll Campground.  Nestled in the words bordering a farmer's field.  It was very pretty.

Click Here For Pictures!

SPAM

Jackson had its acorns, Grant his precious rye,
Terry had his poison beef, worse you couldn't buy;
The doughboy had his hardtack without this army's jam.
All armies on their stomachs move, and this one moves on SPAM.

For breakfast they will fry it, for supper it is baked,
For dinner what a delicacy, they have it pat-a-caked;
Next morning its with flapjacks or maybe powdered eggs.

Where the hell they get it all? They must order it by kegs.
Surely for the evening meal they'll cook up something new,
But these cooks are surry uncanny, now it's in the stew.

And thus this tireless cycle goes, it never seems to cease;
SPAM in stew, SPAM in pie, SPAM in boiling grease
We've had it tucked in cabbage for corned beef,
We've had it with spaghetti with cmie and rice.
I remember such a happy day, we only had it twice.

Back home I have an angel whose name I'm going to change.
I'll buy her a fancy home with a new fandangled range;
But marital bliss is sure to cease if I ever ask of ham
And find my eggs are looking up from a slice of cursed SPAM.


Click here for pictures!

Fairmont Minnesota

We drove through Fairmont Minnesota stopping long enough to take a stroll through a park.  

To see more pictures of Fairmont MN click here.

Through Hail And Back

Yesterday was a mess with a mixture of hail, tornadoes, wind, and storms. I drove to Mankato Minnesota to have some work done at Best Buy and the wind was horrible. Mom and I discussed staying in Mankato but a little voice in my head was saying “keep on going.” I don’t like to drive in heavy winds and I am not from Minnesota so I am not use to it but I kept on going. An hour later we pulled into New Ulm (we drove the back roads). The wind by now was getting worse and there were ominous sounds of thunder. I decided to stay in the State Park because it was safer weather-wise than the fairgrounds All we got was brief storms with burst of rain but the area we came from, Mankato, and the surrounding towns were not so lucky. My neighbor was on the phone most of the evening and she came from one of the towns that were hit by a mile wide tornado. We have been so lucky in avoiding these storms. I just hope our luck stays with us.

We are in Redwood Falls Minnesota in a RV park that has a storm shelter, Internet, and cable. We are planning to go back to New Ulm and Sleepy Eye to do a little sight-seeing. I did stop to see Herman the German while I was in New Ulm. Herman the German is a 102 foot statue and I was determined to climb to the top. The first part is wide stairs and the last part is a spiral staircase, which I had a problem with. I made it to the first step of the spiral staircase. I stopped to take a few pictures and then I took a deep breath and started trotting up the stairs.

I am afraid of heights. I do very well if I don’t look up, look down, or look around. I focus on the steps and I focus on not thinking. When I get to the top I will look around and most times I am fine. It is just the process of going up and down that scares the weebies out of me. Halfway up the stairs I stopped and I looked down. There are times when I am not my own cheerleader and so as fast as I ran up I ran back down. . I don’t know why but I know if there was someone behind me encouraging me I would have made it. Since we are going back, I am going to give it another try.

We are alive and well and still in Minnesota!

Dandelion

Dandelion

Julie Lechevsky

My science teacher said

there are no monographs
on the dandelion.

Unlike the Venus fly-trap
or Calopogon pulchellus,
it is not a plant worthy of scrutiny.

It goes on television

between the poison squirt bottles,

during commercial breakaways from Ricki Lake.

But that's how life

parachutes

to my home.

Home,

where they make you do

what you don't want to do.

Moms with Uzis of reproach,

dads with their silencers.

(My parents watch me closely because I am their jewel.)

So no one knows how strong
a dandelion is inside,
how its parts stick together,
bract, involucre, pappus,

how it clings to its fragile self.

There are 188 florets in a bloom,

which might seem a peculiar number,

but there are 188,000 square feet

in the perfectly proportioned Wal-Mart,
which allows for circulation
without getting lost.

I wish I could grow like a dandelion,
from gold to thin white hair,
and be carried on a breeze
to the next yard.

I'll Show You My Plug If You Show Me Yours

I leave my hose and cable on the lot when I am out exploring. I just put up the electric cord and surge protector. I had mentioned in an earlier blog about coming home to find "home" rented to someone else.    My cable and my water regulator were gone.  I did received the water regulator but not my cable.  They said it wasn't there when they pulled in.  99% of the time we don't have a problem and never came home to find everything missing.  I have a spare on most everything.

While staying the Pipestone Campground I had to move two times.  The second time was when a motorhome pulled in beside us and wanted to plug in.  He said he was 50 amps and showed me his plug.  I explained to him he was 30 amps.   He told me I was wrong but why was my van 50 amps when normally they are 30 amps.  I unplugged and showed him my plug and told him he was definitely 30 amps.  I was unhooking to go exploring and told him that I would move.  When I was unhooked, he hooked up, and I thought that was that.  Until he came back out and stopped me because his electric didn't work.  I always make sure the electric is turned off before I plug in or unplug.  He said it was unnecessary of course he thinks he is 50 amps plugged into a 30 amp receptacle.

It was  a neat park, reasonably priced, and we really enjoyed our stay there.


To see pictures of "Three Maidens" in Pipestone MN Click here.

Eating Right

The comments and conversation flowing between my daughter, Hannah Jane relate to "Eat Right For Your Blood Type."  She won't tell me what her blood type is but I know I have her blood type. I have the Vegetarian Blood Type (A+).  I am to avoid red meat, if I eat meat it needs to be Turkey or Chicken.  Don't laugh but that is what I gravitate towards.  The bread of my choice is ezekiel bread and I am happy to see that is in the list of foods I can eat.  It also list peanuts as a food to eat and I will admit I thoroughly enjoy my peanuts....but peanuts..  they don't like me.

Another list of avoidances which isn't food related is as follows:

Crowds of people
Loud noise
Negative emotions
Smoking
Strong smells or perfumes
Too much sugar and starch
Overwork
Violent TV and movies
Lack of sleep
Extreme weather conditions (hot or cold)
 
I just purchased two Stephen King movies, which I will probably watch with the pillow over my face and the only extreme temp I don't like is cold.  I have always had sleep problems.  I have been known to jump out of bed and run around my room.  I don't do that now and maybe that is why I can't sleep.   The worst place for me to be is in WalMarts on a Saturday afternoon.  Anybody that knows me knows this.  My poor mother will look at me with fear and whisper "I know it is Saturday but we need to go to Walmarts."  I am happy to say I have not throttle anyone but I can only last 15 minutes before I am a total raving b***h.   
 
I am going to look this list over and I am going to add some new foods as well as take some away.  It can't hurt me.   If you want to read more click here.

To take a trip to Pipestone National Monument, click here for pictures!

Questions

I am starting to like this - ask me any question (within reason) and I will answer.  It makes blogging a lot easier . 

Belle is my best friend's daughter - I have adopted her.  Awesome person.  Anyway - Belle - I didn' get my computer back because they gave me a new one.   I took a Dell this time and I am hoping it will last longer than the others.  Best Buy also backed up my computer for me for the cost of an external drive.  They were pretty horsy about communicating with me and when I pitched a fit they dropped the price.  I have my pictures and I have my music... I am a happy camper.

Mom and I are spending the night in Welcome, I love that name -Welcome to Welcome MN.  Tomorrow we are going to drive through the town and visit the cemetery.  Then we are heading east to see the Jolly Green Giant and the Spam museum. 

My ex husband loved fried spam and ate it constantly.  I remember being pregnant with Scott and everytime he would put that nasty pink meat in a skillet I would run to the bathroom.   Spam and kippers with a little peanut butter was my ex husband's diet.  Memories they are coming back sometimes in the form of nightmares.

I found a free place to camp and not at a casino.  That is where we will be for a couple of nights.  No internet, and spotty phone reception for two nights.   I will post some inanities and scheduled them so there will be something on my blog every day for a few days. 

Click here for pictures of Pipestone MN.

My Grandkids!

Malachi and Isabel

Hayden

Jaeda