Back Home Again in Indiana

Bill has been on a prairie dog hunting trip in South Dakota and Montana this past week having a good time and good shooting. While he was gone, I left for Indiana. He's home now and I'll be gone for a while. Mom is having her second knee replacement surgery this next week.

Last night we had a nice meal out at Abuello's with Uncle Neal, Aunt Jan and cousin Jodi.

I had my Stampin' Up! downline meeting this morning. It was a fun time of technique demonstrations, sharing business ideas with each other, card making and lunch.

Then I met a friend and we visited while she had lunch and then drove around Carmel looking at all the changes.

The NASCAR Brickyard race is here in Indianapolis this weekend. It's gonna be a hot one! They've been talking on the news about the things they're going to be doing to keep people cool. One of my long time friends and blog reader, Marie, will be there. Stay cool Marie!

This past week has also been RAGBRAI, the annual bike ride across Iowa. It's been really hot and humid for the 10,000 riders there too. One of my customers was going to be riding for the first time and doing three days. I can't wait to hear all about it when we get together to stamp in Sept. Click HERE to read about RAGBRAI.

I've taken several pictures since getting here Thurs. night. Will try to get some of them posted tomorrow after church and the stamp class.

Crop Duster

We woke up this morning to the sound of a crop duster. Or here, they call them spray planes. We rarely hear any kind of airplane in our area but this time of year, the spray planes are really busy. I think my dad should've been a crop duster and would've loved it. He was always buzzing people and doing crazy things in his plane plus liked farming.

Bill says they are spraying fungicide on the corn to prevent fungus. Some guys have it done, some don't and save that money. The dairy always sprays all of their corn to preserve the stalks since they chop those for silage to feed their dairy cows. Bill & Tim though want the stalks to "go away" once the ear of corn has grown so there's less "trash" in the fields to help the next year's crop grow better. Lots to think about with farming!

Along those lines, we had an appointment with our attorney/also CPA this week re: our income & expenses so far this year, etc. He told Bill to think about any tile work that needs to be done in the fields, putting up new grain bins, trading for newer semis and pickup, or building a machine shed - for more expenses/tax deductions. Bill wants to someday build a machine shed/shop next to our house, but we're trying to figure out where to put it and not ready to do that this year. Lots to think about . . .

Just HOT

Nothing much new around here. It's just been hot and humid like about everywhere else.

I'm getting things ready for a meeting and a stamp class in Indiana the end of the month. Gathering up catalogs, order forms, door prizes, stamps, ink pads, card stock, putting together projects for the ladies to make, deciding on food, etc.

I've gone the past week or so for the yearly eye exam, dentist appointment and had a couple of physical therapy sessions. I'm still battling my frozen shoulder but it is getting better. It should be since I've had it over a year. Not fun. I've been trying to get most of the appointments done in the summer since we're busy in spring and fall and the weather is iffy starting in Dec.

Today Bill greased the sprayer and mowed some weeds. He was mowing with a tractor without a cab and got stuck here for a while because we got a little rain. Yesterday he sprayed for mosquitoes around our house and his mom's and the couple days before that he was finishing up spraying fields for weeds.

Bryan, Bill's cousin, is here again this summer and has been doing my mowing job.

Today is Bill's birthday. He decided he wanted a jello cake and pizza - that's easy! I offered to make big, homemade cakes like Red Velvet, German Chocolate, Italian Cream types but he's a white cake/vanilla icing kind of guy (white walls, white house . . .).

I took both of these pictures tonight. Saw the field with hay ready to be baled down the road from us as I went to pick up the pizza. I thought the light was kind of pretty on the tasseled corn when the train came through although I didn't get the camera and outside quite quick enough.

It's Hot - Fair Time

Camry was in the baby crawling contest at the county fair yesterday. The first picture is the moms at the other end for their babies to crawl to them. You could have two people at the finish line. It was funny, all the babies were drawn to their mom's cell phones!

In the second picture, Camry is with Grammie Lori getting ready to start. She was kind of bewildered by it all and wondering why she was being put down on carpet with all these strange people around. The baby in lane 1 won. In the starting picture, it looks like baby #4 is very serious about it and going to start out strong and baby #1 is eyeing him like he's her biggest competition.





























Papa Dallas is into chickens and has some at Diane's house. Theirs are rusty colored ones and lay brown eggs. They're now the proud owners of these 3! Diane calls the ones in the 2nd picture "Afro chickens". We're wondering how their mean rooster, Bruno, will like these additions to the flock!

Livermoredaze Parade

We live close to Dallas Clark's hometown (Indianapolis Colts football receiver in case you didn't know) so I've been hoping I'd meet him eventually! I have a Colts magnet on the back of my SUV, I wear Colts shirts quite a bit, etc. I had read that today was a parade in his hometown of Livermore so thought he'd surely be in it! So guess what I did this morning? Yep, I went to the parade. And he was in it!

The Indian was at the edge of town. The 2nd picture is the Hardee's mascot (they don't have any fast food places in that town!).

I thought the family reunion sign with everybody behind it on a wagon was neat.

The two little kids were cute - their sign on the front says "Gone Fishin' ". They were waving most of the time.

Dallas was in the back of the green truck there throwing candy. The sign had the name of his Dallas Clark Foundation and web site on it. No sign of anything Colts except one little girl sitting next to me wearing a Colts visor. People in his town say he's a super nice guy, and I think he's just a normal person in town when he's home.

They've named a street after him though (last picture) - Dallas Clark Road. His house used to be on that street but I've heard he built a new one.

I still hope to get to talk to him sometime!














After the parade, I went on to the Humboldt Farmers' Market since I haven't been to it yet this season. Lots of vendors along the main street. I bought some fresh green beans and a jar of black raspberry jelly.

This afternoon, I made a black raspberry pie from some of Peggy's raspberries. Will post a picture another day. Grandma R. used to make them and they were so good. I was happy to find I had her recipe.

Greater Rolfe Days - Day 3

This is the only picture I got at the Firemen's Omelet Breakfast on Sun. morning - after the crowd had come through! We had 8 skillets and burners that we can borrow for free for cooking omelets to order. People would come through the line and put their choice of chopped ham, green peppers, onions, mushrooms in their cup and then bring it to one of us cooking. We'd get the omelet going, add their ingredients and top with cheese if they wanted it and cook until done. It works out pretty well! We also had sausages that one of the guys had grilled, homemade muffins made by a great baker in West Bend and orange juice, milk or coffee. We ended up serving about 180.



This is a card I made today for Caroline Kemna, a distant relative who is turning 100 on Sunday! She lives here in West Bend, IA. This was a quick and simple card since the flower and leaves are cut out with the Big Shot, the lacey edge is a punch and so are the two ovals. I stamped the Best Wishes on the front and the greeting on the inside. It's nice to have a numbers stamp set to be able to personalize cards with the age for ones like this! All of the products used here are Stampin' Up! Order from my store - above right!

5th Annual Rodeo

Last Sat. night was the rodeo here during Greater Rolfe Days. The Rodeo & Saddle Club sponsors it - and they do a lot of work to have it here.

The events they had were mutton bustin' where kids under 60 lbs. try to ride a sheep for 6 seconds, bull riding with some meaner than usual bulls this year, barrel racing and a wild horse race. The wild horse race is with horses that have never been ridden before or even saddled. Teams have to get their horse saddled and the first one to have a cowboy mount up and ride across the finish line, dismount and run to the judge wins. The video below is part of the wild horse race.

The first picture is Diane in her new Western outfit and boots and her friend Tracy. I worked with them in the concession stand. We worked hard and were very busy and hot the whole 4 hours.

Greater Rolfe Days - Day 2

The morning started off with helping with the Toad in the Hole (toast with an egg cooked in the middle) and doughnut holes breakfast to benefit the Farmers' Market. It was at the gazebo in the middle of town.

Then the parade at 10:15. Bryan and I rode with Bill in the first fire truck. (the yellow one) Then we had lunch at the Lutheran Church. The VFW women made salads and maidrites plus pie and homemade ice cream.





























The Rolfe State Bank entry is a calliope which I think is neat. The guy on the horse was the clown at the rodeo Sat. night. His horse is very well trained. I saw him smack the horse on the rump and it kicked its heels up - while he was on it. Bill said it walked down main street backwards in the parade for a while. The parade used to go down main street and turn the corner and go past the Care Center but it was closed in June so the parade was even shorter than usual.

Saturday night was the rodeo. I'll have a video of the Wild Horse Race next.

Greater Rolfe Days

This was one of my things To Do yesterday for today's firemen's omelet breakfast - chop 24 green peppers! The breakfast starts in 20 min. so I've gotta go but have lots of pictures of things from yesterday to share later.

The Fun Has Begun

Bill has been doing a little replanting of beans in the drowned out areas and spraying for weeds. He's happy when he can get spraying done. Sometimes they can't get into the fields at the right time if it's too muddy and it has to be done before the beans and corn get too big to drive through.















Today is the first day of the annual Greater Rolfe Days. I went to West Bend to pick up 12 dozen frozen muffins that we had a very good baker make for the firemen's omelet breakfast coming up Sunday.

Then I headed to the Pocahontas pool with Lacey. She REALLY wants to know how to swim. Today we worked on treading water, holding her breath so she can go down and touch the bottom in the deep end and worked on kicking. She's doing pretty good! I took this picture late in the day after lots had left.

Tonight was a meal at the fire station which is a fundraiser for the Shared Ministry Church ladies. They always make maidrites.

Then the firemen set up and run the water fights first for teams of kids and then adults. It's always a popular event.

Tomorrow morning is breakfast in town which is a fundraiser for the Farmers' Market, the parade, free swimming at the pool, a salad lunch with pie and ice cream social done by the VFW ladies that's always good (all of those homemade salads - yum!), an auction by the Lions Club and the rodeo tomorrow night. I'm working at the breakfast, Bill & I will probably be in a fire truck in the parade along with Bryan, and Diane asked for my help in the concession stand at the rodeo - just for even an hour she said!


Bryan and Bill running the truck for the water fights. Bryan is Bill's 2nd cousin and is here visiting from Colorado. He was here last summer and greatly helped with our landscaping and deck projects.

One of the female water fight participants very smartly wore these running shoes. I think her team did well. Some try to do it in flip flops or barefoot.

Clear Lake Trip

Yesterday I went to Clear Lake, a fun town on a lake about an hour and a half from here, with friends Terri & Sarah to celebrate Terri's birthday. In this first picture you can see the water down at the end of the main street just past a really nice park. We had lunch at The Rose Cottage tea room. The owner even played Happy Birthday to Terri on the piano.

After lunch, we browsed in the shops. I have a picture inside The Red Geranium shop and the rustic coffee shop. There was a cute little winery with window boxes full of corks.

As we left, we drove along the street by the water looking at all the lake houses and wishing we had a cozy, little one. That will probably never happen but we did see a paddlewheel boat that you can take a cruise on so we may all go back to do that! Fun day.

Happy 4th!

They used to say "knee high by the 4th of July" but as you can see, our corn is almost as tall as me! Bill says that the newer varieties these days grow faster.

We decided to go to the fireworks at Twin Lakes last night. They're the best I've seen since moving to Iowa! Seeing all the boats on the water, smelling all of the camp fires and really good fireworks was great! We'll be back there next year - earlier and with picnic. The weather was perfect this year too. Click on the video below to see a small part of the finale.

I'm babysitting Camry this afternoon while Diane is golfing and Lacey is fishing with her grandparents. This evening I'm going to walk along side our church bus with the puppets hanging out the windows singing in the Humboldt parade. We'll be passing out Vacation Bible School brochures, bubbles and candy.