Spring is Here in NW Iowa

The crabapple trees in town are unusually pretty this year. I don't think I even noticed them last year. This one is by the house Glenn & Amy first lived in when they moved out here (the yellow house).
There aren't that many trees in this area compared to Indiana. Over the years the farmers have cut them down to be able to farm more ground.









Bill's mom has a nice asparagus patch and it's ready! I never liked mushy asparagus when growing up - but this fresh stuff is good!! It grows wild out here in the ditches and you see lots of people driving around picking it. Diane & Todd are really good at spotting it. I drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle on some steak rub and microwave or bake until tender.

Bill and I carried lots of stuff from the old house to the new today. Rob, Ross & Reed and a friend came by to see the house so we got them to help move the last 2 pieces of furniture. Had a pretty day to do it until early evening when we got about 1/4" inch of rain. At the end, it was raining in the front yard but not on our house - looked for a rainbow and there it was.

Greg, Bill F. and Ben came this morning and put the screens and screen door on our porch so we can sit out there now! Will wait to get the carpet cut for it when Mark comes back to do the stamp room carpet. We got some indoor/outdoor carpet at Menard's.

Dad

Last week when I was in Indiana, I got to see Dad's (& Mom's) headstone for the first time. I really like it. Mom did a good job picking it out. Mom & I both like hearts. Click on the picture to see the wording better - then click on your arrow in the top left corner to come back to this screen.









The location is really nice - with a perfect view of the Dairy Queen. For those that may not know, Mom & Dad built the DQ when I was 1 and owned it for 17 years. Glenn & I were lucky kids to be able to make ourselves extra thick shakes, hot fudge sundaes and all that whenever we wanted to! Our friends were jealous. :)

We had more rain yesterday morning and then a nice day so still too wet to plant. It is sunny today and corn is coming up! The rain delay has actually worked out well for me! Bill put up some curtain rods and things again. We're still bringing more stuff over from the house and getting organized.

Bill had to go to Ft. Dodge for parts yesterday - he and Tim are working on their skid loader. I had to go to West Bend for stamp room carpet samples and to Algona for a curtain rod. While in Algona I got to have lunch at a place I'd heard about - Maggie B's. HOMEMADE PIES almost as good as Grandma's!! And evidently their soup is very good - they ran out while I was there.

The plumber is coming today we hope - our water softener isn't working which means rusty water and orange toilet bowls! Greg & Bill F. will be here tomorrow to put the screens in our screened porch, adjust some doors, and put in a basement window well. Our garage has to be painted, garage door openers installed, utility sink installed and the electrical work done. Lots more to be finished. The inside is looking pretty good though. Will have pics soon.

Carmel Bronzes

Here are *some* of the bronzes that are on the streets of old downtown Carmel, IN. They are kind of neat but wow, that money could sure be used in a better way in my opinion!

This lady and the guy above are new since I had been in Carmel last time.

It was too wet for planting today so we got to sleep in although we got a phone call at 7:30. Bill did some things around the house for me like hanging some decorative things and the corner shelf for the TV in the bedroom, etc. Good to get that all done! We went to Glenn's shop to pick up some exercise equipment. Then Bill had a grocery board meeting and I hauled more stuff over from the old house.

This is Ross with the guy with the newspaper taken last June. We have a picture of Dad just like this too.

Catching Up

Where to begin!!?? I drove the 10 hours from Indiana back to Iowa on Saturday. Bill planted Sun. morning and I carried boxes. Kyle, Karen, Dave & Ryanne came in the afternoon to help move bigger things over. Dave spent time putting all of our electronics together and getting the new TV hooked up. Peggy babysat the twins and fed us. All a big help - thanks guys! I have pictures from Indiana to share and some of what's been going on here the past week, but we officially stayed in the new house Sun. night and every day lots more things are in place and decorated!



In Indiana, everything was blooming. I love the dogwood and redbud trees. This dogwood is always pretty and is at National City Bank (Union State Bank back then) where I worked for 11 years - my first job.





This is Mark Kemna, a distant relative. He's been in the flooring business many years. Here he's stretching the carpet from our old house in the basement. Turns out we didn't have enough of it for the stamp room so I need to make a trip to West Bend to pick something out. I can't quit carrying, unpacking& decorating to go!





First look at the new refrigerator & stove. I cooked on the new stove for the first time and cooked bacon in the new microwave - like it all!

Bill only got about 100 acres of beans planted today. Tim was rolling beans and Carl worked ground but got rained out where he was this evening. I had a sandwich ready to take to Bill at about 6:45 but he asked me to pick up Carl and take him to his truck instead with the rain coming. Turns out most of it went to the south.

Busy Weekend

I drove from Carmel back to Rolfe yesterday (10 hours). Had a nice, sunny day for a long drive!!

Bill & Tim got started planting beans today. At 2:00, Karen & Dave and Kyle are coming to help move some furniture over to the new house. I've been clearing off pieces this morning and carrying drawers and other stuff over. I think I have all of our basics that we need to start sleeping here plus I've brought over lots of kitchen stuff.

Just went to the Amanda Jones Benefit - one of Diane's friends who has cancer. They are having a hog roast and auction so I picked up lunch. I saw Amy & the boys there and I guess the boys were very funny at church today. It was the day the graduates go up front and talk and since nobody can ever figure out which triplet they are, Reed started out by saying he was somebody else, then Ross did it too. They had planned it. Rob played along when it was his turn. Guess they were pretty funny! I'm sorry I missed it! Check back for pictures of Carmel and the house - just don't know when!!

Good Salad Recipe

Today I got to go see the new & improved Carmel DQ - wow - impressive! Looked around at other changes in Carmel since I was here in Sept. - it's constantly growing and changing. Went to see dad's headstone - it's really nice (took pictures). Did some things around the house and some shopping for me and mom. We're having a new to me recipe that I like tonight which I'll post another day. Today for lunch we had the following favorite salad recipe. It's from my friend Cindy and didn't have a name so I call it Cindy's Salad - and you can too!

Head of lettuce, torn
baby spinach (about 1/2 bag)
1 lb. bacon, cooked & crumbled
sm. pkg. slivered almonds
1/4 C. sugar
can of mandarin oranges, drained
green onions, sliced

Dressing:

1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
3-4 T. red wine vinegar

Mix dressing ingredients together ahead of time to let the sugar dissolve.

Heat almonds and 1/4 C. sugar on High in non-stick skillet. Stir until sugar melts & almonds brown slightly (stir constantly and watch closely - they get done fast). Pour out onto a piece of foil and let cool. Break into small pieces. Combine lettuce, spinach, bacon, almonds, oranges and green onions with dressing right before serving.