Over the River and through the Woods

My title started out "Over the Riviera...." whoops, I didn't go THAT far, although that's not to say I didn't WISH to go that far!

Anyway, I'm back to real life, and it's good. The weather is cooler, friends are good, the house is tidy and I SHOULD be well rested. And I am. So a bit about the trip...Mom and I left on Tuesday and decided to stay off freeways and take "blue highways", secondary roads through Iowa and Minnesota. It was a VERY LOVELY trip! We left at six, an hour before sunrise, then watched the sun break the clear horizon over Iowa. We kept a little notebook (thanks for leaving it in the car Willy) of how long it took us to get places, trains we saw and other attractions. Lake Okoboji is beautiful on either side of Hwy 71 in northern Iowa. Another highlight was our hour long visit in New Ulm, Minnesota, a German settlement and the home of children's author Wanda Gag (remember Millions of Cats?) We found a little place to have lunch and walked a few blocks around the town. These are a couple of places that Den and I will have to return to some weekend...

We drank a lot of coffee, had good meals, breathed fresh woodsy air and read books. It was a very relaxing couple of days. See the Flickr for photos of various and sundry relatives. Every day was warm, well, hot, until the morning I left. I drove straight home via the freeway and Minneapolis this time using the route through "the cities" that Grace gave me. It was perfect! And I sped through.

The Midwest is really lovely at this time of the year!

Just a few moments

I'm at school today subbing for the high school English teacher. The morning was chock-a-block with one group after another filing in, but the afternoon has a study hall, a planning period and one class with five students. So here I am...and this study hall is empty because the three students in it went to work in other rooms.

So now for the rest of the "holiday". Pictures will get posted after I get home again.

I went to Mom's on Monday afternoon. We ran around the Quad Cities-out for big burgers where she treated me and for a quick visit to my sister Jenny. It was child #5's 4th birthday! Then we went to the chiropractor. Mom has a fantastic woman that she's been going to for years. I've been there when I go over, too. She's helping me figure out what to do for this thyroid nodule and also getting the kinks out of my back and neck. After I was there last time, I didn't get a headache for four months---and I usually have several a month. She also gave us some suggestions for vitamin supplements that are inexpensive and totally assimilated into the body. I need to find a chiro around here.

Tuesday was Mom's day to get everything taken care of before she left town for a few weeks. But first, we had to get up at 4:30 and watch the lunar eclipse. It was fantastic! We stayed up until the moon was so dark we could barely make it out in the sky. Later that morning we had breakfast with Jenny and all six of her children. (They don't start school until after Labor Day.) That was fun. We got to play "Memory" with Seth which ended up being with all the big kids. Lots of fun there....!!! Darling baby Caleb gets hugs and tickles all the while. Ran into town for some business and then fed Dad. He seemed to hear me and understand what I was telling him about our children. His reaction is to cry. So when I say something and he cries, I know he understood. Lunch and a tour of her garden at Mom's friend's house. Tuesday evening Jenny got the night out, so we took Mom to the Machine Shed for dinner. It's like Cracker Barrel. They came and sang some silly birthday song for her. On the way home we stopped at the Iowa welcome center for a view of the Mississippi River at dusk. The welcome center is really not high enough to get a good view of the river, but there is a nice panoramic view. Mom went to bed early after that, so Jenny and I had a good long visit--with NO INTERRUPTIONS. Thanks, Jen!

Wednesday was Mom's birthday. We left early for Ron's and had birthday brunch and lunch there. Nice to have that stopping place half way across. He called his place "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom"! We saw a doe with two fawns and a gaggle (?) of turkeys! Five of them, very big, too! They were right up in the yard. I got home in time to pick up Andrew at the car mechanic where he was leaving his car and run to church to teach my class. I was in bed by 8:30! And slept until morning! Whew! Nice to see the lovely state of Iowa from shore to shore.

As Time Goes By

Impulsively on Sunday I got in the car and drove to Cono. (See August 21st blog). I have been home all summer, and I just needed to get away. I've wanted to go over there all summer. So into the car I jumped and sped away to the music of U2 Joshua Tree turned up so loud I couldn't hear the noise of the Scion roaring down the highway. I was pumped! I had hoped to arrive early enough for evening service and their good musical harmony, but the service started at 6, and I didn't arrive until 7. However, Hans Deutschmann was preaching! (They are missionary friends who taught at Cono for 20 years and are now in the Czech Republic. They will be in Omaha the end of September.) So I got to visit with Hans and Gretchen a little. I stayed with Andrew and MaryAnna and caught up a bit on their lives. Cono is absolutely beautiful! I didn't want to leave. More pictures forthcoming on Flickr.
I left Monday after noon and thought I'd go by our old house. We always drive by, but we never stop. So I thought I'd see if anyone was home and take pictures. No one was, but I took pictures outside anyway. This is our old farmhouse. My dad bought it in 1971, we moved into it 1972; they sold it to some friends of ours in 1978. So we really didn't live there for very long, and most of that time I was in college. But it was a great place to come home to.
A funny thing happened on the way out to the farm. I stopped at the four-way stop in Walker (population about 600) and there in a truck at the other stop sign was our old friend Dave! He was in my brother's wedding and a friend of all of us. We met up at the local convenient store for a quick catch up and a look at his new granddaughter's picture. Are we that old already?
More in the next blog about the rest of the trip.

Moonstruck

I've been an avid skywatcher ever since I was little. I think I've posted about sky events already this year. Here is another! If you click on "here", it will take you to earthsky.org and tell you about the lunar eclipse early morning on August 28. Since I've linked the site, I won't go into all the details. Hope you get up early enough to see it! Looks like we'll finally have clear weather.
The moon was gorgeous last night shining on our pool and the fields beyond. Great to have some fall weather, cool and dry. Does energize one, doesn't it?

Life's Simple Pleasures

I love clean. I feel so satisfied when something is clean and organized. Just ask mdiber! Growing up I was thrilled on the nights when we had clean sheets, clean nightie and taken a bath. Ah, what pleasure. I washed windows yesterday. I just had to take a picture through the front just to remember how clean they were! Of course it rained all over them again last night. But this morning they don't look any dirtier. Yeah! I'm amazed how such a clear view of the neighborhood makes my whole house seem cleaner. It was so much cooler yesterday that I could open all the windows and clean the floors and windows. Today is supposed to be even cooler. Maybe that means baking....

Last of the Summer Wine?

(Did any one else notice that my picture was deleted? Reasons?)
Will left this morning, so last night his group of friends got together one last time. Will is making PinaColadas, the Bacardi is for looks, but the Kitchen Aid mixer does a super job of crushing the ice! Thought it would be a funny pose. Good times. Will turns 21 a week from today. Back at school, though, darn.

I think he had a good summer. He is a thinker more than a talker, so when we did talk, it always gave us something to think about. He's a Barak Obama fan, and is working on starting a college democrats group. We'll see how his school year goes.

I'm doing OK having put two of my children on planes in the past week. I suppose one gets used to it. Now I guess I start my real life. Andrew is grown up with an adult job. The other two will get there eventually. Just as Will is a little panicked about this being his senior year and Linnea is panicked about writing a thesis and applying for PhD programs, I'm trying to find my niche. One grows up and has kids, but one doesn't think about what happens after that! So I suppose I'm in a transition phase trying to find my new self.

For now, though, it's get the wash finished and set up some kind of plan for teaching the children at our church on Wednesday evenings. So far no one has a plan, so I'm going to spend the rest of my day working on SOMETHING. It will be fun. At least maybe I'll get tonight planned.

Cheers!

Here I raise my Ebenezer

Every year on this day, August 21st, our family remembers our move from Michigan to Iowa. In a way, it was a move much like Father Abraham going to the promised land. It was 1965 and our parents were concerned about education in the public school and were looking for an alternative. In April of that year, we were visiting an aunt and uncle in Huntsville, Alabama. While we were there a touring choir from Cono Christian School sang in their church. Our parents were impressed. A few weeks later, they went to Iowa to scout things out. I guess they loved it. So we moved in August. My dad left his family and friends for the first time, found a new job in Iowa where we didn't know anyone and began a totally new life. That decision changed our family. The school was a boarding school; we were day students. We had friends that were from all over the United States and the world, missionary kids. Cono later enrolled/enrolls international students. So we did not live the typical isolated Iowa country life. We all sang in that touring choir and went all over the United States. We still run into people who know Cono or Cono people or went to Cono in all parts of the US. We have been blessed immeasureably through our parents' decision not only in the lifelong friendships that we made but also in what we learned through the quality Christian education that we received. Another one of those covenant blessings. "All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace."

Our dad is in a nursing home now. He doesn't talk much and can't see us. We miss the old dad, (well, sometimes!) but we are so thankful for his obedience to God in leaving his father and mother and going to a "new land". Mom keeps him and us cheered up. And keeps reminding us of who God is and what He has done and is doing for us. Today we "raise our Ebenezer" to remember and commit ourselves to remaining obedient to his God and our God.
[The photos were taken three years ago when we were last all together. It was our parents' 50th wedding celebration. (Yeah, my brother has six sisters!)]