Getting settled in here

60º here in Clarinda Iowa at 9:15 am on Saturday as I start this.  (I read most of the blogs I have listed at right and the majority of them do not tell where they are even though they talk about local things without giving a town -- bugs me)  Is to get to 75º today so I am wearing SHORT PANTS -- first time since we left Texas!   Click on photos to enlarge.

This was front yard when we got home - some over 8" tall.

Mowing with the riding mower - mowed them in to swaths and let them
dry a day and then picked up with the bagging walk-behind mower.

This is front lawn with frost on it yesterday morning - 32º when we got up.

Lawn yesterday after I had used bagger lawn mower to pick up
the swathed grass and tree leaves. 

All the leaves of fall/winter accumulated on the deck.  They were
wet underneath - scattered them some to dry.  Winter cover still over
the window-well at left.

To the east of the deck - filled with leaves.

Brought the hot tub from the garage and filling it with water.

The Worx vacuum is in the foreground.
It sucks up the leaves and grinds
them to 1/10th the size.  I must have
dumped 10 or 12 bags behind the hedge.

This Soft Tub is very economical to run.  It does not have any
heater -- is heated by water pumped through coil of copper tubes
wrapped around the circulation pump.  Turned it on Thursday and
it was hot to use this morning.  Will keep it at 100º

Moving the propane grill from the garage to the deck via
a big-wheeled garden cart.

Got some of the chairs from the garage - Phyllis talking on
the phone with gal in the Kenwood RV office.

Phyllis bringing out the two-piece cement bird bath.

Bird bath set up.

Deck complete - table and chairs set up, grill in place, benches moved
from under the eaves to where they will be for the summer.

Chimney from Mexico set out from garage and also the swing
set set up by the bedroom window.  Ready for summer.

Was bright warm sunny day Friday, though bit of a chilly wind much of the day.  Good day to get things back in place after being stored for the winter.

Thursday evening we drove to Villisca and ate at their "all you can eat Fish
and Chicken buffet.  Oliver Herzberg & Phyllis - playing Hand & Foot.
later in the evening.

Mary Jo Herzberg really didn't want me to take this photo.

Already planning to go down to Hiawatha, KS soon to visit with our next-door-neighbors in Kenwood, Harold and LaRhoda Neher soon.

Got the Dish black box all hooked up and with some new remote-controls it even works on both TV's now (quit when we were in Texas)

Been reading several novels (Different for me as I usually stick to history and biographies) from a 2004 Readers Digest Condensed book, but just ordered this book on recommendation of my brother Don:

Got it on Kindle - I have hundreds of books on Kindle and read them on the smart phone, which is rather small.  Just ordered a Kindle Reader so will be better reading on the bigger screen.

Just a week ago this morning that we left our home in Kenwood RV in La Feria, TX.  Only another 6 months or so and we will be back there!

More later - Lynn