Getting settled in to place in Clarinda, IA

 62 degrees with rain and 25 mph winds here in Clarinda, IA at 11 am on Tuesday.  I looked at the rain guage about an hour and a half ago and we had 3 inches.  When I left to go across street to the hospital about 8:10 am (for blood draw for routine checkup tomorrow) we had .2 inch in the guage.  Has poured very hard many times since then.  At 12:30 pm as I finish this we have bright sunshine with very gusty winds.

We arrived in Clarinda around 11 am Sunday, stopped at the airport to dump our trailer tanks at the city facility there.  On home and busilly unloaded much of the trailer and much of the pickup.  By a little after 1:30 we were on the road again, with just the pickup, and headed towards Shenandoah, IA where we picked up Patty Steckelberg and headed to Panama, IA.  

We were notified Saturday while driving from Cape Girardeau to Macon, MO that friend and neighbor in Kenwood RV who lived at Panama had passed away.

Dan Herbst had been coming to Kenwood many years.  His wife died in 2014 and we went to that visitation then.  He had cancer before he came down last fall but declined any treatment until he returned from Texas.  He was legaly blind and did not feel good all winter.  He had been home just 10 days when he got to feeling bad and his lady friend, Jo, took him to the hospital locally and they transferred him to Council Bluffs.  He was diagnosed with a rupture in the colon and died the next morning. He was a very easy-going guy and always had a smile.

I happened upon this photo that was a remberance of someone on Facebook and it reminded me of several photos of my Dad from the 1920s & 30s both in South Dakota and Nebraska.

These two photos are of 40 pounds of 1015 onions above and 20 pounds of Texas carrots at right.  We always try to bring these good vegatables home, but they don''t usually last the whole summer before we head down to Texas to get some more.this fall!

Last fall I replaced the plastic dome over the shower area in our travel trailer.  We started having some small leaks on the way home.  When here and had a ladder to get up there found that all the caulking I had put on it was dried out, curled up and much of it, especially on the front which would have the wind hit it, was missing.  Must have used the wrong caulking.  I used some high-priced special caulking for rubber roof, so hope this stays. Phyllis just looked at it and it is dry inside so far.

Saturday we drove from Cape Girardeau, MO to Macon, MO and set the trailer at the Macon County Fairgrounds campsite.  Looked around town and got a sandwich at Hardees and located the Wilcox Country Opry where we went the the Duke Mason and The Black Diamond Jubalee music show was that evening at 7 pm.  We didn't realize you could reserve seats ahead of time and were lucky to get two seats only seven rows back on the side.  They announced during the show that the attendance that night of 302 was the largest crowd they had had since the Covid slow-down.  We have njoyed this three-foot, ten-inch guy's entertainment for several years, the most recent in January in Baptist Church in La Feria, when he told us of his monthly performing at this Opry in Macon about every month.

Duke was on about half the time in first half and last half of the performance.  They rest of the band were very entertaining.  We were glad to see Vance Monday playing the Steel Guitar.  Had made his acquaintence several years ago when we attended the now-defunct Macon Bluegrass Festival for several years.

This photo should have been above with the Wake for Dan Herbst.  Jo had been a companion of Dan's for many years and she had come south with him for several years.  She was glad to see us.  We found later that another couple, Charlie & Terry Servin from western Illinois who winter in Kenwood had also come Sunday and were staying overnight for the funeral yesterday.

Spent a lot of time Monday, mowing the lawn, digging up dandelions, moving the lid over the escape window from the basement -- at right -- and moving the Softub to the deck and filling it.

The Lilac Bush is blooming -- with these high winds today imagine they will be blown off.  We had planted two lilac bushes to the west of this very old bush and they both took a hit from the spray last summer.  One is really doing well now, but the other looks dead other than a few leaves at the base and a couple buds trying to come out on top.

Filling the tub after moving the wooden
benches away from this area.

Friday we drove the 25 miles from Don & Vicki's place in Cape Girardeau to the cemetery in Jonesboro, Illinois where Jenny's stone is as well as stone for Don & Vicki.  Vicki's parents and two decesed children are also buried there.  Phyllis had helped Vicki buy plastic flowers and she put them on the various tombstones for Vicki.

Don & Vicki's stone

  

While both Don & Vicki are "feeble" and walk very slowly with wakers, they both made their way to the main area of the stones.  The ground was very uneven, but by moving really slowly they were able to get along.   Don soon returned to the pickup where he sat to wait us.  Vicki was able to direct us to her parent's two stones (they were divorced and both remarried and are not buried side-by-side).

We returned to Cape and ate at Asian Yummy Buffet.  They both have quite a time shuffling to the buffet and we fill their plates for them.  They enjoy getting to eat out and have always liked that buffet.

Will get settled into here within a few days.  Just like moving each time we go south and return north.

Lynn