Hot in Iowa

 84º and slightly overcast here in Clarinda at 11:40 am Tuesday.  Predicted high of 96º with "feel like" of 105º later on, but if clouds remain hope it won't reach it.

Haven't been doing a lot so haven't posted much lately.

One 30# tank of propane empty, so put nearly-full 20" tank that used to be on barbecue grill from deck here at the house on trailer now to get use of it. (Got rid of the grill several years ago)

Had to replace 4-year old battery on trailer.

Aired up tires on pickup and trailer today and discovered a bad valve stem on one of the tires bought new this March.  Removed the wheel and took down to Champ's Auto for new one.

Ready to roll now.

This morning I finished putting second coat of Ceramic Paint Sealant on the pickup.  Have some of the second coat done on trailer.

This is for you grandpa's

Had to work several times on

getting this "hay" picked

up--from when we were gone

a few weeks ago.  With this

hot weather I don't suppose

it will grow quite as much

while we are gone these 10

days starting August 2nd.

Don't know if you can blow these up enough to read.  They are copied from the Facebook page of "Memories of Broken Bow" by Rob Meyers.  He has posted tons of memorabilia from the Custer County area.  These sheets are on all the school districts in Custer County.

Many family pictures are posted under 1978 Atlas of Custer County, Nebraska

Here is my brother Roger's family at that time.

We will spend next week in State Center, Iowa near Marshalltown with 30-some people who live in the Midwest and spend their winters in Kenwood RV Park in La Feria, Texas.

Will post some pictures.

LCM

RED SKELTON'S SECRET TO THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

I just love Red Skelton --

 RED SKELTON'S SECRET TO THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

1. Two times a week we go to a nice restaurant, have a little beverage, good food and companionship. She goes on Tuesdays, I go on Fridays.

2. We also sleep in separate beds. Hers is in California and mine is in Texas.

3. I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back.

4. I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our anniversary. "Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!" she said. So I suggested the kitchen.

5. We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

6. She has an electric blender, electric toaster and electric bread maker. She said "There are too many gadgets, and no place to sit down!" So I bought her an electric chair.

7. My wife told me the car wasn't running well because there was water in the carburetor. I asked where the car was. She told me, "In the lake."

8. She got a mud pack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.

9. She ran after the garbage truck, yelling, "Am I too late for the garbage?" The driver said, "No, jump in!".

10. Remember: Marriage is the number one cause of divorce.

11. I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her first name was 'Always'.

12. I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months. I don't like to interrupt her.

13. The last fight was my fault though. My wife asked, "What's on the TV?"

I said, "Dust!".

Can't you just hear him say all of these?

I love it. These were the good old days when humor didn't have to start with a four letter word or political. It was just clean and simple fun. And he always ended his programs with the words, "And May God Bless" with a big smile on his face.

All reactions:

9.2K9.2K

I saw, but didn't know, Bonanza stars

 Here are some interesting secrets and lesser-known facts about "Bonanza":

1. **Michael Landon's Writing and Directing**: Michael Landon, who played Little Joe, was not just an actor on the show. He also wrote and directed several episodes, showcasing his talent behind the camera.

2. **Dan Blocker's Early Death**: Dan Blocker, who played the beloved character Hoss, passed away unexpectedly in 1972 due to complications from surgery. His death was a significant blow to the cast and crew, and his character was written out of the show without a detailed explanation, which was unusual for that era.

3. **Casting Changes**: Pernell Roberts, who played Adam Cartwright, left the show after the sixth season due to dissatisfaction with the direction of his character and the show's scripts. This led to various guest stars and new characters being introduced to fill the gap.

4. **The Theme Song**: The iconic "Bonanza" theme song, composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, became famous, but few know that there were lyrics written for it. However, the lyrical version was rarely used, and the instrumental version became more popular.

5. **Real Ponderosa Ranch**: A replica of the Ponderosa Ranch was built near Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and it became a popular tourist attraction. It included sets from the show and was open to the public until it closed in 2004.

6. **Color Broadcasting Pioneer**: "Bonanza" was one of the first television shows to be broadcast in color. This helped boost its popularity, as color TVs were becoming more common in households.

7. **Salary Disparities**: There were significant salary differences among the main cast members. Lorne Greene, who played Ben Cartwright, earned more than his on-screen sons, leading to some tensions behind the scenes.

8. **Historical Inaccuracies**: While "Bonanza" strove for historical accuracy, there were occasional anachronisms and inaccuracies in the portrayal of events, clothing, and technology of the time period.

9. **Guest Stars**: Many notable actors made guest appearances on "Bonanza," including Leonard Nimoy, Charles Bronson, and future president Ronald Reagan.

10. **Product Placement**: The show's popularity led to various merchandise, including comic books, lunchboxes, and even a "Bonanza" board game, making it a significant cultural phenomenon of its time.

************************************************************************************

I copied the above from the Internet. Now, I (Lynn) must add something -- I grew up without television. After graduating from High School in Callaway, Nebraska, I went to business school in Omaha, NE in June of 1961 and got a job working in a cafeteria in the big Brandeis Store. Worked each noon during the week, plus Monday and Thursday evenings plus all day Saturday. One night we were called to work on a night not normally open and there was a lot of excitement among the rest of the employees. They were excited about seeing the movie stars from Bonanza who were performing at Ak-Sar-Ben that week. They were pointing out various characters. Of course, I had never heard of any of them and had no idea of who we were looking at. I guess I saw them all in person, but have no memory of it because they didn't make any impression on me.

Lynn

Little rainy in southwest Iowa

 73 degrees with overcast-raining off & on here in Clarinda, IA at 5:30 pm.  Dumped 2 tenth of an inch and 5 Japanese beetles out of the rain gauge from overnight this morning.

Heard son Cameron a few minutes ago that he & his wife Patty landed in Cedar Rapids, after being in several countries in the Netherlands for the last four weeks. They saw a lot and did a lot in Norway, Sweden & other places.

    

Noticed a sag in the wooden deck -- it is 28 years old -- and thought maybe it needed some propping up.  Took enough boards off to see how it is, found that the 2" x 8" joists are on the ground, so aren't going to sag much further.

Put the boards back down

Looking through some old photos -- don't know what year this was, but the fall colors were really somethin.

Assume this photo of

our family, taken at the

farm where I grew up in

Custer County, Nebraska,

is some 50+ years old.

Later, Lynn

Red Skelton -- Artist/Actor

I always like to read anything about Red Skelton.  Following is a post by someone on Facebook:

"I was vacationing in Honolulu. I was walking through an art gallery that was featuring works by Red Skelton. As I was admiring one of his pieces, I stepped back to get a better perspective and bumped into a gentleman standing behind me. I glanced back and said, “Oh, excuse me!” I then did a double take and said, “Wait, you’re the artist aren’t you?”

“Why, yes I am,” said Red.

We had a very nice conversation about that painting and I mentioned that there was a dichotomy that I noticed between the artist of the stage and the artist of the brush. “The artist on stage is all fun and laughter, but your paintings are kind of sad and lonely. Which is the real you?”

“I would say that I am more a painter,” he said.

He was then called away by the store manager to meet some other patrons."

All reaction

 

At home in Clarinda -- cool weather for now

 73 degrees here in Clarinda, IA at 12 Noon Thursday -- predicted high of 79, pleasant day.   No AC running, window exhaust fan doing fine.  Forecast calls for hot weather towards the end of next week, but cool weather until then.

        We arrived home yesterday about 6:30 pm, driving the 500 miles from Cape Girardeau, stopping at the Clarinda city's dump station to empty our trailer tanks before.  Were gone 12 days, drove 1,185 miles, listened to a lot of good music at Starvy Creek near Conway, Missouri, visited a friend in Springfield, MO and got to spend several days with my brother Don & his wife Vicki in Cape Girardeau.

Above photo and at right at supper with Don & Vicki at Chateau Girardeau Assisted Living dining room.

We had gone to a church
service there in Chateau with
Don & Vicki Tuesday afternoon.

After eating supper with them we played "Left, Right, Center" dice game and then one game of dominoes before bidding them goodby.  Wish we could see them more often.  May be able to visit them in September.

After doing some of the above blog I took a break and ate lunch then did some yard work.

Have to show this photo at right taken out the door of our trailer at the RV Park we were parked in Cape Girardeau.  This is looking toward the office on the hill.  There were twice as many empty spaces behind us on this same line - probably 25 empty spaces.  When we came back for a bit Tuesday afternoon I parked the pick up in the space right beside us.  I immediately got a call from the office that unless I moved the pickup I would be charged a day's rate for that extra lot--nearly $50.  I moved the pickup, but am still miffed.

This unusual clock, at left, was on the desk where we checked in at the facility where Don & Vicki live -- Chateau Girardeau -- has plastic pages that has hour on left and it clicks over on the hour to show that time.  And, on the right the page clicks over each minute.

We were gone nearly two weeks during which there was a lot of rain and heat.  As soon as I got unhooked from the trailer, while Phyllis was hauling things into the house, I jumped on the mower and mowed the yard. With the plentiful fertilizer applied this year and all that rain, the grass was almost knee high (well, at least to a short person) I could have used a swather and baled up some hay, if I had the equipment.

It is a little hard to see with the shadows in this picture, but sometime in the time of 2014 to 2017 when we were visiting Phyllis' sister Beth in Colorado I dug up three small Yew evergreen plants, put them in coffee cans and brought them to our place in Clarinda.  Planted them all, but only this one survived, behind the hedge in our back yard, under a lot of trees.  Has not done well and I decided to move it to more sunny place.

I planted it in front of the driveway to the shop beside the one spirea type bush I didn't cut down several years ago.  Hope can keep it watered enough to offset the heat for the next few weeks.

With this cool weather we ate lunch on the deck at noon.

Back to normal here at home for a while.  Will head out with the trailer in a couple weeks for the summer Kenwood RV Park Rally in State Center, IA and then a visit with our kids in Marengo.

LCM