One last day (I hope) of hot weather

 

Several studies have discovered that mules, a hybrid of a female horse and male donkey, are considerably smarter than either of their parents. Perhaps this explains the story of the Bodie mule, “Old Tom.”

Bodie miners called Tom “the educated mule,” claiming he could count and tell time. According to the tales, Tom would be loaded up with six cars of ore and was ready to start out for the stamp mill after the sixth click. But apparently, sometimes miners tried to add one more car. If Tom heard a seventh click, he refused to move. Miners also claimed that Tom would quit working when he heard the noon and quitting time whistles.

Early 1900s photo of mules pulling cars out of the Bulwer Tunnel is courtesy of the Mono County Historical Society. Two women are visible, which may mean it was near quitting time for the shift as family members often would wait outside the tunnel to meet their husbands and fathers.

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Well, it is cooling, a bit.  Only 94º with "feel like" of 103º at 1:10 pm on Friday.  To be cooler tomorrow, I guess.

I mentioned in last blog about discovering a wooden chest in our work shop and wondering what was in it.  Proved out to be papers from our sign shop, personal papers, and sister Louise's papers from back to 2004 though 2008.  Since they are no longer important for tax purposes, am now in process of destroying them.

Not much going on...........till another time, LC

Yes, it is hot in SouthWest Iowa

 92º with "feel like" of 115º here in Clarinda at 1:00 pm Monday.

Depending on which weather place you look at, the temp and the "feel like" are a little different.  However, they are definitely different from the cool weather we were experiencing last week.

Picture at left was a few days ago in the shop.  Was starting to clear area to move many 1/8" plywood sheets 16" x 24" to.

This is the area those small plywood sheets were transferred to in 2009 after we had built the shop building.

At left is after I had moved many of the sheets to the shelf.  Then, I noticed it was sagging a bit, so I am now in process of moving them over to the left and back towards the wall, where the shelf is supported and also a post support under the shelf is about three feet from the wall

The shelf on west wall completely removed and most of the plywood pieces removed.  Discovered my brother Don's wooden 4-H chest underneath.  He had made it during high school in the 1950's and hadn't had a place for it so we had it for nearly 40 years on the farm and another 13 years here in town.  Am wondering what we will find inside it.

One day I washed the front of the travel trailer and waxed it

Another day I put diluted bleach into the fresh-water tank of the travel trailer and filled it, then pulled the mixture though all the water faucets in the trailer; drained it, refilled it and then again pulled the fresh water through all the water faucets.  Will let it sit a while before draining most of it just before we pull it to Marengo at the end of September.

Drained and flushed out the hot water heater.  Though the anode coating over the heating element is eaten away, it still has some life in it.

Hoping it will cool off a bit.

More another time, LC

'Nuther day in Clarinda

70º with clear sky here in Clarinda, IA at 9:30 am -- forecast high of 77º today.

 Photo of an oil painting I took in the First Monday Flea Market in Canton, TX in November of 2011.

I showed a few pictures in last blog of our week in State Center, IA with the Kenwood RV group.  If you want to look at all the things that went on Click HERE for my Google Photo Album on it.

Some photos of the flowers Phyllis has around the house.

We built the 24' x 36' shop building in 2009.  We insulated the north 16' or so, including the ceiling then when we put in some heavy-duty shelves at the front.  Since then I have worked off-and-on to insulate the rest of the building.  Couple years ago I got it down to part of the wall on the west side to insulate.  Have now finally torn down the "temporary" shelf I had put up so can finish the insulating job.

Later - LC

A bit cooler in Iowa these few days

 65º here in Clarinda, IA at 8:45 pm Monday.  Forecast to be 54º in the morning!  Unusual for August.

Last Saturday was granddaughter Emily's birthday and we ate at the Iowa River Power Restaurant in Coralville, Iowa.

Click on any photo to enlarge......

We got to Marengo Friday after lunch and spent time with Cameron & Patty.  Emily was there as well as Ashley & Heath and their "kids" Jessica & David.  Ate out with them that evening.

.

Two-year old great grandson David is always entertaining when there is a lull in the activity.

Enjoyed our visit--we left for Clarinda on Sunday morning, just as it was starting to rain.  Got home and was able to mow the 9-day old lawn before the showers came in that evening.

We had spent Sunday through Friday morning with some 26 people, mostly from our winter home at Kenwood RV in La Feria, Texas.

  At right

is Orville

Crane with

Lola Schoppe

when she

came to visit 

from her care

center.

Always a lot of food to go

with the visiting at these

summer rallys.

Dick Messer & Jerry Witt did pancakes on the griddle Friday morning -- had boiled a lot of sweet corn every day up to then.

Well, as usual, I got interrupted.  Is now 11 am on Tuesday - Clear day with 68º.

Later -- LC Miles

Rainy in State Center, IA at the Kenwood RV Summer Rally

 72º with rain here in State Center, Iowa at 4:30 pm Sunday.  Has rained off and on since early this morning.

We got nearly a four-hour visit with Bob & Bobi Raab in their place in Shoreview, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis, yesterday.  We had come, with the trailer, to Kenlo Campground on the south edge of State Center on Friday, meeting Jerry & Lillian Witt, who had come in from Middletown, OH that day.  They are co-chairing the Kenwood RV Summer Rally with Dick Messers - & we are helping out.  We had Saturday available for us then to drive the 250 miles north to visit Bob & Bobi.  Was so good to visit with them.  Bobi will be getting a knee replacement in 2 weeks and they are making arrangements for Bob to stay at a VA-nursing home during Bobi's surgery and recovery.  Bob is really slowing down, but doing pretty good for a 94-year old.

On our way here Friday, we stopped and visited Lola Schoppe in Rolling Green Village Care Center in Nevada, Iowa.  She is doing okay and hopes that her daughter Doe will bring her over to the Kenwood get together here at her place sometime this week.  Lola hosted it here for many years, but with her health issues now, her daughter Doe is taking care of it.

Was able to get the annual covering of our wooden deck "re-oiled" last Thursday.  The application every year of Thompson's Wood Seal has maintained it well -- it is some 27 years old!

Cleaned the A/C condenser last week.  Was amazed at all the cottonwood seeds that were trying to clog it.

Lots of color in our back yard -

Later, LC