Computer Crash

 My computer crashed so blogging will need to wait a  bit.  I hope to be back by the middle of next week.

Takk for alt,

Water Taxi #4!

     Perhaps my first experience of water taxi was in Norway. A small one ran from Maren's yard across the fjord to Arendal. Then there was the one from Laos to Thailand and back to Laos and back to Thailand. The last trip because Laos refused my re-entry. In Bangkok I'd ride the water taxi on the Chao Phrayra River, sometimes for transport, and other times for fun.

    Today, for the first time, I rode a water taxi on the Mississippi River. It's a relatively new tourist attraction. Boarding in Bettendorf, IA., we stopped in Davenport, then crossed the river to Moline, IL. There we disembarked and visited the John Deere Pavilion. Re-boarding we stopped in East Moline before leaving the taxi in Bettendorf. It was a perfect day for this pleasant excursion.

   The day began with a stop at the Clinton County Museum in DeWitt, IA. It's a very extensive museum and well presented. 

Takk for alt,

Al

The River Taxi.

The New I-74 Bridge over the Mississippi.

Uffda!

 

Arsenal Museum

 "Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) is an active U.S. Army installation located on a 946-acre island in the Mississippi River. Of those, 868 acres are managed by U.S. Army Garrison RIA, and the balance are maintained by the Veterans Administration National Cemetery and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District. 

The Garrison's mission is to provide quality facilities and excellent base operations support and services to all installation tenants in the areas of law enforcement, crime prevention, security management, fire, safety, information management, facilities engineering, and housing, maintenance of buildings and roads and transportation. The Garrison maintains telecommunications facilities and common resources, as well as community amenities and necessary services for Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation. A high quality of living and working environment is maintained to ensure equal opportunity for all civilian employees, war fighters and family members.

The major commands and units located at Rock Island Arsenal include: Army Contracting Command–Rock Island; Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District; Army Civilian Human Resources Agency; Army Sustainment Command; Coast Guard; Development Command Chemical Biological Center; Development Command Armaments Center; First Army; Illinois Army National Guard; Joint Manufacturing & Technology Center; Joint Munitions Command; Marine Safety Detachment; Navy Operational Support Center; and Network Enterprise Center." Arsenal website.

    In our Davenport years, 1980-88., access to the Arsenal was simple, just drive across the bridge to the island. Since 9/11 it's much more difficult with a visit to the visitor's center with ID, paper work and interview, and do not have a felony record. All three of us passed muster on the way to the Arsenal Museum. 

   The Museum was well done with an excellent, self-guided approach. The displays covered the scope of American history illustrating the role of the Arsenal throughout. It was free and well worth the effort to pass security.

   During our Davenport years the church picnic was on the Island's picnic grounds.

Takk for alt,

Al

Video of smelting in the museum.

Not I....

     Staying at the AmericInn Motel in DeWitt, IA., I returned to my room last night after dinner.  "Time to blog" I thought. But, the motel's internet access wasn't functioning, and still isn't at 3:30 pm today.  So I was offline until now, when my personal tech advisor taught me how to connect via my phone. Yes, I'm a tech luddite! Apologies to both my readers for leaving you in the lurch.

    So blogging should resume as usual.

Takk for alt,

Al

My Bad!

     Here I am in Eastern IA, 16 miles from IL. and the other reader points out that there was no Sunday blog! My bad! Because I have only one oar in the water the boat circles a lot and only occasionally lands me in the right place.

   What was I doing last night?  Watching the replay of the Minnesota Lynx latest win which was only an hour earlier. So, now in IA...

  It's my annual sponge off my Iowa friends, tour, so that will occupy most of the week. It's been an annual event beginning in 2007 with only 2020 missed.  Kaia's at doggie camp for the week.

Takk for alt,

Al

Ed, whom I'm here to visit, and I showing off our new stripes after we were promoted to corporal.

Good Luck With That!

       Lexington Landing, better known as the OFH, has an inmate's app for communication known as Wellzesta Life. The site is used for all sorts of in-house communication; menus, events, announcements of items of interest, resident and staff directories, etc.

     A recent announcement was a request that inmates complete an online form announcing the inmates' intention to be gone overnight. Shades of  a college dorm, or, Marine Corps absence only with authorized leave. Given my pattern of residence it would be easier to report when I'll be in the OFH rather than when I'll be absent.

   Not wanting to be totally irresponsible, only partially irresponsible 😄, I did report, after a fashion, on the form. Giving the contact information for which they asked, I then said "It's much too complicated to report exactly when I'll be gone, so, I'll be mostly gone until Christmas." Now I'll wait to see if I get called into the principals administrator's office.

Takk for alt,

Al

Here's proof that I was on Santorini, actually twice, 2016 and this is 2023.

Tee hee

 

Skyway

      It just happened that when I was here the ribbon cutting official opening of the skyway between buildings was held. For that event I stepped inside of it but, with the crush of people, didn't walk across. Today I made the trek and you'll both be glad to know that I heartily approve. Dining room activity has seen a modest increase since its opening. Perhaps there will be more usage when winter arrives. 

    Solar installation on the roofs of both buildings is nearing completing. Only some wiring remains. Given the height of the buildings, five stories, the panels are not observable from the ground. The Wedum Foundation, owners of the buildings financed both the skyway and the solar panels. 

    Kaia remembers the OFH. When we return after an absence she marches down the hall and stops are our door.  

Takk for alt,

Al

Feeding the 'roos' outside of Melbourne, Australia, 2019 

Lynn Johnson knows...

 

OFH

    At the OFH for the weekend.

Takk for alt,

al

Smart Woman!

 

Windless Day!

       Another windless day  brought me back to a childhood memory from 1948.  The farm of my childhood bordered U.S. Highway 81. One can drive from Winnipeg Canada to Mexico City on that road. In the summer of 1948 the highway was being rebuilt. We boys would walk to the highway to watch the men doing the construction. A couple of incidents of that time stick in my mind.

    One of the men approached me and offered me a cigarette. When that was refused he offered me a chew of tobacco which was also refused. Then came an offer of a stick of chewing gun and, of course, that was accepted. But that wasn't the windless day memory.

   Water in our farm yard had two sources. For use in the house rainwater on the roof of the house was caught in the eve troughs. It was filtered through charcoal and stored in two large, underground, cisterns. From there it was accessed in the house with a hand pump.

   Livestock water came from a deep well. A 65 foot tall windmill was used to pump water into the stock tank. While the house waster was as soft as rain the well water was very hard. On a windless day one of the men from the road construction came to the yard for drinking water. He refused cistern water, insisting on well water. But, because there was no wind, the windmill wasn't pumping. His solution? He climbed to the top of the windmill and attempted to turn the wheel by hand.  Not surprisingly that didn't work. Memory fails if he accepted cistern water. 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

We have a picture of my father standing on the shaft that holds the vane, between it and the wheel. It must have been a windless day.

Patience Rewarded!

      The property I purchased in the early '90s, that I call the Elbert Place after the previous owner, has some native prairie. This land has never been plowed because it's too steep, rocky and wet for tillage. Likely it has been pasture, as it is today, since the land was first claimed by white settlers. It even hosts a large rock once rubbed by bison.

     The invasive, smooth brome grass, introduced from Hungary in 1884, has been the primary vegetation in the pasture. It's not a bad forge grass, but, desiring the return of native grasses I struck a deal with Steve, a neighboring farmer. He could place livestock in the pasture in early spring and remove them by July 4. This works well for Steve allowing him to delay pasturing his own ground.  Also, his pasture is a short walk for the livestock from my pasture so the critters are easily moved.  The intention was to graze down the brome grass on my land, which emerges in early spring, to encourage the recovery of native grass. This early emergence of brome allows it to out compete the native, late summer, grasses.

   Each year over these plus 30 years more big bluestem native grass has appeared. Finally, this year there is an excellent stand of big bluestem. Likely the combination of grazing and an exceptionally wet year have benefitted the bluestem. The cattle also provide an other benefit as their hooves break up the thatch that builds up. Fire would have speeded the restoration process but, the way the pasture is positioned, fire couldn't be controlled.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Returning to the field with the large rocks this morning I quickly left. Even on a hill in short grass the mosquitos were intolerable...no wind. The crowbar with which I was armed was no use against mosquitos. Sunday it was windy but I choose not to work on Sundays.

Smooth brome grass.

You can see why big bluestem is also called 'turkey foot.' It can grow to 7 feet tall. It's interesting how it lay dormant in the soil for decades prior to emerging when the right conditions prevailed. 

Ya then...

 

Surplus!

    As I was driving to the field to pick rocks a young women from the two goat house was raising the hood of her car. Stopping, I asked her is she needed help, "Did you want a jump start for your car?"  "Yes, please." Ah, a damsel in distress. Using the ever present jumper cables in the truck her car soon started. All the while she was on her phone. 😀 

    An Al-ism, "Always have cables in your vehicle. Caught with a dead battery, attach the cables and wait for a good Samaritan."  An un-named family member, intending to cross Lake Michigan on the ferry, left a light on in the car. With a dead battery the cables hooked to the battery soon brought help, the car was started and.... This winter I jump started a vehicle for a nurse's aide at the OFH.

   This started out to be about picking rocks but got side tracked. Now, with hay baled on some grassland, it was time to look for rocks. That glacier, 10,000 years ago, left a surplus. Armed with only a five gallon bucket and the rod once used to stretch corn planting wire I soon found a batch. Several were too large to pry out with that rod so tomorrow I'll return with a real crowbar. 

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Unusual for August there was moisture to the bottom of the holes. 

Today's catch.

A late blooming lily by The Little House.

Goodbye!

     So it's just Kaia and I again. It's always a good time with my cousin but she left for her AZ home this morning. Last summer she stayed for a few weeks. This year it was only Wednesday to Sunday. Close in age, we grew up together.  She went away to a residential high school and since then only lived in proximity those summers. Married to a career Navy man, who became an Episcopal priest in retirement, they lived as far away as the Philippines, That was an interesting assignment for him because he lived there as a small boy because his father was a missionary.

Takk for alt,

Al

Baguio is a resort city in the Philippines high in the mountains so cooler than the lowlands. Cousin's husband's father was a church rector here when her husband was a boy. When they were stationed there in the Navy and visited there were older persons who remembered him. When I was stationed at Subic Bay the Marines offered a bus ride to Baguio for a weekend, thus the picture. 1962

Good Book!

         Jon Fosse, the Norwegian author, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2023, has written many books and plays. His Septology runs 670 pages with one sentence. It's, perhaps, my favorite book of all times, consequently I read it twice.  M lent me another of Fosse's books, which was published in 2015 and is a short 108 pages.

      Morning and Evening would be a good introduction to Fosse. If a reader likes it then Septology would be a logical next step. Conversely, if one doesn't like Morning then Septology likely wouldn't appeal. The book  cover says "Fosse is our age's great writer of light and darkness."  Randy Boyagoda, New York Times. Also on the cover, "...Morning and Evening is a novel concerning the beautiful dream that our lives have meaning."

    The book opens with Johannes birth and ends with his death as old man. His meaningful life, with a good marriage and seven good children, is learned via his stream of consciousness  In the book almost nothing happens in real time. But, in his consciousness a life time well lived is made known to the reader. It's full of Norwegian patterns of speech and social intercourse. It always reminds me of the culture in which I grew up. There's patterns of taking things for granted with frequently stating and re-stating the obvious.  It makes clear Fosse's understanding of the reality of God which is profound and with which I agree. Not the omniscient, omni-potent God of popular culture.

    Very happy to have read it...thanks M!

Takk for alt,

Al

Reluctant to share!

        Parents teach their children to share, at least that's the ideal. Perhaps in a majority it of settings sharing is a good thing. My time in the field this morning was abbreviated by my reluctance to share. Spring winds have given way to summer calm. That is related to my miserly approach. Without sufficient wind to keep the mosquitos at bay I didn't stay out long because of my reluctance to share with them. A strategic retreat was in order awaiting the return of a stiff breeze. Admittedly this reveals the luxury of my situation.

Takk for alt,

Al

 Posing with the late Jenine Jordahl, Joanne's college roommate. Beginning in 2007, and each year since with the exception of 2020, I've travelled to Iowa to visit friends. This picture was taken on my final visit with Jenine.

Ice Cream!

        There are two, or three English words, that it seem every Thai elementary knows; pizza and ice cream. Last week in Brookings after dinner the family repaired to the main street ice cream store that sells South Dakota State University ice cream. Electing to stay in the car I asked for a small dish. Asked for my choice I said 'butter brickle'. The reply came that's old person's ice cream.  The vanilla was enjoyable. 😀

     Returning from a social engagement this afternoon my house guest brought me something.  She said, "I hope you like it, it's University butter brickle." 😁😁😁 Like it, it's my favorite! Life is good!

    Memory is such a funny thing. Whole swaths of the past disappear and isolated incidents are recalled.  This comes from my childhood. Perhaps I was 8 and my brother, David, 10. In a store in Madison, S.D., he used his nickel to buy an ice cream cone. While I also had a nickel I was saving it for something else. The clerk took pity on me and gave me a cone. 😀 Why is that little incident stuck in my memory bank?

    Be that as it may there is no ice cream in the freezer.

Takk for alt,

Al

Auction Report!

      Almost everything sold at the auction has now been retrieved.  One exception are the electric utility poles that were removed when the electric lines were buried. They were purchased at the auction by one buyer but they are still lying by the elevator.

    The gross sales at the auction was approximately $140,000., ten percent of which will go to the fire department. 315 bidder numbers were issued. Typically a couple, or a family, will get one number. Therefore, there were likely about 500 people at the sale. It's an effective fund raiser but an incredible amount of work. The irony of the volunteer firemen having to work so hard to be able to afford to protect us, is not lost on me.

Takk for alt,

Al

I remember thresher meals!

 

Am I home?

     Told the inmates of the OFH that the boss gave me two days off.  In addition to the dental stop had a noon bistro lunch with some newer friends. Dinner was in the dining room with another friend. Saw many friends and acquaintances at the skyway opening and subsequent reception.  Also, did a little grocery shopping. It was good, quick trip.

   Leaving the OFH at 6:00 is a good way to beat the traffic. Extreme smoke just west of the Cities but soon drove out of the worst. What is Canada thinking?

    Prospecting for rocks I inadvertently parked in a nest of invading cedars. When opportunity strikes duck, or, cut cedars. With the grass baled on some of the grassland, and pheasant broods old enough to evade Kaia, rocks and cedars are in my future. Cancel that gym membership! 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

Skyway during construction. My building is on the viewer's right.

Ya Then!

 

Good News and Big News!

      The dental appointment which prompted this visit brought the good news that I don't need any dental work. After a very vigorous cleaning I was sent on my way. The next appointment, which is in February, will find me resident in the OFH.

    Being here for that dental appointment allowed me to participate in the BIG NEWS.  That news was the official ribbon cutting of the new skyway that connects to two buildings. After living downtown Minneapolis with it's 8 miles + of skyways, which crossed in the building of our condo thus it was called The Crossings, I like to call this new addition a 'skyway'. Management refers to it as a 'skybridge', by any name it's an asset. My 101 years old neighbor would jaywalk between the buildings at mid-night in the winter after playing bridge. Now, at 102, she can use the bridge to play bridge.

Takk for alt,

Al

Today's ribbon cutting on the skyway (skybridge).

Guess Where?

       If you guessed the OFH you win the cigar! Yup, it will be a quick stop to keep a dental appointment made six months ago. Quick, because company is coming to The Little House Wednesday. You know how dental appointments are, best to keep them. It's the routine six months cleaning. But I also have some minor discomfort and a dentist has been known to say "It won't get better by itself!" 😁

Takk for alt,

Al

The tractor which did not follow me home. 

The Sale Goes 0n!

          The Sinai Volunteer Firemen's consignment auction continues. It began at 10:00 with two rings selling, I left at 3:30 and now at 5:00 it continues. One bid I offered wasn't accepted so lunch, for $10.00, was my only expense. A tractor I'd like to have didn't sell as the owner held out for $4000.00 and my hopes of buying it for $1000.00 was an obvious pipe dream that even I knew was totally unrealistic. I even conjured up a use for it but not one that justified 4K.

Takk for alt,

Al

Sale scenes.

Traffic Jam!

      Who ever heard of a traffic jam in Sinai, population 120?  My tractors live in the old, town repair garage. It opens on Main Street across from the firehall. Much of tomorrows auction action centers on main street also.  The fire trucks are out of  the fire hall so that it can serve as a dining room tomorrow. This morning two of the trucks were parked in front of my garage. The street was full of pick-ups pulling trailers loaded with items for the auction.  It took careful negotiating to extract a tractor.

    Every year the street wisdom is that almost everything must have been sold by now. Every year, this year included, there is even more for sale. Selling in two rings begins at 10:00 and continues until everything is sold, sometime after 5:00. The tractors are the last to sell, which means I have to stay until the end. No, not intending to buy, just curious.

Takk for alt,

Al

Time for a random picture.

Sunflowers in the corn in autumn.

Pride

         It's one of the seven deadlies, pride is. Something today reminded me of a point of childhood pride.  Much elementary school chatter among the boys concerned which brand of tractors was best. All in the school were farm kids and of course the best tractor models were the ones owned by our fathers. In the one of the school pictures from that school, with all the students lined up outside for a picture, one boy poses with his bicycle of which he was proud. There were even points of pride among students about whose snow sled was the best.

     No one would ever guess what triggered today's memories of boyhood pride. The Sinai Firemen have their huge consignment auction Saturday. Acres of stuff is laid out for that sale. As I wandered  through the auction grounds perusing the offerings an object caught my attention which reminded me of long ago pride. Why don't you try to guess. One hint, 'think agriculture.' There for sale is an International Harvester electric cream separator. What has that to do with pride? That exact model was in OUR barn! While neighbor boys were having to crank their separators all we had to do was flip a switch! Ah, the luxury. The centrifugal force would separate the cream from the milk. The cream was sold and we drank skim milk.

   How about you? Does this trigger any memories of childhood pride?

Takk for alt,

Al

A genuine International Harvester electric cream separator.

Speaking of Camels.

A Book!

     After reading O Pioneers, and Song of  the Lark, by Willa Cather, I've now finished her Collected Stories. As the title reveals it's a book of her short stories. While some were more engaging than others, as a whole very worth reading.

   In many of these stories, as in Lark, a gifted artist is not understood by his/her family. Perhaps that's auto-biographical. In all of them the dilemmas of human life are dissected. It also seems that in all she is wrestling with the reality of human mortality. Then, too, the pioneer country's shaping of those who lived there is a frequent theme. She is certainly one of America's great writers.   

   Now, should I re-read, after many years, My Antonia?  Stay tuned...

Takk for alt,

Al

PS  1.5" of rain last night follows 1.4" of a few nights ago. My neighbor says he's tired of mowing. 

Ethnic clothes for sale in Kunming, China.  Traveling in China relying on English was much more difficult than in SE Asia.

Peach Season!

      Much of life's contentment centers around small things. One of those for me is the Colorado Peach season. Typical breakfast for me is nurturing, but boring. It's a high fiber cereal topped off with a banana. When Rollie or Mark come over to the OFH for breakfast it's an opportunity to break the routine with a breakfast sandwich in the dining room.

    When Colorado Peaches are in season, a peach added to the cereal, it sparks up my breakfast routine. It's one of those small things that brings contentment. The season is short which makes it all the sweeter.

    Ever contended with a pesky fly in the house?  You know, one of those that keep landing on you an can't be shooed away. One was going between me and Kaia. Kaia, too, was annoyed as she snapped at it. She must have caught it because it's no longer bothering us. She probably ate it and didn't bring it to me as if it were a snake.

Takk for alt,

Al

This picture of a Greek monastery shows the high of the cliffs on which it stands. The cable is used to ferry supplies to the monastery. 2023

Progress!

       The former repair garage that I use to store my tractors was built in 1907, when the town was founded. At the back of the building is a lean-to addition. It was likely added when the town was electrified in the 1940s? This addition housed two Caterpillar diesel engines and an electric generator.  The engines,  a large main one and a smaller standby, powered the generator to provide electricity to the town. It was a 32 volt system that operated from 6:00 am until 10:00 pm. The stand on which the large diesel rested is still in place. 

      Eventually that 32 volt system was replaced, when REA took over providing electricity to the town. The town electrical grid consisted of poles and overhead lines to every building. This summer REA has been replacing the poles and lines with underground lines. This is a significant upgrade with a more reliable system less subject to disruption by storms. 

     Hearing an engine running in the alley behind The Little House I looked out and what did I see? A skid-steer lifting out a tall electric pole. It's an example of the power of hydraulics as that huge pole was lifted out of the ground and carried off down the alley. The poles which remain are for street lights which have been upgraded to LEDs.

Takk for alt,

Al

Was this Sinai?  Nope, this is wiring in Bangkok.

"I'd walk a mile for a Camel"

      How long has been since that cigarette aid has aired? Are Camel cigarettes still sold?  The four legged kind are observed in a local pasture. A niece from Milwaukee arrived excited, exclaiming "I saw a camel!" Non-local motorists often hit the brakes, sometimes backing up for a picture.

    Six camels hang out with a herd of cattle and two yaks. Observed yesterday the cattle and yaks were lying down chewing their cud. The camels, staying near the herd, continued to graze. One, using his/her height and long neck was grazing over the fence. Camel keepers have noted that camels typically lie down eleven times a day but I've never seen them lying in the pasture. Yaks, cattle and camels seem comfortable with each other. Camels, like cattle, can tolerate the cold if they remain outside as the weather cools. Camels grow thick coats of hair which peal off in clumps when the weather warms.

Takk for alt,

Al

This photo was taken earlier when they were penned on the edge of Sinai.

Invasive Trees

      Much has been written in this blog about cedar trees invading grasslands. It's a huge problem out west and one that I work to control on my grass. Cedars are not the only invasive trees. Ash trees also take over grasslands when there are mature ash trees in the vicinity. A neighbor sprayed some of my grass this summer to eliminate ash seedlings. Deciduous trees will quickly re-sprout when cut off unlike coniferous trees which die when cut below the bottom branch.

   Then, there are Russian Olives both invasive and annoying. In the early 40s when multi-tree rows, called shelter-belts were planted to avoid another dust bowl, often the outside row was Russian Olive. The mistaken notion was that they would be a natural cattle fence.  WRONG! They are a scrubby prickly tree that spread quickly. and have even been know to puncture tractor tires...not mine.

  All this leads to a report that the last two days I've been working to remove Russian Olives from grassland. As a deciduous tree it's not enough to simply cut them. When they are cut the stump needs to be treated with a 'stump killer' herbicide or they quickly regrow. This is one more activity that is better than a gym membership!  

Takk for alt,

Al

This is a young Russian Olive awaiting my attention. 

County Superintendent Of Schools

      Is there such an officer today as the County Superintendent Of Schools? Perhaps the office was phased out with the closing of last country school.  The main character in a short story, which I just read, set in Nebraska in the early 1900s, was such a superintendent. Reading it brought back a memory for me.

    For eight years I was a student in a country school. While the teacher of the school was hired by a local school board the teacher was supervised by the County Superintendent.  During my years of country school the Brookings County Superintendent of Schools was Miss Van Maanan (spelling iffy since I never saw her name in print.)  Our little school house had three windows on the east and on the west. There were no windows on the long ends, north and south. On the south there was enclosed porch where coats, overshoes and lunches were kept. (On the coldest days lunches would freeze by noon.)  The school was near an east-west road. The road to the west ran over a long flat field. To the east there was slight incline leading down to the school. This geography is significant to the story.

    Miss Van Maanan (I never heard her first name) would approach the school from the east. Cars were not easily observable from the building unless one stood and looked out the window. As she approached the school she would turn off her engine and coast quietly into the school yard parking where her car could not be seen from inside the school. She would quietly exit her can and equally quietly enter the porch. There, surreptitiously, she would listen to what was happening in the school room.  How long she listened before entering the room I don't know. In effect she was spying on the teacher.

    She was a tall Dutch woman dressed in dark, old fashioned clothing. She would talk to the teacher and address the students. Likely her observations would by recorded in the teacher's file in the Superintendent's office.  She never struck me as women on whose lap I would like to sit! 😃

Takk for alt,

Al

This is the school house mentioned in the blog. The porch was attached where the garage door is now.

The late Ruth Quail, who was my teacher for the first three years.