A Ride & A Run-a-way ~

 Our winter weather has been one for the books.  Cold to warmer, back to cold.  The weekends usually get the blast of cold, then during the week we get a day or two that's too warm for the time of year.

Heading east~

I keep watch for those warmer days & today was supposed to be the last for at least this week.  It was crazy warm - the day topped out at 64 degrees.  I took my vest & coat but would have only needed a windbreaker over my vest.  

Stern Oil, Tank Farm #3

The park was busier than last week, which surprised me.  The Lake Manawa rides will probably get a little stale by the end of the season.  I won't complain though.  Having hard surface trail - mostly without traffic - anywhere close to home is a good thing!

Underpass~

The strong shadows give this underpass a futuristic look.  The upcoming corner is where I spooked the deer a couple weeks ago.  No deer again today, so they must have been passing through.

Break spot~

There was meltwater showing all over the surface of the lake.  It was the next day I saw a news story where a dog had to be rescued from the water this same evening by emergency personnel.  The ice looked to be so thin, I was surprised the dog made it as far out from shore as he did.  This happened shortly after I'd left.  I'd been sitting watching the Eagles flying over the lake, too.  What a beautiful sight on such an incredible afternoon.

Shadow at the lake shore~

The ice formations had melted down since last week.  The photo above shows all the open water.  This is the first time I've ever seen the lake in January without a full cover of ice.  Usually, people are out on the ice, fishing.

Sun moving low in the sky~

I'm taking advantage of these days.  The air is so fresh & sky so blue.  This January will go down as one of my favorites so far - if this trend continues.  The temperature always drops through the section above.  If we've had snow, this is where it takes the longest to melt.

Just a short way further though, you come out into the sunshine & the area I call a savanna.  It's home to wildflowers in the spring.  

The mini savanna~

I'd left Finn home & made it back to the Bronco about my usual time.  Finn met me at the door, yawning.  We'd had a terrible experience this morning as I'd parked at the church for our Wed. mat making.  I'd taken Finn out of the Bronco, put him on the ground & was getting my bag when he jerked the leash out of my hand & took off after a loose dog.  The stray had been sniffing around in the flower bed in front of the building.  

The large black dog took off running away from Finn - toward the busiest street in town with Finn hot on his heels.  I dropped everything I took off after them both - my heart in my throat.  Cars were coming from both directions - but both stopped when they saw the scene unfold.  I yelled at Finn to STOP but was totally ignored.  They actually made it across the street!  The black dog cut over between houses & the marble in Finn's brain finally fell back in place.  He stopped, turned & started back toward me.  I grabbed his leash, thanked the people who'd stopped traffic with their cars & returned to my bags.  

A friend walking down the hill, saw the entire event.  She & I both were shook up.  Everyone heard the story & Finn knew he was in BIG trouble when he was completely ignored all morning.  When another friend stopped to see him, she said he was trembling.  He understood at the least - how upset I was.  Upset - but ever so thankful he hadn't been hit.  The leash loop will be completely around my wrist from now on!  I have no idea why he is so aggressive toward other dogs...

1-8-2026 Rain!

Just to prove my point, the above photo is of the rain Thursday.  By evening we'd received an inch of badly needed moisture & our high temperature was over 25 degrees below Wednesday's.  The forecast evening snow didn't happen, but rain in January isn't our normal.

2025 - In Review ~

 Our ninth year in Iowa~  It was a bright & sunny start to the New Year! 

New Years Day~

By the middle of the month, Butch was driving a new semi!  Maverick II was almost identical to his old semi, but with a slightly longer cab & a more comfortable interior. 

1-18-25 Maverick II - Butch's new truck~

After only just over a month - Butch found a pool of oil under the truck while he was backed to the dock at a warehouse.  Under warranty, it was towed to the nearest Volvo Dealership.  Butch caught a ride back to Omaha with another driver & went right out again in his original Nationwide Volvo - Maverick.

2-5-25 Butch's new Semi breaks down~

Besides the snow mid-month, the weather was nice enough I managed three rides at Lake Manawa.  I also finished a latch hook project I'd started in September of 2020.  Finn & I were taking our winter walks on the Wabash & most afternoons at home.

2-13-25 Snow in the woods~

March, I started burning the brush pile.  I also caught a day when the Wabash was dry enough & rode from Malvern to Silver City & back.  This was just two days before the biggest snowstorm of the season.  The wind drifted the snow & I dug through 2' drifts just to get to the Bronco.

3-5-25 Snow anyone?

Butch made it home three times in March.  The 11th he flew to Columbus to pick up his semi from the dealer who'd replaced the engine.  Twice he pulled in at home for overnight stays & the last of the month for a few days home time.  On the 19th, we received our last snow of the season.  

3-27-25 Butch & Finnigan~

April, I mowed for the first time.  It was the earliest in the season I'd ever seen a Swallowtail butterfly!  The Daffodils, Grape Hyacinth, Tulips & Trout Lily's were all in bloom.  On the 17th we had a wonderful heavy rain!  Mother Nature's perfect timing.  

Butch was home for Easter & reached 400,000 OTR miles!  I managed to get in five rides, most on the trail.  

4-8-25 A Swallowtail comes to visit!

May, my red Clematis finally produced its first bloom.   The wild Iris was in bloom & the woods were positively lush.  We made our usual Memorial Weekend trip to Greenfield & Creston.  We rode our bikes at Green Valley St. Park.  We also found a small microbrew - Hot Air Brewing - only to discover they were closing due to a lack of business.

5-24-25 Butch at Green Valley~

June, the Daylilies were spectacular & Garden Phlox were almost 4 ft. tall.  My Hydrangea bushes were blooming as were all the Zinnia's.  I was mowing the front yard twice a week to keep up & alternated between mowing the woods & marsh.

I ended up in the hospital later in the month, a surprise to me.  Butch was rerouted to get home.  The day after he arrived my condition improved enough, I was discharged.  On the 24th we had another good rain & the next day Butch was back on the road.

6-27-25 Full on Lush~

July, I was back to riding my bike.  The plantings in the woods looked the best they ever have.  All the Hosta's are maturing, growing larger each season & really filling in.  Butch came home the 5th & again on the 19th.  Summer was as usual, very hot & very humid.

7-21-2025 Mulberry limbs cut~

We hired Fermincho Tree Services & Landscaping of Omaha; to cut down the large limbs two big windstorms had broken from the Mulberry tree.  They started early in the morning to avoid the worst of the heat - but couldn't escape the humidity.  

Fermin was interested in purchasing both the horse trailer & the utility trailer.  We hadn't used either one in years.  We'd bought the horse trailer new in 1995 & it was hard to see it finally go.  Instead of hauling horses, it will be hauling a rock crushing machine!  

8-10-2025 The horse trailer is sold~

August, Butch & I went shopping for another storage building & found a Tuff Shed at Home Depot the size we needed.  Fermin & his crew leveled the area where the trailers had been parked & hauled in several loads of rock.  By the 21st, the two-man crew from Tuff Shed arrived & had the small building built in half a day. 

9-16-2025 Shop painted~

When Butch came home in Sept., he painted the Shop building to match the Cabin.  I mulched & planted Hosta's around the side & back.

9-27-2025 Skyla in Greenfield~

The highlight of the year was when Granddaughter Skyla flew out from WA to visit!  We spent almost a week having a wonderful time.  When we moved from WA, Skyla was only five years old.  We'd visited the family just last summer & she & her family had visited us in 2023, but it seems like the years in-between went by in a flash.  Now, she's a young lady & getting a chance to know her was a gift!  It was so much fun to have a teenager in the house & So quiet when she left...

10-17-2025 - Our 9th Anniversary on the Home Place~

Butch made it home a day early this year, for our 43rd anniversary.  We spent three wonderful days at Lake Okoboji.  We rode our bikes on the new trail, had dinner at our favorite restaurant & didn't come home empty handed after I found a must have antique shopping.  

10-31-25 In the Caves~

The end of the month was Butch's 2nd anniversary driving for Nationwide.  He was enjoying his new semi & made a trip to the caves in MO.  This Volvo is just a bit longer than his other truck, but he managed to fit!

11-29-2025 First Snow~

November was a beautiful month.  We had one cold snap, but otherwise it was dry.  Perfect weather for being outside.  No bugs & cooler temperatures.  Butch was home for Thanksgiving & we received our first light snowfall.  Finn & I hiked at the Glenwood Preserve.  

12-23-25 Butch & Finn at Glen Cunningham Lake~

December, Butch was called for jury duty.  He asked to be excused & after two attempts, his term of service was reduced from a month to Christmas week. The weather cooperated & we had our first ride in forever at Glen Cunningham with Finn.

The new furnace we purchased the first of the month required more venting, so Butch tore out the old doors on the utility closet & installed new louvered bifold's.  He ended up having to reframe most of the closet & redo the sheetrock.  

Garden Club formed a committee to work on next year's program schedule.  Officers from last year, plan to continue in their positions.  We have some great excursions planned.  The mat making group continues to meet & crochet Wednesday mornings at Trinity Lutheran.  I hope to get my bike out a little more often, I was just under 150-miles behind this year.  

Butch too, has plans for this coming year.  He'll be starting his fifth year of OTR driving.  He wants to find time to organize his Shop & work on projects he's had in mind for several years.  He's coming very close to the OTR half-million-mile mark!

Wishing our family & friends a healthy, safe & prosperous 2026~  Happy New Year!

Past year 2024 ~

Last Ride of the 2025~

 Up early, it was 28 degrees & the sun was burning through the morning haze.  By the time I was leaving mat's, the day felt warm!  Warm enough - that after picking up a few groceries - I loaded the bike on the Bronco.  

On the loop trail, Lake Manawa~

It was just after 2 p.m. by the time I'd parked & was on the trail.  The temperature registered 52 degrees on the drive up.  There wasn't even a hint of a breeze, which made for perfect riding. 

Looking north - Mid-American~

I took my time & rode out again where I'd seen the deer my last visit.  No deer today & very quiet.  It's always a little warmer out in the open & away from the lake.  Steam was rising from the Mid-American coal plant.

View from the old campground to the lake~

The cleanup crew I'd seen clearing the landscape of tree debris this fall, had opened up the views from the campground to the lake.  The For Sale sign is gone.  Either the land was sold or will still sit awhile longer, undeveloped.  The second option is my choice of course.  Any open space near a city is golden.

Coming off the Indian Creek Bridge to the trail heading east~

As I pedaled along Indian Creek, I enjoyed one of the rare times I don't ride directly into a gusting wind!  I did see two other riders going the opposite direction.  I've told Butch I want to try to ride from the park to the Bob Perry pedestrian bridge one of these days.  I don't want to try it on my own.  I don't know if it's all established trail or might include road riding.

The moon over my break spot~

As I soaked up the sun from my usual break bench, I couldn't believe my luck, getting in three rides in the month of December.  The sun was already moving lower in the sky & the temperature was dropping.

Shadow at the shore~

There were some amazing ice & snow formations all along this side of the lake shore.  Possibly made from the short windy dry snow we'd received on the 13th.  The lake itself was still frozen over, but very thin in places.

Lake shore ice/snow formations~

Above is another photo of the forms created on the dry plants sticking up along the shore.  They were some of the most unusual I've ever seen.  As I drove out, I watched along the shore & this was the only area where they seemed to have occurred.

I'd left Finn home, so turned back.  He's always waiting right at the door when I get home, so excited & happy to see me!  Of course, he gets one of his special big cookies (the teeth cleaning waffle type) for being so good about staying home alone.  Traffic was lighter than I expected, with the upcoming holiday tomorrow. 

A sunshine ride was the almost perfect way to end the year.  The only thing better would have been enjoying it with my husband~

Glen Cunningham Lake with Butch & Finn ~

 Butch arrived home last Friday - several days earlier than planned.  He received a jury summons requiring him to be on call for the entire month of December.  Last time, he was excused due to his occupation, but not this time. Driving OTR, it's not possible to check in daily to see if he's required to report, since he's constantly on the road. He filed a second request to be excused, mentioning this would result in the loss of an entire month's income. The second response from the judge reduced his length of service to a week.  Rather than have Maverick sit in our driveway for the week - Butch dropped the truck at Nationwide for its 30,000-mile scheduled maintenance.

A week at home so seldom happens! To date Butch hasn't been required to report.  We couldn't make our planned trip, but he's been busy here.  After checking our new furnace installation, Butch decided to demo the utility closet & replace the two solid doors with vented bifold.  

Butch & Finn - ready to ride!

Our streak of sunshine days has been a rare gift for the month of December.  The weather report seemed to change daily.  My plan was for the two of us to get in a ride!  As I looked ahead to see which day, or days would be warm without the winds gusting 25 mph. - today was the day!

Butch & Finn on the bridge~

We hadn't ridden at Glen Cunningham since September of 2022!  I couldn't believe it had been so long.  Finn has only ridden in his little cart on the Wabash, so riding on the smooth surface trails at the lake would be a much easier ride.  Once Butch had his cart ready - he jumped right in!

Looking across the south end of the lake~

The lake was about 85% frozen, just a few spots of open water.  Only a few people were out walking, a quiet day before the holiday arrives.

Finn in his cart~

Finn was really enjoying the ride.  We passed a Scotty & a Westy too!  One of the rear reflectors came off Finn's cart.  Thankfully we found it in the back of the Bronco.  We'll be reinforcing the attachment before we take it out again.

Canadian Geese~

It's been reported at Green Valley State Park outside Creston, that as many as sixty Geese have been found dead from bird flu.  This flock looked fine & we saw several larger groups flying overhead on our way home.

On the trail~

I was cold enough from the breeze coming off the ice - I had on two layers & my warm headband.  My husband was in a T-shirt!  He'd brought a jacket but insisted he didn't need it.  Finn faced forward most of the ride, just turning around now & then to be sure I was still following!

Taking a break~

We crossed the bridge at the north end of the lake before stopping again.  It was only just after 2 p.m., but if you were going by the sun, you'd have thought it was 4 p.m. or later.

At the north end of the lake~

This time of year, the air is so fresh.  We had just a bit of rain last week, which melted the last of the little snow we'd received November 29th.

Crossing the dam~

Taking our time & stopping now & then, we took just over an hour to ride the 6.5 miles around the lake.  With just a latte & cookie for breakfast, an early dinner sounded good!  With Christmas right around the corner, tomorrow I'll be busy baking pies & wishing the kids were close enough to enjoy the holidays with us~

Ice on the Water ~

 This year it seemed like winter arrived all at once.  I was enjoying fall, moderate temperatures & still plenty of time outside.  Our first snow was November 29th.  We've had earlier snow, that's for sure, but the change to cold - still seemed sudden.  It had been just over three weeks since I'd been out.  With today's forecast close to 50, it was time for a ride.

12:37 p.m. On the trail~

It was noon when I dropped Finn off to visit Doris.  My plan was to be on the trail during the warmest time of our short days.  There were no cars at my usual parking spot & almost no one at the park.

Road crew working northbound I-29

On my way out the trail to the I-29 underpass, I came around a corner just before the train underpass & spooked a six-point buck!  He was standing on the trail eating through the chain link fence that runs alongside the railway tracks.  He jumped straight up, before turning & crossing in front of me. 

I turned around just shy of the Interstate on my way back to the park.  I'd just gone through the last tunnel - when this time - I spooked three does!  They were eating plants on the far side of the chain link in about the same spot.  They took off across the trail in front of me.  I looked but couldn't see any plants that were different enough to draw so much interest.  They were surrounded by harvested fields with plenty of fodder!

Possum~

Making my usual circuit through the old campground, this big possum was out in the middle of one of the open fields.  He was totally unconcerned about my presence.  

Along Indian Creek~

There was still snow on the ground in several places.  I rode into the wind heading south along the creek.  It was such a beautiful afternoon.

Frozen snow & footprints~

When I finished my loop around the lake, I passed the Bronco & turned down the trail to my usual spot on the lakeshore.  Here, with all the shade from the trees, the snow was covering the trail.  Footprints were frozen into the snow & had iced over.  I walked the bike through this section.

At the shore~

My reward is the above view.  I think the lake is more beautiful in the winter, frozen over, than in the summer months when the water is clear.  High clouds had moved in from the west & with them the temperature dropped about 5 degrees.

2:37 p.m. The sun is already starting to set~

It didn't take long to feel the chill.  I started back.  It's amazing how quickly the sun sets this time of year.  The winter solstice can't come soon enough. I returned to the Bronco & left for home.  Finn & Doris had spent the afternoon out in the sunshine too.  

5:17 p.m. The sun has set~

At home, it was already getting dark & the lights had come on.  The last shades of pink looked so pretty against the blue/gray sky.  This time of year, I appreciate those rare warmer days more than ever, even though we could sure use moisture. Butch is due home soon & the weather forecast is for a Christmas day in the 50's!  Since he has jury duty the last of the month, we'll be enjoying his extended time at home!

Someone Flipped the Switch!

 November, after the record-breaking high temperature earlier, we saw some very cold & gray days.  The month was one of transition.  Finn & I sat out almost every morning enjoying the warmth of our south exposure & sunshine.  Even the gray days have their own beauty & the radiant heater helped!

Our view 11-25-25

I was taking my germaniums in most nights & setting them back out in the mornings.  The ones in the photo have gone through a second year.  I have six others I started last spring.  Getting them through the winter months here, is always a challenge.

Thanksgiving Day - the Marsh~

Thanksgiving was a totally beautiful day!  We walked the property & enjoyed the sunshine.  By Saturday, it was a different world.  Iowa still amazes me as to how fast & dramatically the weather can change.

Snow arrives, 11-29-25

Butch had made another very long drive, up for almost 24 hours, to make it home the morning before Thanksgiving. Sunday night, I smelled gas & our furnace decided to go out.  Butch took it apart & discovered it was beyond repair.  He made a call that evening & met with Steve on Monday.  I told him he was not leaving until we'd made a plan for heat!  Steve said it would take until Wed. for the new furnace to arrive & for the install. (After Butch met with Steve, he pulled out in his nice warm truck!)

12-3 A shiny new furnace~

As promised, Steve & his crew arrived bright & early Wednesday morning.  I was happy to leave them at the task & go to mat making where it was nice & warm!  Kind friends offered us a place to stay, but I'd closed off the guest room, kept the drapes drawn, fireplace going & moved one of our two oil heaters into whatever room Finn & I occupied.  Steve was impressed with how warm the house had stayed.

12-4-25 

Time was of the essence, as the coldest temperatures of the season to date, were a day away.  Late in the afternoon, it was a relief to hear the fan of the new furnace kick on!  By the fourth, the bottom dropped out & we experienced our first negative temperatures of the season.  

12-6 Snow still on the ground~

It's been so bitterly cold, the approximately 3" of snow we received is still on the ground.  More had been forecast for today, but so far, we've remained cloudy & cold.

Finnigan~

Finn & I have been decorating!  December fourth marked the second anniversary of his Adoption Day!  We've decided to designate it as his birthday, too.  Our Vet believed him to be about four when I brought him home, which makes him now six.  He's made so many friends & adores my friend, Doris.  (He is still scared of men.)

He has two female dog friends now: Poppy, Ginny's Pomeranian & Sadie, Carol's West Highland Terrier.  He even knows the Travelin' Man ring tone I've set for Butch's calls & barks when he hears it!  He's one heck of a little guy with a huge heart.  I couldn't have found a better companion.