The seventh year in Iowa - on the Home Place! The New Year dawned chilly & gray, but the temperature was moderate, especially for January! What little snow we had left on the ground was melting.
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| New Years Day - Tinkle Branch Trail~ |
Mari Jo & I decided if the weather was decent, we'd start the year with a
bike ride. Even without sunshine, it wasn't
too cold. It was great to get out in the fresh air & it felt pretty amazing to be on our bikes so early in the year. Butch pulled in at home by 8:30 p.m. in the evening. It was a short stop, but he managed to come by again a day later & a total of three times during the month. The last time was the saddest -
we lost Nika...
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| 2-16-23 Lots of snow! |
February was a tough month for me. Nika had helped to buffer the loneliness of having Butch gone. Without her, it was so quiet, so still & so lonely. Butch completed his
first year of OTR driving on the 25th. (He made it home for our birthday weekend, but Nika's recent loss cast a long shadow.) During the winter months, Butch made some
interesting drives through snowstorms in WY, CO & CA. The weather cooperated enough I could do some riding at
Lake Manawa.
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| 3-9-23 Beautiful Snow~ |
March gave us a couple good snowstorms with several inches of white stuff. I met Mari Jo & Gracie for a few walks on the trail, but it wasn't the same... Luckily, when I saw the first of the tulips emerge from the ground, my spirits lifted. Butch made it home & we had fun
riding our bikes at the Lake. By month's end, the
Wabash was open again & we loved getting back out in the countryside.
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| 4-7-23 New trees planted~ |
April - with nice spring days - I decided to get some long overdue projects done. The first, was to get all the old Mulberry tree trunk & limbs we'd had stacked against the east fence since May of 2017 - removed! That was a nightmare. The fence ended up with a $800. repair. The yard was torn from end to end, but having the mess finally gone was worth it. Butch came home & we took Traveler to pick up new Emerald Green trees to plant along the now bare looking east fence.
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| 5-18-23 The Marsh~ |
May, the most beautiful month of the year, didn't disappoint.
It was dry, I did spend a lot of time watering, but it was so rewarding to see the flowers I've planted grow & bloom! The end of the month I took my yearly trip to
Greenfield & Creston. The weather cooperated & the flags flew at the Memorial Day Service in Greenfield.
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| 6-1-23 Rain! |
June roared in with 3.1" of badly needed rain! The novelty of it kept me outside watching most of the morning. The month was wetter than usual. It didn't make up for the deficit - but it was a huge relief anyway. I almost was caught out in a
thunderstorm on the trail. Beautiful, but scary at the same time. On the seventh - a bad hailstorm hit. It was hard to watch as the vehicles got plummeted. Two of the three sustained major damage. Only the Bronco - solid steel - had a few minor dents.
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| 7-12-23 Skyla, Josie & Jentry Visit! |
The highlight of the year was a long overdue visit from our daughter Jentry & granddaughters Skyla & Josie! Butch made it home & we enjoyed every minute they were here. We visited our favorite attractions,
Fontenelle Forest & the
Henry Doorley Zoo. As always, it's so hard to see them leave.
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| 8-8-23 New Gravel~ |
With Butch parking the semi on the drive by the cabin - it was ready for another layer of gravel. Pat, one of the volunteers who keeps the Wabash trail passable, was available to do the job. Since we were hauling gravel, I decided to add rock along the drip line of the Cabin's roof. On his
home time, Butch installed new shutters on the front of the house.
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| 6-18-23 Picking up a Jacko Trailer~ |
September, Butch passed the
200,000-mile mark driving OTR. After just over a year with Blake Scott, the owner turned over Authority to
Jacko LLC. Butch had been pulling Jacko trailers since the middle of June, but now Butch would be driving for them.
Later in the month, the front hose spicket broke. While the plumber was here, I had a new hose bib installed at the back of the house. Next, the AC quit cooling. Mari Jo's husband repaired it & replaced parts in the compressor, along with an overhaul of the furnace.
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| 10-11-23 Butch, Lake Okoboji |
For our 41st Anniversary, we drove up to revisit the Lake Okoboji area. Our
first time here had been for our anniversary in 2017. A favorite restaurant with lake views had been torn down, to make way for expensive high-rise condos. The main street through town was completely torn up & the two detours took us through some beautiful residential areas.
Returning home, the garden style tub in the master bath developed a crack. We hired a contractor to tear it out & replace it with a walk-in shower. The same week, my Speed Queen washer quit, we replaced it & the water heater too.
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| 11-27-23 Butch & Maverick~ |
Butch gave notice to Jacko in October & started
driving for Nationwide out of Omaha November first. He was ready to be done with the winter driving in the west. He enjoys his new truck,
Maverick. A 2022 Volvo with a large interior & more amenities. Dispatches have taken him to IL, IN, OH, KY, MI, WI, NE, KS, MO, TX, etc.
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| 12-20-23 - Finnigan~ |
As the winter months approached, I found myself browsing dog adoption sites. When someone would ask what kind of dog I was looking for - I couldn't answer. I just knew if the right one came along - I would know. Well...
That happened & December fourth,
Finnigan came home! I feel very lucky to have found him & it's wonderful to have a companion again.
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| 12-31-23 - Butch takes us for a ride! |
The 31st., Butch came into Omaha. He dropped a trailer at Nationwide, Maverick was serviced & he arrived home before noon! He left again on the second. Soon his second year of OTR driving will be in the rearview mirror & he'll be starting his third.
I continue to pedal the trails & rode just shy of 700-miles, mostly on the Wabash. Working outside is still my favorite pastime.
Happy New Year! Welcome 2024!
