2023 - In Review~

 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.  

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...

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.   

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.

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.

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! 

Past Year - 2022~ 

Wright's Visit! Fontenelle Forest~

 Butch hadn't been home for a month.  Tuesday the 11th, he was on his way back from a drop in CO.  It never fails, when he's heading home, there's always something that slows him down.  This time, a trailer he was supposed to pick up, hadn't been loaded.  He had a four-hour wait.  After hooking the trailer, his next dispatch took him to an unload in Madison, NE.  From Madison, on to Air Lite Plastics in Omaha to pick up a load.  From there - Home!  He made it before dark! 

Butch arrives home!  7-11-23 - 8:32 p.m. 

His welcoming committee was waiting!  Daughter Jentry & Granddaughter's Skyla & Josie had arrived about 2 in the afternoon!  After flying from Seattle to Minneapolis, Jentry rented a car & had driven to WI where they visited relatives.  With one overnight stop & a tour of the Crystal Caves - they continued on to Glenwood!

Skyla, Josie & Jentry~

We checked them into their Air B&B on the square, then came home for a game of cards.  We drove up to Council Bluffs for dinner, in the hope Butch would be able to meet us there, but he was still waiting for his load in Omaha.  Even so, considering the miles he & Jentry had driven, the timing wasn't bad!  We were all finally in the same spot - at the same time - together!

Josie with her first Cheese Frenchee!

On Wed. lunch at Don & Millies was on our agenda.  The girls have done a lot of traveling with their mother, but Cheese Frenchee's were a new food experience!  The crispy sandwich passed the granddaughter approval process.

Papa with Skyla & Josie~

Next on the itinerary - Fontenelle Forest!  Another of Butch & my favorite places, we don't visit often enough.  The deciduous forest is such a change from the forests of the pacific northwest.  Today, Skyla & Jentry planned to try the new zip line course.

Tree Rush Adventures operates from within Fontenelle Forest.  They have eight different courses, with increasing levels of difficulty.  Josie wisely decided to watch with us, while her mother & sister geared up to do the courses.  

Just a small part of the courses~

Jentry & Skyla put on climbing harness, were instructed as to how to clip/unclip & use the trolly to zip.  They also watched a safety video.

Skyla is ready~

The courses are color coded;  yellow, green & blue.  The most advanced is the black course, which includes elements 55 feet above the ground!  The girls settled on the most difficult of the three yellow courses.  

Skyla starts up from the platform as Jentry waits her turn~

All the courses began at a centralized platform.  Each plainly marked by a color & most had cute animal names too.  Skyla was soon on her way, making the course look positively easy!  Jentry followed along & said at one point, it wasn't as easy as Skyla made it look!

Skyla~

These courses weren't so much zipping as they were a test of strength, balance & coordination!  Both finished the course in good time.  Skyla was ready to move on to a green course!  

Skyla navigating the green course~

She completed this course, had her gear checked again & next did the blue!  She finished the blue & still wanted to do the black course!  

Climbing!

Just to start the course, she had to climb a free hanging ladder for about 25 ft. up to the highest platform. Talk about some upper body strength!

Skyla on the black course~

I knew she had to be getting tired by now - but away she went!  I'd been following along on the ground - both to try to spot her & take photos!  The forest floor was uneven & I was getting a bit of a workout too.  

On the highest, black course, 55 ft. up!

Skyla worked her way through the first half of the course, then enjoyed the longest zip - of the courses she'd done - to the far side.  At that point - she reached a platform with a line going down to the ground.  She took it!

As she turned in her gear, several of the employees, congratulated her for completing so many courses & finishing up - by completing half of the most difficult!  

We finished the day with a trip to Doozies for ice cream & a drive around Lake Manawa.  Skyla was one sore & tired girl!  :-)

Fontenelle Forest Nature Center ~

Since the first time we'd driven past the sign on the freeway, I'd wanted to visit this Forest!  It's interesting to me, that it is called a Forest, since other woodlands are described as Timber.   Just over the Plattsmouth bridge & a short drive & on the Nebraska side of the Missouri, we arrived.

Entry~

I loved the rock & steel entrance signage.  With more than 2,000 acres of forests, prairies, swamps & other lands in preservation, this preserve encompasses one of the largest natural deciduous forests in Nebraska.

Front~

The front elevation could have easily fit have fit into either a Colorado or Washington landscape, but was perfectly at home here too.

Bison Bench~

The copper Bison Bench was a perfect welcome, except possibly on a hot day!

A shadowed reminder~

The seat was a reminder to visitors of the changes that have taken place in our country since Lewis & Clark first trekked to the west coast.

First green views~

The early morning cloud cover burned off & the sun was rapidly heating up the day.  After the rains, the humidity was climbing too.

Trail signage~

We received a trail map at the information desk.  The lodge had many informative displays, a raptor exhibit & gift shop.  I wanted to get out into the forest, walk the trails & see what types of ground covers & under-story grew here. 

Beautiful -

When I asked if the land had been left in a natural state over the years, I was told that the area had a long & varied history of use.  Nebraska Culture Indians, from about 1150 to 1450 A.D., a trading post, logging, farming, etc.  Sites were excavated in 1937 by archaeologists of the Nebraska Historical Society.  They recovered over 4,600 pottery fragments, 26 flint projectile points, awls, fish hooks fashioned from bone & an assortment of ground stone tools. 

Dirt trails~

In the northern part of the forest, there are mature trees dating from the 1720's, but through most of the forest it's impossible to find a tree more than a century old.  Between 1902 & 1920 logging nearly clear-cut virtually all of the trees from the surrounding area.

Boardwalks~

The length of the boardwalks is impressive & makes at least a part of the forest accessible to everyone.

Constitution Tree, a Burr Oak~

I loved seeing this tree & thinking of the years that it has lived in this spot, marking the passage of time.

Signage~

Such an impressive tree, it gave me a better idea of how long it takes the hardwoods to grow here & reach massive size.

Sign & mid-trunk~

I soon discovered that there really don't seem to be under-story shrubs.  Young trees, trying to gain a foothold are as close to under-story that I could see.

View of Omaha & the Dome of Henry Doorley Zoo

Ground covers grow higher than I'd imagined & some that I thought were weeds at home, are actually native plants!  It was a great learning experience!

Who's this?

Stinging nettles also predominated in many areas!  It was not a forest where you'd want to walk far off the trails.  Butch reminded me that since the leaves are now opening, we were just past the prime time for the early native flowers.

On the Boardwalk~

We finally reached a point where we saw the sign below, attached to a tree along side the trail we were on.

A warning :-)

Since we'd not had breakfast & time for lunch was long past, we decided to turn back.  There are between 19 to 21 miles of trails!  The Great Marsh area was closed due to damage from the flooding.  That will be an excursion for another day.

Map of the trails~

Back at the gift shop, I found a wonderful book;  Field Guide to Wildflowers, color coded by the colors of the blooms.  I'm already using it to identify more of the plants along our creek & in the timber!