2020 - In Review~

Our fourth year in Iowa, January started out mild & beautiful.

Butch's first project of the new year, was to remove the sheetrock off the largest wall in our living room.  He added framing & insulation before installing new paneling, travertine tile & an electric fireplace.  The room looks so much nicer with a feature wall.  

New Years Sunrise~

The snow & cold came mid-month. By the end of January, I made the first of two-trips to Washington.  February in the Pacific NW, usually boasts a week or two of good weather. This year though, was very wet with rain almost every day. The Snoqualmie Valley was completely flooded & Duvall's water treatment plant was maxed out.

2-3-20 Riding at Bracken~

The weather did cooperate enough, I managed to get in some fine rides on Farah.  When I'm with her, it seems like just yesterday, rather than month's, since we've been together.  Our first ride, was at the Bracken Tree farm. The woods, ferns & moss seem so lush to me now!

2-9-2020 West Coast of Whidbey Is.  Ft. Ebey~

One weekend, David was golfing, so Courtney, Mason, Cassidy & I took the Mukilteo Ferry to Whidbey Island.  We shopped, enjoyed fresh seafood for lunch & combed the beach at Ft. Ebey. The rain held off until late in the afternoon, giving us enough time to hunt for agates & wish rocks. We left with full buckets!

2-10-2020 At the Monument~

On my 69th birthday, I was riding Farah! We trailered to the Victoria track of the tree farm, to meet-up with our old riding buddies Charlotte & Fancy. Afterward, Linda met us too. Our little group celebrated my birthday, with dinner in Arlington.  The visit was too short, as usual.  I missed getting to see our youngest daughter's family in Oregon.

3-1-2020 Butch feeding the chipper~

Arriving home to Iowa sunshine, was wonderful.  Late winter was mild & dry.  The end of the month, Butch rented a chipper.  We spent the weekend chipping all the dried stacks of invasive Honeysuckle & Autumn Olive.  The work resulted in enough mulch to cover the ground along the edge of the woods & part of one trail.

4-1-2020 Sunny on the Wabash Trace~

April first, I decided it was time to get back on my bike!  We are so lucky to have the Wabash Trace close.  My first ride was from Agriland to Silver City, eight miles.  A misunderstanding & no cell service turned my ride into a round-trip of eighteen miles!  A stiff wind didn't make it any easier!  With only three gears on Sunny (An Electra 3i) & balloon tires, the ride was longer than I'd planned!

4-15-2020 My new bike!  Speedy~

Butch suggested we go bike shopping!  Speedy is my new Electra 7d, an updated version of Sunny.  (It's a shame these bikes are no longer made in the USA.  The company was sold to Trek.)  Seven gears, smaller profile tires & lighter weight.  We added fenders & I bought a few needed accessories.  Speedy & I were on the trail two or three times a week.  My longest ride, was a round-trip of 24-miles, from Malvern to Imogene.

5-9-2020 City Sign

In May,  with funding provided by the Glenwood Garden Club, Butch took on the task of removing all the weeds & old overgrown plantings from around the city sign.  We planted new rug junipers - for a  low growing ground cover & applied fresh mulch.  Red day lilies will add summer color.

6-23-2020 Trail Signs~

June, I finished painting the trail signs for the woods.  Butch planted the posts & the trails now have names.  Thanks to several friends, especially Clara, I planted many, many starts of ferns, hosta's & sedums.  With such a dry year, watering was non-stop.  I lost almost half of the P.J.M Rhododendron's I'd planted in the spring.  The moles continually dug under them, leaving the roots bare of soil.

7-19-2020 Badlands~

Mid-July, after our visit with family in Sheridan, WY, we drove through Badlands National Park.  An opportunity to fly in a Helicopter is one we never pass up.  Since the pilot's wife was hiking & no one was waiting - we enjoyed an extended flight to find her! 

8-3-2020 Todd & Butch, planting the island~

August, was summertime hot.  Butch volunteered to help dig up a island, in the middle of the parking area, at Glenwood Lake Park.  With monetary donations from Sugar Makery & plants from Hillsdale Lily Gardens, the island will be a show stopper next year.

9-20-2020  Late afternoon~

September, I flew to Washington for the second time.  I needed to move Farah yet again.  This time, to what I hope will be her forever home.  The first week, we stayed with friends & enjoyed some quality, if smoky riding.  Thankfully, I had Farah settled in with her new owner, before the ride that resulted in my injury.

9-22-2020 "Bridge" & leg~

I had a total dislike of this bridge for many years & always refused to ride across it.  This day, I didn't recognize where we were.  When I did, wasn't smart enough to turn back.  Instead, I decided to dismount & lead Farah across.  The result of  that decision - sent me to Skagit Valley Hospital with a shattered tibial plateau.  

10-01-2020 At daughter Courtney's~

What was to be a two-week visit - was extended by six additional weeks. I'm so Very Thankful for our daughter Courtney, son-in-law David & grandkids Mason & Cassidy!  They took excellent care of me during my convalescence.   I was so happy when daughter Jentry brought Skyla & Josie up to see me!  How they could grow so fast - in such a short amount of time - is a mystery!  The Doctor's cleared me to fly home, after my six-week checkup.  By then, I'd missed our 37th Anniversary :-(

11-18-2020 New Owls~

The first week of November, I flew home!  After weeks of rainy WA weather, the sunshine & warmer than normal temperatures were welcome.  I sat out on the back deck with Nika most afternoons.  Thanksgiving was a quiet one, just the two of us, at home.

The remainder of my year has revolved around physical therapy, exercising at home & the YMCA.  At eleven-weeks, I no longer had to use the walker.   My goal remains to be riding my bike by spring!

12-25-2020 Christmas gift from daughter Jentry~

2020 is a year most of us would like to forget.  So much sadness, so many who have lost loved ones.  Seniors suffering in isolation from their families & many kids unable to attend school.  The list goes on...

The virus has made us appreciate all the more - the many things we've always taken for granted.

Together - we pray for the success of the vaccine.  Just in my lifetime, other vaccines eradicated measles, small pox & polio to name a few.  Praying - this one will be as successful!

Past year - 2019~

Happy New Year! 2021~

Hillsdale Lily Garden~

A bright, sunny & warm start to the week!  Our Glenwood Garden Club had scheduled a field trip to the Hillsdale Lily Garden.  We started out with ten members confirmed to go, but only four actually arrived at the farm.  Some had visited before - but with new varieties appearing on the market each year - there's always something new to see!

Todd explaining the fine points of daylilies~

Though the fields weren't yet in bloom, Todd had forced several of the newest varieties into early blooms, so we could see the amazing colors. The history of the daylily is as colorful as the flower.  Check out the American Daylily Society.

I didn't get the name of this stunner!

Lu explained how the flowers are grown, divided into different sections. Several varieties were already showing buds. I look forward to going back in a few weeks to see all the colors!

Acres of Daylilies~

Even though it was a very warm morning, there was ample shade provided by huge Walnut trees. Plenty of seating & notebooks full of information on the plants available, including price, size, bloom time etc.

Names of the varieties are at the beginning of each section~

There were several varieties that sounded interesting, but it was the photos, that drew my attention. I'd read about Going Bananas - a plant that is supposed bloom almost continuously. (But it's still a day lily!) The first were already opening in the field.

Going Banana's

The sale table was full of extra plants for $2.00! Who could walk away from that? I wanted at least one red & the Chicago Inferno was perfect. I bought three from the sale table.

Chicago Inferno

The plant below grabbed my attention from when we first saw the buggy full of blooming plants. I wanted a rebloomer - these get a blooms that last a day, but then more buds continue to open.

Sharky's Revenge

My last selection was the most extravagant - but the green color was so unique. Some lily's Todd explained, can take a year or two in a new location to gain their full color range.

Green Inferno

Lu & Todd started their daylily farm in 2015 & are just now realizing their dream of a busy, viable business. The Omaha World Herald ran an article on the farm.

Framed article on the farm~

I was disappointed at the turn-out... But with Covid-19 continuing to be at the forefront of the news, our Garden Club meetings have been few & far between. I'm sure we're not the only long-standing group to feel the effects.

I'm taking Butch back this weekend to purchase a herbicide Todd recommends to kill the reed canary grass. I have a patch of old fashioned daylily's at the corner of the marsh, overrun with the invasive. Clara noticed last year that at least one of them had a double bloom! I've been taking advantage of this patch to start others along the creek.

I spent the afternoon getting my purchases in the ground!  So looking forward to those blooms next summer!  Laura, Janice, Diane & I really appreciated Lu & Todd's hospitality. If you're in the area, a stop at this farm should be on your must-do list!
Further information at;  Hillsdale Lily Garden~