2019 July 25 Thursday

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2019 July 25 Thursday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

63° and mostly cloudy, except on the eastern horizon. It reached 81° before an early evening rain shower moved through.

Morning sunshine a little later than usual today

This was the gang at Cutty’s cafe this morning. We were down a couple (see yesterday’s post) but still were able to come up with some words of wisdom.

Ella and I were dressed as Mr and Mrs Claus today. It was Christmas in July at the Grimes senior center. I had a few folks sit on my lap for pictures. In the same community center as the seniors group, a very large group (40+?) of pre teens were practicing a play. I walked in wearing the full Santa suit and surprised them. I didn’t stay. I was just dropping in to make sure they were going to continue to be good for the next 6 months.

P

Photos of Santa and friends.

In the evening, we drove up to the cafe and found some of the usual suspects, who had come up for pulled pork sandwiches.

We had gone for a drive when Ella decided that she needed to feed the ducks. There is female white duck that has two yellow and two black ducklings.

Lyn, a long time friend called and asked if we wanted to meet for Chinese for supper. Yes. Sowe made arrangements to meet at 6:30 at the only Chinese restaurant in Grimes. We arrived a little early and saw the sign that read, “We close today”. I called to tell Lyn and we made plans to meet at Cozy Cafe.

We ate and visited until after they had locked the doors. It is nice to have friends like that.

God bless and g’nite

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 80

2019 July 24 Wednesday

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2019 July 24 Wednesday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa 68° and clear.

.

We gathered for The planting of this tree.it is in memory of or friend Sharon Seeman, who died recently. The planting was done at Cutty’s Des Moines Campground just before we drove to her Catholic church in Madrid, Iowa.

The funeral cerimony for Sheron Seemans. At the Catholic church in Madrid ( pronounced Mad’-rid not Mu-drid’), Iowa.

The luncheon after the service gives an idea of the number of lives that she touched.

These 2 are scenes from “The Last Supper.” Ted and Nancy are heading back to Florida very early tomorrow morning and will not be back until next spring. This group of people have shared a lot of experiences this year and will continue to have more, until in the fall when to go our separate ways for fall, winter, and spring. Some stay in Iowa, many of us go South to Texas or Arizona to escape the cold and snow.

God bless and g’nite

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williamsday 79

2019 July 23 Tuesday

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2019 July 23 Tuesday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

58° and clear. What a relief to wake up to cool air.

Hello, Sunshine!

This is the photo I took last evening. Below is the stylized photo that Google made from that pic. Which picture do you like most?

House finches on our feeders.

A short drive along the lake.

Flowers at Grimes senior center.

Playing Fast Track at thesenior center.

We stopped at UPUMC to reserve the fellowship hall for the Nye Family Reunion in August. We planned to hold it at Cutty’s but, even though Ella was they at the exact earliest minute the adult center could be reserved … it had already been reserved … as had the lodge also. I wasn’t some answers as to how that can happen. I will bring it up at thenext clubhall meeting.

Wolfe Eye Clinic for Ella’s annual exam. She had cataract laser eye surgery about 10 years ago.

After a short nap at home, we drove to Granger, Iowa for a visitation for a friend who died last week. Her funeral idea tomorrow.

From there we drove to Love’s for gasolineand Denny’s for supper

God bless and g’nite

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 78

2019 July 22 Monday

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2019 July 22 Monday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

65° and clear

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The Grimes senior center received day old bread from the local Subway. The center wraps them and we are allowed to take them home. I skillet toasted some for breakfast this mourning. Reality good.

I worked the fee booth from 8 to 3 today. My shift was other at two thirty. However, I had someone come in shortly before a pay with 2 $100 bills which took all my change. That meant I was unable to close out my drawer at shift change. I had to send somebody to the office to break the hundred dollar bills so that I could balance my drawer. And they set up all ones and fives, $200 worth of ones and fives. It took extra time to count and ruin a tape.

So, shortly after 3 I arrived home ants ate lunch.

Then I took a 10-15 minute nap.

Then I let Ella me at more games of Fast Track. Yes, I won a few also!

The sun, low on the horizon, shining up on the bottom leaves.

God bless and g’nite

*I’m overdue for a knee replacement (or 2?)

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 43/77

2019 July 21 Sunday

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2019 July 21 Sunday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

We had lots of wind and rain overnight. Several people reported downed trees and damage. There was a limb about 2″ in diameter and 8′ long wedged between the mirror and my truck’s driverside door. But no apparent damage.

The day started with a humid 70°and reached a high of a humid 77°. However, even with the humidity, it was a nice break from the high 90s.

There was a nice group at our campground worship service and many stayed to just talk afterwards.

We went to Casey’s (a local chain of convenience stores) for pizza. You may be thinking, “Oh, gas station pizza. Yuck!” But that is not Casey’s at all. They are a great pizza place that happens to also sell gasoline.

What is a day without a visit to Wal-Mart? We’ve been talking and planning to rebuild the king size bed that we have in our Iowa trailer. It takes up too much space in an already small room. Part of the planning is thinking about underbed storage. Our plan was to visit the new Menards in Grimes. However, when I got inside there was only one electric cart* and it wasn’t working. I couldn’t get anyone’s attention for assistance. So we left and went across the street to Wal-Mart. We came up with some possibilities.

However, none of them seemed to say, “Yes, this it’s exactly what we are looking for!”

Supper was a “catch as catch can” sort of meal where we both, separately raided the refrigerator.

We had several short rounds of rain in the late afternoon.

God bless and g’nite

*I’m overdue for a knee replacement (or 2?)

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 76

2019 July 20 Saturday

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2019 July 20 Saturday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

No relief from the heat overnight. At 82° and 80% humidity, Weatherbug says, “Warm and humid.” I find that to be quite an understatement.

Iowa
Texas

Again the difference between the weather in Texas and in Iowa seem to be skewed in the wrong direction — again!

This is the final time that the whole Cutty’s Coffee Gang will be together this year.

Iowa
Florida

Ted and Nancy are heading back to Florida ( where it is cooler).

Christmas in July at Cutty’s. I spent about a hour talking to kids today. We talked about how proud I was that they have been good … most of the time. We talked about want thinker favorite gift was from last year, and what they might want this year.

The storm approaching from The west.

An hour ago it was 86° and then a rain and windstorm blew through. After being in the 90s, 76° felt really good.

God bless and g’nite

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 75

2019 July 19 Friday

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2019 July 19 Friday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

White hot sunrise.

There were still long shadows as we made our way to the fee booth.

I picked up yesterday’s receipts and monies at the fee booth and took them to the office. Only to discover that the office was still locked. So I had Ella drop me off at the booth so that I could get everything unlocked, opened, and printed. Ella went back to the office with the things from the booth. Sometime later, she brought my opening money from the office.

102° in the shade that feels like 120°.

Texas

Iowa

.

Card Jackpot tonight neither Ella nor I won even one round.

Invariably when I’m doing a panorama shot, somebody moves and we lose part of their body or something. In this case it was a complete loss of face of the gentleman in orange.

Study in orange and lace.

God bless and g’nite

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 42/74

2019 July 18 Thursday

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2019 July 18 Thursday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

81° and high humidity makes it feel like 85° at the break of day. Which is why there is still an excessive heat warning inn effect.

One of the blogs that I follow which is entitled “My Joyous Feature” had an interesting thought about pen and paper, about letting your thoughts flow onto the paper. In truth, I seldom write on paper. I enter my thought through my phone, tablet, or laptop. If I have paper in front of me, I doodle or sketch.

One of my lecture notes from Bible College turned into a drawing of a man rescuing a child from a fast-flowing stream, which I’m sure had nothing to do with the lecture.

I draw on napkins in restaurants and styrofoam cups make a great canvas.

I once went back to visit a place that I had previously worked many years before. I found some of my sketches of an employee hanging on a back room bulletin board. (The sketch not the employee.)

The real kicker was that this wasn’t the same building. The previous building had burned and the store moved to a new location. Which means, that, among all the things saved from that fire, where my sketches.

One of the other blogs that I follow, “Just Sketching” has a gentleman who sketches everyday, something from life. It is amazing how much he captures in these rough drafts. I have not developed that dedication and commitment … yet!

95° that feels like 110° in Iowa

94° and feels like 98° in Texas

Either way, it’s hot!

Niece Kara stopped to pick me up as I got off work at the fee booth this afternoon. She spent a couple hours with us, playing Fast Track.

I haven’t been notified that the worship bulletins are ready, but we drove across town anyway hoping that they were. They weren’t.

Once we returned home we played more Fast Track.

8:30 p.m. and still 95°.

God bless and g’nite

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 41/73

2019 July 17 Wednesday

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2019 July 17 Wednesday in Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

73° and 93% humidity with an EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING! still in affect. It had reached the upper 70s before the storm blew through. Then It quickly dropped to 65°. But managed to race up to 84° by afternoon.

Can you feel the heat coming from that white hot ball of fire this morning? Goodness gracious, Great Balls of Fire!*

I had the joy of working the fee booth from 8 to 2:30 today. The booth is basically a greenhouse than magnifies the heat of the sun. With the predicted high of 94°, this maybe a very “special” day. (as it turned out, the storm cooled it and the 94 never happened)

Around 11 o’clock these wicked looking clouds rolled in.

Then they took inn this shape.

And they brought wind and rain with them.

Just another fun filled day in Iowa.

I was off work at 2:30 and Ella as just returning from the Grimes senior center and Wal-Mart.

She beat me again. We played several rounds after we returned home and before my afternoon nap.

This is the Wednesday night Mexican Train dominoes group. They gather at Cutty’s Adult Center. Ella played while I relaxed on the couch and worked on Sunday’s sermon.

I missed whatever sunset there may have been tonight.

God bless and g’nite

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 40/72

*You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain

Too much love drives a man insane
You broke my will, oh what a thrill
Goodness gracious great balls of fire
I learned to love all of Hollywood money
You came along and you moved me honey
I changed my mind, looking fine
Goodness gracious great balls of fire
You kissed me baby, woo, it feels good
Hold me baby, learn to let me love you like a lover should
You’re fine, so kind
I’m a nervous world that your mine mine mine mine
I cut my nails and I twiddle my thumbs

I’m really nervous but it sure is fun
Come on baby, you drive me crazy
Goodness gracious great balls of fire
Well kiss me baby, woo-oooooo, it feels good
Hold me baby
I want to love you like a lover should
You’re fine, so kind
I got this world that you’re mine mine mine mine
I cut my nails and I twiddle my thumbs
I’m real nervous ’cause it sure is fun
Come on baby, you drive me crazy
Goodness gracious great balls of fire

2019 July 16 Tuesday

rvingfulltimewithtomandella.com2019 July 16 Tuesday in Altoona, Cutty’s, Grimes, Iowa

68° and 93% humidity at daybreak is why there is still an EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING!

Teach us to number each of our days so that we may grow in wisdom. Return, LORD! How long…? Change your plans about us, your servants. Satisfy us every morning with your mercy so that we may sing joyfully and rejoice all our days. (Psalms 90:12-14)

Iowa

Texas

Once again the weather in our two homes is similar.

Ten of us gathered at prairie meadows casino for their senior breakfast buffet. The food was good, varied, and plentiful. The waitstaff were prompt, polite, and professional. The price was much higher than I had been led to believe. Apparently, there is special pricing if you are a card carrying clu member. Ella and I are not. Nor does our budget allow for such extravagances. The $5 meal for two with a Burger King coupon, is something of a treat for us.

We have quite a large family of house finches that visit our finch feeder. We only occasionally are treated to the bright yellow flash of visiting goldfinches.

Can I claim spousal abuse if Ella repeatedly beat me today … at Fast Track?

I like the camera flais from the bright sunlight throughthe trees.

However, the sunset was so much more amazing. It aroused a conforming feeling a campfire in a cave to drive back thedark unknown.

God bless and g’nite

All content (except quotations) ©2019 Thomas E. Williams

day 71