Halloween

Pretty blurry but our two guys on a Halloween in the 1960's.  Those masks - couldn't see; hard to breathe.  Happy Halloween!

Very True Trivit

It looks as though someone needs to clean the dust from the sign.

Do we have any q tips?

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

 

A remarkable water fall. I wish I had walked up to that bridge. Probably couldn't have made it then

and I'm sure I couldn't manage it now!

 

Today I'm going out to lunch. This is a big deal! It just doesn't happen often enough.

 

Dark Kitchen

I am not a fan of fluorescent lighting. This is our kitchen fixture. The two central tubes began blinking and the outer two went dark. We don't know if the trouble is with the ballast or not. Hoping for some advice this evening.

Seven Years Apart

The top photo was taken just after we moved here. The camera angle makes the red tree look shorter now than it was then. The second picture was taken six days ago and almost all the red leaves are gone now. I am surprised the trees are losing their leaves earlier this year. We had ninety-one degrees here yesterday. I'm not sure if that is a record but it's pretty warm for late October.

Leaning Pole

This pole seems to have been the victim of a collision. I'm surprised they haven't straightened it up or removed it.

Maybe there's no danger.

Coffee Cake

L. has a sweet tooth and so do I. He acts on it by buying sweets. I just eat chocolates from Ghirardelli. Except I will always try something new.
He brought this coffee cake home. I didn't have high expectations until I lifted the box. Quality cardboard, very nice presentation but how will it taste?
Well, boys and girls, this is the best "boughten" coffee cake I have ever eaten. Information inside suggested one can use their product for fund raising projects.  I would buy another one in a minute.
Absolutely delicious. This one beats the local bakery by a mile.

Lonely Little Petunia

Or is it? It may be a stray morning glory that somehow migrated from the vine in the backyard to the front rock pile. I received a request to post a petunia and the same day L. came in saying I needed to come see the petunia blooming in the rocks.  What a co-inky-dink!

Our Three Trees

Yesterday L. was watering the coleus on the front porch and two walkers stopped across the street and called out, "Your trees are beautiful!" L. answered that soon the leaves will all be on the ground.

They are not as gorgeous when they have fallen.

Sky Light

Yesterday was a road trip. In more ways than one. We spent from three o'clock to five in a large room with about fifty others waiting to see an army of specialists. This was one of three sky lights in the waiting room.
By the time we left at six, the room was empty. I can hardly imagine the dedication it takes to be a physician - long hours, all kinds of patients (we saw one wearing Hoss's hat  and Will Geer's mustache, both plenty soiled from the trail.) Then there are the many regulations that are designed for our safety. We are thankful that some can do it!
The ride over was eventful with someone telling me I was straddling the white line which is  on the right side of the right lane. All other travelers were passing us because we were using cruise control at a low speed. Old cars are not to be trusted at high speeds. This was the first trip we had made over fifteen miles in several years. It may be the last for quite some time.
On the way back, the sun was so low the sun visor was no help so I used my left hand. L's eyes were dilated so he couldn't see anything well. I told him just to shut his eyes but I don't believe  he did.

Glossy Ads that Cost Big Bucks

I certainly get a lot of political mail lately.
My concern is the money it takes to design, print and mail all this stuff. This was one day last week.
Today there was one more, disparaging the opponent and telling all the terrible things that will happen if he is elected.

They all ended up in the recycle polycart. . .so there will be some good come out of the mess.

Porch Roof and Railing

The railing is much taller than the original one. Friend says maybe it has be higher because of a code.

Here is the house in 1946. My bicycle is in front.

We Weren't Really Lost

Yesterday we went to South Hutchinson. This is a completely separate city from our town. Some people are confused by this. It's a bit like Kansas City, KS, and Kanas City, MO - but not really.

Anyway, a new overpass has been built at the south end of Lorraine Street. The overpass is part of the regular highway that we needed to enter. I drove past the exit which looked completely different from the last time we drove out that way. (We don't get out much.) After we went under the overpass, there was this lovely yellow sign on the four lanes.

Amazing. I wonder if that road will ever be connected to another link. If not, why build the overpass in the first place? The one nice thing: there was plenty of room to turn around and no other traffic.

Later I turned left on a red light that should have been a green arrow because there were no oncoming cars. That was my reasoning but L. didn't think it was a very good idea.

The Key Was Lost

 This key belongs to a desk that my parents bought early in their marriage (1928). I remember it always being in our home. I stood on one of the yellow chairs to my table set to help Mama dust.

 This morning the key was missing from its usual place. It is never used to lock the drop down door but is used as a handle to open the hidden area. A search began. Under, around, away and near. No key. Luckily L. remembered after much searching that there had been a cloth basket full of laundry on the chair. (He did some clothes washing while I napped. How nice is that?) Since I had folded all the laundry, he checked the empty basket and there was the key.

The old desk has been moved only seven times since I've been around. It's looking its age but aren't we all?

TBT Mom's Mini bike

I used to ride this to work. What was I thinking?  Even had a yellow helmet to match.

Ready to Walk

Whenever my mom saw a table loaded like this, she would say, "That table looks like it's ready to walk."

I never understood what that meant. Walk away to avoid more junk being piled on? 

I have no idea. Another thing I should have asked her to explain instead of just being a puzzled little kid.

Ordering Out

We don't order out every day.  Sometimes it seems like it's too often but we just had a long week of leftovers so pizza sounded good to L. tonight.

We are stuck on large, thin crust, The Works. We have an old menu so the prices are out of date.
At the drive through window I have asked for a new menu twice and they don't have any - or are out right now. Oh well, we know what we want.

So tonight the price was $11.91. Two weeks ago it was $16.50. A month ago it was $11.91.

We can't figure it out.   Wonder what the new menu would say.

Speakers!

These speakers worked well for drive-in movies. However, I find the quality of speakers at most drive-thru restaurants are not so great. Today we thought chicken tenders sounded good for Sunday dinner (our noon meal for you who weren't raised in the Midwest.)
I tried to order the three tender special. The answer came back, "Do you want the $5 meal?"
Answer: "No." I tried again with the original request. Same answer. "Do you want $5 meal?"
"No." I then asked if they understood what I had said. Answer, "No." So I restated what it said on the menu - three tender special. Same reply, "Do you want the $5 meal?"

I gave up and said yes.  

I think they may be pushing the $5 meal.

Progress!

I can tell you that I am really excited about the restoration! Many more photos to come, I'm afraid.

It Rained

 

 

 

 

The past few weeks while L. was installing plastic to keep the winter snows off our screened in porch, the drain pipes and the rain gauge have been in the garage. Yesterday he put the pipes back in  place and also the gauge. We have had no rain during this work time except for a trace a couple of times.

Well, just in time, we now can see how much moisture we received last night!

Flood of '47

My friend Jo (in the turban/scarf) and I decided we needed to record how deep the water was on East
Fifteenth street after the big storm. We had winds that uprooted huge cottonwood trees in Carey Park and enough rain to stop the drains from carrying the water away. Standing in the gutter at the base of the driveway, we made the depth of the water seem greater than it really was in the center of the street.
Jo and I are still friends but Houston is a long way from our location on East Fifteenth!

Just To Prove I Saw the Eclipse

I have a wonderful Canon point and shoot camera - small to carry and easy to operate with video, options for portraits and other "stuff."

Today I would have liked to have had a high-powered telescopic lens to shoot the moon.

This is what I was able to preserve at 5:15 a.m. Half an hour later it looked mostly red.  I'm glad we didn't have a cloud cover.

I Found the Meat Thermometer!

Since we moved in 2006 and again in 2007, I had not found my meat thermometer.

I knew right where it was before the first move.

So all the roasts since 2006 have not been tested.

I looked one last time in all the drawers, cupboards and shelves.

It was in the last place I looked!

 

Explanation for folks saying, "It's always in the last place I looked;"

when you find it, you quit looking.

And the Wind Blew

A few nights ago we must have had some windy gusts. I didn't hear anything because

I sleep very soundly. L. didn't know about it either until he went out into the back yard.

So, considering we knew the tree needed some trimming, we called the company we

had used before.

The estimate for trimming was breath taking.

Not for removing a tree; it was twice what we paid them for trimming  after an ice storm

several years ago.

This morning I called and canceled the visit from the trimmers to further "estimate."

We'll just wait a while.

Another New Light Bulb

 

After another "curly-cue" bulb bit the dust, not fulfilling its promise of lasting five years, we are trying an LED type. This one looks more like the light bulb we all grew up with and it is very heavy!
The weight surprised me. I am marking the date, October 1st, on my calendar and let's see how long this sturdy model continues to light the bedroom/office.

Progress in Downtown Hutch

On the left, the beige building with the fire escape is the Wiley Building, a former department

store with offices of dentists, podiatrist and a grain board on the upper floors. I have

mentioned it is being refurbished into apartments after spending many years

in limbo with an out of state owner.

Next to it one can see the Historic Fox Theater, built in 1931 - a very good year - and restored

a few years ago with even the same carpet pattern as the original one. The art deco

light fixtures are still in place and it is a fabulous place that we almost lost because

of no vision!

Now we have the new building with the wine colored painted front plus the brick

façade above the opening to the parking garage for the tenants of the new apartments.

The other tan building behind the garage is the former Baker Hotel, built in about 1951.

Legend  has it that William Holden leaned out a window there when he was in town

filming the movie "Picnic."

 

Exciting times for our downtown! (not the part about Mr. Holden.)

Equal Distance?

I've always wondered if this sign is really accurate.

It is in the middle of Kansas.

 

Because of an observation, I think this may be in Kinsley, KS.

Fall Is On the Way

This lone little leaf was under our tree. Can hardly wait for them all to change color.

October First

This was one of my mom's trivets. I always liked the sentiment.

On the other hand - What a game in KC last night! Congratulations to the Royals.