Month: May 2024

There are many small bits of news this time around, but most of the space will be dedicated to spring flowers around the yard. Storms hit the area and Felicity’s dream of home ownership moves closer. A new family video hit YouTube. All details are below!

I’ll begin with some weather news, as Iowa weather was featured on national news this past week. The devastation was quite some distance from us, but we did get high winds and heavy rain for a brief time. No damage to our trees but some of the flowers, particularly the lilacs, were affected. The storm effectively ended the lilac blooming season and left a lot of oak leaves scattered around the yard. Some trees in town were damaged as we saw the town’s front end loader carrying trees and branches out to the dump.

The town finally got around to patching Main Street in our block. A broken water line had made digging up the road a necessity some 3 1/2 years ago, The temporary gravel patch was the source of debris in the gutters and made for a bit of a rough ride. A concrete patch was poured and, as I write this, the road is still blocked off until the patch cures.

Felicity and Peter flew to New York to view their prospective fixer-upper. The place needs a LOT of work, even though the plan is to have the major projects done by contractors. Pam and I hope the pair are up to the challenges this place will present.

Recent rains have turned this spring into the greenest spring yet. All the flowers and plants are doing exceedingly well. Here are a few photos taken around the yard.

A by-product of the street repair was a surplus pile of black dirt. Some had been used to fill in around a new section of sidewalk, but there was a pile left over. I asked the crew’s boss if I could have some of it to fill in a few low spots on the lawn, and was given several small cart loads for my use. There are now places around the yard that have been filled and had grass seed spread on them. Several of these places were ruts caused by the house painter’s trucks and tires from the lift we rented on several occasions. Another low area, where water accumulates after storms, received what dirt was not used to fill in old ruts. I hope the grass takes root and covers these now-bare areas over the next few weeks as the yard now looks a bit rough.

I completed what may be the last of the family videos I will post in this blog. This one features Pam’s parents, Myron and Lorraine, and her older brother Larry. (Pam has a younger brother, Craig, and younger sister, Becky. Neither appear in this video.) Taken in Colorado during our early years there, the video is a compilation taken from 4 different Super-8 reels of film taken over the space of a couple years in the late 1970s. (One advantage of having converted the film to a digital format; it makes creating a clip much easier.) Run time: 5:15.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I’m trying to work up the energy to start the painting season. This time it’s the front wrap-around porch ceiling. I looked at the various components and trim pieces involved. H-m-m. Gonna wait until after Memorial Day, as I don’t want to get paint on the front porch bunting. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Happy Trails.

It has been a busy couple weeks of yard work, nothing exciting, but satisfying. A new archive video featuring a late ’70s trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival was created and posted to YouTube. Daughter Felicity’s dream of a home in upstate New York moves a step closer. More on all below.

Yard work moved to the top of the task list. Grass seed was put down in some bare spots which are now ‘greening up’ a bit. The lawn has been mowed a couple times. Pam has been maintaining the flowerbeds and tells me the Grandpa Otts (morning glories) are just beginning to poke up out of the ground.

The daffodils have completed their run, also pretty much the tulips, but the lilacs have just begun to bloom; their scent is quite amazing. The hostas are really beginning to leaf out and add their spring green color to the yard. The honey locust tree is budding very well. The light green, almost yellow, of the honey locust buds add a nice contrast between the lilacs and the dark green of the lawn. It is a fresh time of the year.

The second topic of this post is one of my archive videos. This one consists of Super-8 film shot at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. (The event was officially known as the “8th Annual International Balloon Festival.”) The year was 1979. Here is my edited video of that event. Run time is 4:36. Enjoy!

Daughter Felicity called last night to update us on the progress of her and partner Peter’s attempt to buy a house in upstate New York. Since the house does not have a certificate of occupancy (no working bathroom and questionable wiring) they have to obtain a construction loan to finance repairs before the house can be occupied. This has complicated the purchase. A general contractor has been contacted and a quote for the repairs created. The pertinent paperwork has been submitted to the bank.

The next steps: 1) a bank appraisal of the property, 2) approval of the loan + reno amount, and 3) determination of the worth of the house after the work is complete. If all goes well, the closing is tentatively set for the last week of June. Crossed fingers that all goes well!

There are always a few smaller bits of news as well. Pam scheduled an eye appointment — prescription the same, new frames only, several new supersized “floaters.” I suffered through a bout of stomach flu which curtailed my activites for a few days.

An older couple, in Elma for a funeral and walking through town, saw Pam working in the yard and stopped to comment on how nice Heart House looks. (The man of the couple, Tom, had grown up in Elma and the funeral was for one of his relatives.) I was ‘under the weather’ at that point but Pam felt comfortable giving the couple a tour of the grounds and of the first floor inside. Pam, Tom, and wife Lori had a pleasant conversation, with some reminiscing of life in Elma several decades ago. Tom and Lori now live in Florida. Lori appreciated the blooming tulips and lilacs, which don’t do well in the South. It was an unexpected but interesting visit!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Impromptu house tours are kinda interesting, as Blondie is cooped up in the laundry room and there are cats everywhere. I had to think quickly — did I have the house somewhat picked up, so as not to be embarrassing? Sure didn’t want us to appear to be “low-life/filthy folks.” As I generally clean messes when made, put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, leave no clothes thrown around — all went well. (If one ignores imbedded pet hair…)

Happy Trails.