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.

Storm aftermath on the lawn

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.

Patch in Main Street

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.

Black Hills Spruce new growth
Allium in full bloom
“Heart” planter near front steps
Iris beginning to flower near garden

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.

Dirt in low place in lawn

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.