The Dog Days of Summer

Why is it when you are checking out at Wal-Mart you have to wait 20 minutes in a check out line? There are maybe 25 cash registers and only 8 of them are open. Also the express lanes are filled with people buying more than 12 items, while regular check out lanes are filled with people buying a years supply of groceries. Even the self check out lines are insanely long, probably becuase they don't work as designed. I am either going to have to shop at 1 am or Wal-Mart is going to have to adopt the Menards policy, which is if there are more than 2 people in line they will open another check out lane. This is just another reason Menards is sooooo great! They just need to start selling everything.

Other than those complaints, it is HOT! As you can see though Halen loves laying in the sun.

Cleaning

It has been a while since I wrote anything. I guess we have been busy. Last Thursday we left early in the morning to go to Guttenberg. The motel was rented out for a family reunion. However becuase we had both dogs, we returned to Iowa City on Friday. Where we took some time to look at recliners, since ours was eaten by Halen. They are pricey, for something that is comfortable. Friday night dad came over to help finish the new deck railing, it is all up now, just need to fabricate a gate. It looks nice. Then on Saturday I started cleaning, and Josh went golfing. Sunday we spent cleaning the house as well.

This coming weekend is my 10 year reunion. So I am having a little get together at the house with my friends before the actual reunion activites. So that is why we are having a mass cleaning. It is going very slow, however we have been tossing and taking stuff to goodwill, I guess a cleaning was needed. I hate to clean!

Sunday night we went out to eat with Josh's dad, however at the same time there was a storm passing through the area. We left halen at home and had given her some puppy tranquilizers so she would mellow out. We also took the couch cushions off and the chair cushion off. We came home to find a nice hole in the new couch on the seating part, and the chair had been peed in. You should all buy stock in dog cleaner, Halen keeps us buying that like hot cakes. I don't know what to do with her. Not like we can't ever leave the house. So the cleaning just increases, and now we are not sure if we should buy a new recliner.

A New Railing

The railing that surrounds the deck part in our backyard has rotted. The current railing is wood and has seen better days, it has been pieced together for a year or two now. So we made the trek to Menards, actually I think the car would go there on it's own.

It was a hard decision, we couldn't decide which product to use. We finally concluded we would use an aluminum product, it wont rust and it wont snap in a harsh winter. It was also on sale! However they didn't have all the parts and pieces that we needed. You also have to special order a gate. So maybe we could fabricate something out of aluminum to work.

Dad had traveled over to help us out with the project. So we all traveled back to the house an started on a section of railing. It was slow going, but once we figured it all out it all seems to snap together really well.

So right now we just have one completed section. It seems really sturdy.

A Pain in the Neck

And no my pain in the neck is not Josh, but rather a real pain in the neck. Not sure what I did, maybe all that riding around in the boat, or see the picture where we are hoisting McKenz, maybe I pulled something then. I have went to my favorite chiropractor (Kate this chiro blurb is for you) He cracked my back and my neck numerous times, it is a little better, but YEOCH!

Well hope I have not bored you will all my babbling about the weekend. However to continue on...Sunday we all chipped in and cleaned the rooms, and then were treated to corn on the cob, our first of the season. It was delicous, we had grilled it.

I then stayed in the Gutt on Sunday night, while Josh rode home with mom to go pick up Kona. I made it home on Monday afternoon. It will be a short week, as I will be going back up to the Gutt on Thursday and then possibly visiting in Cresco on Friday.

Josh is golfing again today with his referee buddies, and then there is a grillout tonight. So we have no time to mow the lawn or clean the house, it is turning into a huge mess. So if you are interested in mowing or cleaning, we have a job for you.

Poker Run

The Lakeview Poker Run was held on Saturday July 19, 2008. The idea of the poker run is to stop at designated places and get a card stamped. You then are dealt a poker hand, idea is to get the best hand and win lots of money.

This year Amber, McKenzie, Dad and I went. Josh was in a golf tournament. We got the jet boat in working order. We were easily the smallest boat on the poker run, it seemed as if all the others had a Baja, which is a long fast boat, and sometimes noisy.

We had to be at the Lake View bar at 10:30am for a mandatory drivers meeting, registration, and information about the stops. Josh didn't have to golf until 1pm so he drove us to the bar. We got there in time to enjoy some bloody marys as the Lake View Bar was the first stop, so we also got our cards stamped. The drivers meeting was simple, the bottom line "it's not a race." We do the poker run backwards, instead of putting our boat in at Prairie du Chein, we start from the Guttenberg area travel north for the poker run and then back to Guttenberg.

We departed the bar and were headed to the next stop as it was easy to access by land as well, and it was only open for the poker run at a certain time. This stop was called Beer N Brats in MacGregor. They had a $5 lunch set up of brats, chips and fruit. We were the first people there of course, so we watched as all the Bajas pulled in and tied together at the dock. It was getting late, and Josh had to be back for golfing, so we were on our way back to Guttenberg to put the boat in.

Josh was golfing in the 611 yacht club tournament in Guttenberg. Our friend Art was running the show, so Josh was invited to play. He was also invited for the dinner afterwards. Josh likes to golf, so he wasn't going to turn it down.

We returned to Guttenberg, put the jet boat in and were off to our next stop. We had to make it to Wack's and The Bar up the Street in Glenhaven, WI. These 2 places are across the river from Guttenberg. These are also 2 places where you can leave with your alcohol in your hand, get it to go. We went to the Bar Up the Street first, had some beer and pops, debated whether to get the garbage basket (a basket of fried food) decided agaisn't it since we just had some brats. We finished here and made it to Wack's just down the street. Wack's was packed, we squeezed in to get our cards stamped and a cold beverage, then went to the street to drink. Wack's is also the home of the Hairy Buffalo, a mixed drink, that will knock you on your socks. Amber made sure to get one of those.

It was still early in the run, but we had enough of Glenhaven, so we thought we would go find a sand bar or something. We piled in the boat and proceeded up river through the backwaters. We found a small beach and tooled around. This was only fun for so long, so we were going to make a detour at Bill's in Clayton, IA. This was not on the poker run, but we couldn't resist the pickled eggs. McKenz had never had a pickled egg.

We walked into Bill's, got some drinks at the bar and purchased some lottery pulltabs. Then went outside to the deck. We ordered some munchies, fried green beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, cheese and french fries and chips and salsa, and 2 pickled eggs. In the meantime we also played the pulltabs to win 50 cents. McKenz did not like the pickled eggs, they were the hot kind. We ate our fried crap, and thought maybe we would check out Clayton, but no one was around we knew, so back in the boat.

The last stamp we needed to get was at Garnet Lake. A backwater that formed a natural lake, and the boats just tied together and everyone has a good time. We arrived dropped anchor and swam over the the people that would stamp our card. We tooled around for awhile, watching the drunks fall off their boats. We decided we should go stop at Josie's in MacGregor, IA. Since we were doing great on time and had all our stamps.

We pulled up to the dock, at this time I had a killer headache, so I went the gas station for some Advil. Then we walked up to Josie's River Queen bar. Amber thought McKenz should have another go around at the pickled eggs, but they were still the hot kind, so McKenz still did not like them. We grabbed a drink and were on our way to the Lake View to get our poker hands.

We were the first boat in the area at the marina, and discovered the DNR hounding the docks at the bar. This was not right, there were 3 DNR boats just waiting to get someone. We thought that we would just park at the marina down the street and walk to the Lake View. We did just that, and we when we arrived at the Lake View we sat outside on the deck, where we were able to enjoy many stories about the DNR. Apparently the DNR had been stalking the poker run all day. I guess we didn't know becuase we were the only people with life jackets on in a small little boat, so they didn't want to harass us.

We got dealt our hands, we all lost, they were so random and horrible. Oh well the day was great, sunny and hot, perfect for the river. However it was getting late and we had to boat back down to the Gutt, and it looked as if clouds were coming in. So we walked back down the road to the boat, piled in, put on our night safety goggles and we back on the water.

We made it just past Clayton, then the boat stopped. It was getting dark. Oh crap, out of gas! Luckily the boat has a reserve tank, but how far would that go, we still had about 10 miles to go. So we put it on reserve and went back to Clayton where we found a place open with gas. We paid $4.49 a gallon...so that meant we got 40 bucks of gas but like 9 gallons, ouch! So refueled and on our way back. We get back to the boat ramp, and there are rumblings and lightening in the background. Oh great, but we get the boat pulled out just in time, and we never got wet. We also observe the massive amount of mayflies/fishflies flying around the boat ramp.

What a successful day of boating, no mishaps, which is weird for us, usually we hit a wingdam or something. We got back to the house, but still had to make some supper. Josh was back at the house as well where he told us of his fun day on the links, and the feast of cheesy potatoes he had for supper. So we went to the grocery store, we thought it was closed as most of the businesses, all the outside lights were off. But we realized they do this to deter the mayflies. So we get some food and head back to the house to cap off the day.

Also I tried posting a video, hope it works. Amb thought I was taking a picture of her, but instead I was recording.

Great Jones County Fair

Man, something happened to the computer, I had half of this blog typed out and it dissappeared. I also lost the use of the comma key. Strange things happen to those who blog.

Anyway I don't want to retype everything, so I will do my best to recap the fair. We had a busy weekend so I will break it down the best I can.

Friday night Josh and I headed to the Great Jones County Fair, where we met up with my dad to enjoy the concert, performed by Boston. This fair is the biggest in the area. I had checked earlier in the day and the concert was sold out. We had never known this to happen, we have seen many bands in the past at the fair including Chicago, the Beach Boys, Meatloaf, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, and Styx. So we brought a blanket to sit in the grass in the free seats, but the sound was distorted. So it seemed like Boston put on a good show, however the songs sounded the same.

The concert takes place on a race track. The stage is on the infield and people are able to sit on the track and in the grandstands. From our vantage point we were able to view the people on the track, the area where you can drink all your gut will hold. We observed many new kegs being dropped into the area, those people must have been thirsty.

We also got supper at the fair, we all got tenderloins. I know you are all dissapointed we did not get anything on a stick or a funnel cake.

The concert was over and it was time for the fireworks display. They spare no expense and put on a great show. Once those were over we were ready to scour the fairgrounds. We saw the usual suspects, the drunk guy on the mechanical bull, the drunk guy trying to ring the bell with the mallet, the drunk guy rotating on the ferris wheel, oh and the drunk guy walking around lost with his beer. There were other people there of course, but they were all too young to drink.

We had seen all we needed to see, so we were headed for the exit. We stumbled across the bingo tent. It was only .25 cents a card, we had to play a game or 2. So we plopped down and prepared for the first game, the lady called to numbers so fast it was hard to keep up. Then somone shouted BINGO. Ah shucks, we lost. Ok round 2, we were playing four cards and the grand prize was 2 whole dollars and 50 cents. Once in a while they had a 5 dollar game. So she starts calling the numbers at lightening speed. "BINGO" I had won, but so did someone else. I had to split the winnings, so I won $1.25. At least I won. So we stuck around for another game, we lost again. My dad said he missed half the numbers, so maybe he won, we will never know.

It was time to leave. We walked back to our cars at the super secret free parking area. I needed to stop at the Kum N Go for some popcorn and Josh needed a fountain pop, and we were on our way to Guttenberg. It was about midnight.

Just a short note to say we all survived the weekend. More to come tomorrow. The Great Jones Co. Fair was fun and the Poker Run was a good time. Josh is taking a much needed vacation from work this week. I just returned from Guttenberg today. Don't worry though we were able to get a in a trip to Menards tonight, the new deck railing has been purchased!

another one bites the dust

We almost lost another chair due to Halen's fear of thunderstorms. However this chair has a dettachable cushion and with one flip, viola, you have a complete chair. Oh and a rave review about that Oxi-Clean stuff, that you see on TV, you know the stuff Billy Mays sells. That stuff is a great whitener and spot remover. I got a small container for like $2.50.

Well the weekend activites begin soon, so blog you later!

Schweaty!

Oh man it is some other hot here. There is a rain storm going through right now, but it doesn't look like it is going to cool down any in the future, but maybe the humidity will drop.

Well last night was Josh's last night of umpiring for the season. He umpired a substate game, which is great, maybe next year he will be working the state tournament. The game was in Cedar Rapids and we re-visited Ruby Tuesday's, this time tailgating was not necessary. We arrived a 1/2 hour before closing and were never treated rudely or shooed out the door. Tonight

Josh is celebrating the end of Sports Camps. It was an interesting year to say the least. They started out with no problems, then they were cancelled a couple weeks due to flooding, then restarted again with lots of problems. Some kids just don't know how to behave. Before you know it, it will be time to do it all over again.

I am stuck at the gym, there is no one here, completly empty. Josh was nice enough to bring me some supper, he took a break from his partying. It is nice not to come home and cook supper at 9 o'clock. There is also nothing on TV, so here I am writing to cyberspace.

Well that is all I know, nothing that exciting. It will be a busy weekend, so better rest up. Hope all is well where you are. Feel free to write a comment or send an email.

Update: There was a storm that passed through and the electrcity went out at the gym. SO I got to leave early about 8:15. Let me tell you it was dark in the gym, kind of scary.

Preserved in Time

As requested another blog. Pictures will be coming soon, of our new weed wacker. I will have to get some action shots, but we are going to be super busy. Tonight is Josh's last umpiring gig for the summer, tomorrow night I will be working at the gym, Friday night we will be enjoying the music of Boston at the Great Jones Co. Fair, then heading up to the Gutt, Saturday I will be going on a Poker Run and Josh will be golfing, then Sunday we will be helping out at the motel. That leaves little time for weed wacking, but don't worry I will get some pictures. I know you are all concerned, waiting in anticipation.

Monday night we made the trek out to the Devonian Fossil Gorge. The spillway at the Coralville Reservoir turned up this gem in 1993. With the recent flooding it has turned up more fossils and eroded away more land. You will see in the pictures a few fossils as well as pieces of rock that were cut out. These cut outs are from the government, they take the rare fossils out of the gorge and hopefully will put them on display in the visitor's center. Basically they rob them before the public has a chance.

Other than that we are baking in the heat once again. It is super hot and the humidity is super high as well. I work where we have no air conditioning, so I think I have lost 5 pounds just standing and sweating or I wish. Also we are still waiting for our first ear of fresh sweet corn, the weather this year has really screwed things up.

163 days until Christmas

While we are all sweltering in the increasing heat, I thought I would throw out a reminder. Christmas is only 163 days away. So you better start shopping now for my perfect gift, it could take this long to find it.

Here's a shout out to Jolene and her new grill!!

Enjoy the pictures of the lounging outside, we don't have a 3 seasons porch or a fancy outside patio set. However we make our plastic Menards table and our hammock the best place to relax and watch some TV.

The Weekend

It's been a while since I last posted, so I will update everyone on the weekend. Saturday we went to the John Deere Classic in Moline, IL. It is a PGA event at the TPC at Deere Run Golf Course. There are not a lot of the more famous golfers in the tournament becuase of the British Open that runs this next week. Oh well Josh enjoys golf, so we woke up early Satruday morning and headed to the course.

Thanks to Amber's boyfriend Josh, he had given us free tickets and sky box tickets at the 16th hole for the event. We entered the course and wandered our way around to find the 16th hole. It was nestled in the back along the Rock River. The sky box was a little club seating type area. We were given unlimited drink tickets and lunch was served for 2 hours along with snacks. We had it made, free food and drink. The bathrooms were near by as well. They were a fancy trailer type deal with stalls, and running water, they were like a marine toilet set up. Josh had to umpire later in the day, so I enjoyed 3 bloody marys as I "enjoyed" the golfing.

We saw some almost hole in ones, but nothing too exciting at our hole. The Met Life Blimp flew over, it rained a little and then the sun came out. It was a pleasant day, about mid 70's. A nice change in the weather.

Then we had to leave the golf, I was so dissapointed. Josh had to go umpire a district baseball game at Wilton. We stopped for Josh to change at Amber's. She had just went shopping, so we got to see her bargains. She was on her way to the Gutt, to help clean some rooms.

We finally got to Wilton. I being the bright one I am, was dressed in a tank top and shorts. Luckily I had brought along my trusty Iowa blanket to wrap up into, it was a chilly night. So I tried to stay warm, enjoying some concession stand popcorn, watching this baseball game. Some friends came to watch the game as well, so I didn't have to sit by myself, and look like the baseball stalker.

After 10 innings of baseball we were back on the road again to home. It was approaching 10 o'clock and we were ready for supper, but SURPRISE, the choices are limited after 10. We used to eat at Old Chicago in Coralville a lot becuase their kitchen closed at 12. They were hit by the flood, we hope they come back, we got spoiled. We stopped at Hy-Vee and rescued some Chinese food from the cold case, and some Berry Weise. By 11 pm we had ate our supper, and were thinking it was time to relax, so we tuned in and caught up on "Family Matters" on Nick at Nite.

Now it is Sunday, what a gorgeous day. It is 80 degrees and the humidity has dropped considerably, very pleasant. I joined Josh for lunch at the dorms, he stayed there for another camp check in. Camps will be done next Thusday. I ran out to Target, then came home to plant some more hostas and mow the lawn. We have an exciting evening planned, we are going to the grocery store. I know you are all jealous. However when we come home we may move the TV outside and sit and relax. Hope you all had a great weekend!

A 50 cent investment

So my love for fountain pop took me to the nearest Delimart. (I know, I know another blog about fountain pop, read on it gets better.) Also as surprising as this is I was on a return trip from Menards. I called Josh to see if he would like a fountain pop too. He couldn't resist.

I pulled into the Delimart. I needed a fountain pop and had wanted a candy bar all day long. I also grabbed 2 quarters. I play the Lottery Pull Tabs, when I go to the delimart. You can get tickets for only a quarter. The prize is not a million or anything, but it is still a prize.

I walked up to the machine, and was dissapointed when I found the 25 cent ticket to be all sold out. So I plopped my 2 quarters into the machine and decided to go for the better payout, 50 cent ticket. Out spit a ticket. I went near the fountain pop machine, where apparently I was standing in the way of people. I pulled the first tab, oh there was a blue line, I then pulled the next tab and then the third tab (there are 5 tabs on a ticket.) I was thinking, oh another 50 cent winner or maybe a dollar. I looked down and it was a $38 winner!!! Then some guy said excuse me and needed to get by, I said no problem I just won. He said I must be good luck.

It wasn't the top prize on the ticket, but now my pops were paid for and my candy bar, not to mention a few extra dollars in the pocket. I was so happy, I could put some gas in my car, but sadly not fill it up. For those who are skeptical about the lottery, remember you can't win if you don't play.

I also stopped this morning for a fountain pop when I pumped some gas into my car. This time I stopped at a Kum N Go. I have blogged about my love for this establishment as well. The people at this Kum N Go were so nice and friendly. With all the stupid people in the world, it was nice to run into a friendly one. So sometime when you are bored, stop for a fountain pop and see where it gets you.

Chasing Rabbits

Well there is nothing new here. We are just melting away in the heat. You know things are slow when all I have is dog stories, sorry to bore you, but here goes...

So Kona is the new rabbit chaser of the house, she is pictured chasing one in the backyard. She also took herself on a nice run. I was unloading some stuff from my trunk last night. I had the windows rolled down on my car. A black poodle walked by, she barked and barked at the dog, I made sure she would stay in the car. I left the car for a split second and she had jumped out. The poodle in the mean time had turned the corner to continue its walk. Kona proceed to race after the dog at about 234 mph. The owner was startled, and asked if Kona was mean. I said she is just a puppy, who is more curious than anything. Luckily the other dog owner was nice, and had gotten a hold of Kona, for me to grab her and take her home. The other dog owner said she lived in the area and said I should bring Kona by for a play date, so they could run around in her backyard. Lucky for everyone that no dog was hurt. Man taking care of a pet is not all fun and games. So if you know anyone considering adopting a pet, just remind them it is a lot of hard work.

Halen on the other hand is aging slowly, she will be 11 years old. She mainly likes to lay around and take naps, and the occasional walk. Wish I had it that easy.

The other picture on the page is with my friend Laura, we were goofing around at the baseball park.

Taking a new path....

That's right, to get to our garage you can now take a new path. My summer project has been working on this path to the garage. The grass doesn't always grow too well, and I was able to create a planter along the side. It is a path of river rock, and then the planter has some hosta and woodchips. I like to work outside so this was my little project. It is not finished, I am waiting for perennials to go on sale, or someone to offer me some for FREE! I could have choose to fix the one garage door or the railings on our deck, but of course I did this project. (the top picture is looking towards our driveway and house, the second picture is from the house looking towards the garage and backyard)

Is it hot where you are? My computer is reading 91 degrees, unsure what the heat index is. It is a scorcher and humid. We finally decided to turn our air conditioning on, mostly for the dogs. I currently have a sore throat, me and the AC does not mix too well, considering I am in the heat for most of the day. The AC does feel nice, but my throat is screaming for relief.

Josh is still busy with sports camps and umpiring. I am busy working and keeping the yard all in tip top shape, we have lots of branches fall. We need to have a fire soon, so lets get together and have some s'mores. Notice how I did not say keeping the house in tip top shape, I would rather mow the lawn than wash the dishes or do the laundry.

Tailgating in July!

I really need to write more often then I wouldn't have posts that turn into novels. Our 4th of July activites started out on the right foot. We headed up to the Cedar Rapids Kernals baseball park for the slow pitch flood relief softball game. It was a celebrity event, however I do not watch channel 2 or Fox news, so the "celebrities" were just people to me. We met with Laura and Joe and got some beers and ballpark goodies, but learned to find out that only 10% of the concessions were benefitting flood relief. There was a band called the "Large Midgets" who played a bunch of cover songs. Then it was time for the game, Josh was the umpire, but really it was all more for show, he just played the part, he even pretended to throw someone out, but he let them back into the game. I don't know where that is alllowed. The game ended in a tie, so that lead to a chicken dance off, which then also ended in a tie, everybody wins!

After the game we had made some plans, we were all going to meet up with our friends Jen and Chris. However they were at Kirkwood watching fireworks, and traffic was not so great. The traffic leaving the Kernels stadium was horrible, Laura and Joe were not moving so they decided they would be going home. We however were still on our way to meet our friends some where on the south side for some supper. They had not yet eaten.

We pulled into the Ruby Tuesday's parking lot, it was just after 10pm. We asked how leniant they were about their 11 pm closing, and at the time it seemed as if it would be ok. We ordered some beers and waited. Then the waiter came back and we put in our order as it was approaching 10:30. I just got the salad bar and Josh got a burger and the salad bar. Chris and Jen were still stuck in traffic. We then went to the salad bar, and Josh's burger comes out of nowhere. Then all the sudden I hear them taking up the tongs for the salad bar. I run over there and get another plate of green peppers, cucmbers, grapes and croutons, I am weird. Then the manager comes to our table, he is all in a apologetic mood. He says that he will take 10 bucks off our meal becuase they were taking the salad bar up to quick, he also says that if we need to anything to contact him and tells us his name. The waiter on the other hand was not having it, our friends were still stuck so we ordered their food. It came quickly, so we called them again to see where they were, still stuck. We told the grumpy waiter to box up the food. Finally it was just at 11 and Chris and Jen pulled in, the manager was no where to be found, and the grumpy waiter would not let them in the door. So we ate the last of our food, downed the last of our beer and grabbed the boxed supper. I had to ask for napkins and a to go cup of water. So we ran out of the restuarnt and proceeded to the next party.

Time to tailgate! We met Chris and Jen at the cars, where they were seated with beverages in hand. They come prepared. So we pulled out our chairs and decided this is where the party was at. We had more fun chatting and hanging out in the parking lot than we would have had in the restuarant. We were free to do what we wanted. The weather was great, almost too cold for the summer, definetly too cold for the 4th of July.

It is something to work on the 4th of July, but wouldn't you try to get out of working it you are going to have an attitude about it? For all our waiter knew we could have left $20 as a tip. However he chose to be all grumpy and still serve us. I guess we will never go there again. Another thing, there is never anywhere to eat in Cedar Rapids. We will go to baseball and hockey games during the week and the restuarants always close at 10 pm. Our schedules don't allow us to eat before the games and event food never qualifies as supper. I guess we were spolied by restuarants that stay open until midnight.

Oh well, hope you all had great holidays and are enjoying the 3 day weekend. One good thing about it all, we didn't come home to find the cops on our doorstep.

All Bark and No Bite

Josh picked me up from the gym last night, and we traveled across town to make it to the concert. As we approached the area we noticed people walking away with their chairs. We missed the concert. One would think that a rock band would put out a decent concert, but it was over by 9:20. So we were thirsty and headed back to Iowa City for a cold one. We went to Sam's Pizza and had some Bud Light Limes.

We got home at about 10:30-45ish and turned on the tv to find Animal House on, so we proceeded to watch that. I was sitting in the chair which faces to the outside window. All the sudden a bright spot light was shining into the window. I thought oh crap, a car is headed for our front window. The light shut off and it was a police car. I yelled to Josh "There is a police car outside" So We both got up and went to the front door, and to our surprise the cop was walking to our front door.

The cop says there has been a complaint of a dog barking. We were like uh, WHAT??? Then asked what time this complaint was called in. He estimated it was about an hour ago. We said we had just let the dogs out to go to the bathroom. Halen our older dog never barks, but Kona is a good watch dog and will bark if she hears a noise, last night she barked to tell us to let her in the house, maybe 2 barks. The cop continues saying that this is not a priority call and that is why it took so long to get to our house, he said it with a smirk on his face, like this is a joke. At the time the cop showed up Kona was in her kennel for the evening and Halen was asleep on her blanket in the bedroom. We could have easily said we did not have dogs. Serioulsy a busy holiday weekend and someone has to call us in. I really hope no one was driving drunk, on fire from a sparkler, or in dire need of the police.

So in the morning I called Jolene our neighbor, and asked her about this. She said Kona was barking at maybe 10ish when we were not gone. Keep in mind she barks at a noise, it is the 4th of July lots of fireworks in the area. She could have heard a noise and just barked for a while. We also discussed who possibly could have made this complaint. Most of the neighbors either have or had had a dog. There is one single man who lives behind us, we all believe it was him. The next time he revs his motorcycle I think I will call him in, the police have nothing better to do.

Anyway...HAPPY 4th of JULY! Josh and I went out to the Coralville parade this morning. It was a long one, lots of great entries, and even though we were at the end of the parade route and surrounded by kids we managed to get a little pot of candy. Then we met up with Kara and Ava for lunch, but had a hard time finding a place open. We ended up dining at Panchero's downtown. That Ava is getting older by the minute.

Otherwise Josh and I have been lounging aroud all day, enjoying a day off. We are headed to Cedar Rapids this evening. There is a slow pitch flood reflief softball game at the Kernals Stadium. Josh is going to umpire and we are going to meet up with Laura and Joe. There will also be live music, food, and fireworks. Should be a good time.

Well this post is plenty long, so I wish you a safe and happy holiday, will catch you tomorrow!

Independence Day Eve

I write from the gym. Where I have just been delivered my supper by the best husband in the world. Also I was hoping to get out of here early as Josh and I are trying to make it to the free Guess Who concert in Coralville. However someone did call and ask if we were closing early due to the holiday, I said no. So sounds like someone is coming to work out late. Which leads me to my pet peeve. There is this one lady who waits until 8:20-8:30 to come work out, the gym closes at 9. Even the gym owner commented on how she makes it a point to wait until 8:30 to come work out until close. The problem is, especially in the summer, there is no one else here, there might be 2 people here after 6:30. AHHHH why can't she come earlier, I have things to do. Or maybe I should quit working here, becuase she is open until 9. Also for some reason there are more people here than normal, maybe it is b/c she is closed tomorrow, or do they secretly know I wanted to go to a concert that started at 8? Isn't a blog the place to complain and whine?

I just found out that there was another plane crash in Iowa City. I just caught the tail end of the details, but something about it catching on fire and the people would be lucky to be alive. It happened in the area behind the old Menards, which is where the runway is. I also just saw a blurb that the man who played Bozo the clown died, he was 83 years old. That Bozo had quite the show. Not the best of news, so all of you stay safe and don't play with fireworks! Have a happy 4th of July.

Fountain Pop

While I enjoy a fountain pop from time to time, either a Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb will do. I think I encountered fountain pop's #1 fan. I just went to Casey's to get my delicious Dr. Pepper, when I noticed the refill cup in the hands of the guy behind me. He had a 64 oz thermal refill cup, it was gigantic! I commented to him and he said "I wish I would have purchased the 100 oz cup." He went on to say that his beverages last about 2 days and stay cold. I also noticed that he was a Diet Pepsi drinker, maybe that is part of their culture. I am surround by the Diet Coke culture and am familar with thier behavior. Usually a Diet Coke never sits around for that long, all the D. Coke drinkers I know can consume the pop/soda in 4.5 minutes, give or take 3 seconds.

Today is HOT! I should be drinking water to keep hydrated, oh well!

SHOES!

I am now going to start keeping my shoes in the gutters outside the house. The dog just chewed my second pair of new flip flops for the season, she chews the straps completly. They were on top of the washing machine. This dog is expensive. So I will take donations for a new pair of shoes. OK just kidding...but seriously where will this dog not be able to reach my shoes!!

Also Josh has 2 pairs of the same style of shoe which she has not touched. My feet must be so delicious smelling.

Funny how one minute the dog is doing something funny and the next she is doing something bad.

Happy July!

Hope you are all enjoying the first day of July. It is quite warm here in Iowa, in the 80's, but it is not raining. The forcast for the 4th of July holiday sounds good for us as well, sunny and 70's. We are not sure what we are doing for the holiday, as the saying goes "do I have to know right now?"

Our puppy is crazy! While many people have kid stories, we have dog stories. Last night while cooking supper Kona started barking at something in the kitchen. We have a pizazz pizza cooker, however we use it to cook our french fries (that way we don't have to use the oven) well last night we were having some Ore Idas with our meal. The machine spins a tray while cooking the food. Apparently Kona didn't like this and got mad and started barking repeatedly at the thing. I then picked her up so she could come face to face with the machine, she sniffed it out (almost stealing a hot fry) and that was that. I guess she just wanted to meet the pizzaz. She is smart and knows when there is a foreign noise in the house. This is our second pizazz, we had just received it from our neighbor Jolene. Our first one had bit the dust, so this was the first time Kona has seen this in use.