Hello!

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post!  I'll blame it on the Olympics, which require me to sit in the recliner with knitting in hand.  Lots of fun watching the competition, but what I like best is the stories about the athletes and the interviews with them.  It's hard to comprehend the level of dedication they need to do what they do, and for years and years.  Makes me feel like a slug!  I have fallen by the wayside of the road to physical fitness.  The last time I felt really in shape was when I did the AIDS ride from Minneapolis to Chicago, that was quite a few years back.  But my 3 months of training for that was a drop in the bucket to what these Olympians do.

Spent a couple days in Iowa last weekend, stayed with Mom and Dad, visited Jarry, Mary, Spencer, then back home again.  I love driving through the farmland, I really like the view of the horizon with rolling hills, a grove and buildings scattered here and there, an occasional watertower.  And wind generators!  When I lived there (NW Iowa) the wind was just a given, not really remarkable.  Well, now it is serving a purpose other than drying the clothes on the line!  It's almost like before it was invisible but always present, and now it is a visible presence as the turbines turn.  The corn and beans look so healthy, except for the fields pounded by a recent severe hailstorm, which look very sad.  I guess those who engage in farming are used to the risk of Mother Nature, but for me it is troubling and just not fair!  These photos highlight Shadow the wonder dog, Nora's sweet kitty, and Mary's beautiful rose.