Karen's Blog

Off the Sick List

5/31/2023

My brother-in-law, Ken, has always said that RV ownership is not for the financially timid. That has certainly been true for me this spring. Numerous battery issues resulted in a week at a dealer's shop and the purchase of two new house batteries and a new chassis battery, plus a converter. When the very nice and competent technician walked me through what they needed to do, the first thing he pointed out were issues with the front tires--what he called "blowouts waiting to happen" and explained that they don't sell tires, but that it was the biggest problem Agatha had. So when I got her back, we headed for a local tire and repair place to get that done. The tire guy told me I needed to keep covers on them when it is parked. and I ordered those. My bank account is dizzy with the withdrawals.

Since I was grounded this month, I have made several half-hearted attempts at projects that need doing around here. Last weekend daughter Kate came for a visit from West Virginia and son Andy from Illinois. We celebrated Andy's birthday Saturday and I felt very lucky to have not only two of my three children here, but also three of the eight grandchildren--scattered across the country.

But, back to the projects. The next day, Andy began working on the deteriorating back steps on the deck. I was his assistant. It brought home to me the desperate need to organize the workbench in the garage. Things were piled so deep that I couldn't find the crowbar or brackets we needed or even a hammer. Yesterday I spent a couple of hot sticky hours trying to bring some kind of order to the area. I made no attempt at the plethora of small bins of screws, nails, drill bits, etc., but at least cleared off the top so that there's a place to set things down while you look for something else. I did find the crowbar but not the sander I've been looking for for a month. Several treasures emerged though; including a pair of WWII aviator goggles Butch had obtained somewhere.

Next week, Agatha and I will head for Ledges State Park for a Midwest Glampers' frolic. I feel like an athlete must feel when recovering from an injury enough to get back in the fray.

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Hooks and Home Runs

5/12/2023

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Spending a few days at Geode Lake State Park near Burlington. The occasion is the district community college baseball tournament. Don's grandson Miles plays for Kirkwood. Butch and I camped here almost every year at least once but then they closed the campground for renovations and drained the lake so I haven't been here for some time. The sites have new gravel and there is a new shower house. It is the type that contains private individual restrooms--a trend in the state parks. But get this: not a single hook in the whole building. No where to put dry clothes, towels, shoes, etc. Even at the bare bones budget Iowa keeps it's state parks on, a few hooks shouldn't break the bank. The other issue is this shower house is apparently where June bugs come to die.

But as I said, we are here for baseball, and yesterday didn't disappoint. In the first place, the forecast included storms and high heat. But it turned out quite nice--a good breeze and enough clouds to make it comfortable.

Kirkwood's first game was with DMACC and stayed pretty evenly matched so that at the end of nine innings it was a 4-4 tie. This continued to the twelfth inning when DMACC scored three runs. When Miles came up to bat, the bases were loaded. One of those situations that if it was a movie, you know how it would turn out. But this was real life. Wait!--Miles hit a grand slam home run and Kirkwood won the game. Just like the movies--at least if you were a Kirkwood fan.

So today they played Southeastern Community College--the local Burlington team. They weren't able to pull off the same kind of miracle and lost 7-4. But this is a double elimination tournament so we are patiently waiting for the outcome of the second game to see if Kirkwood plays again at 5:00, or we stay at the campground and grill steaks.

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Shakedown!

4/27/2023

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There must be a lot of wanderlust in my DNA. In spite of battery issues in poor Agatha that can't be addressed until May 15, Monday I loaded the battery charger, extension cords and other necessary paraphernalia and set off for Lake Darling for our group's traditional shakedown campout. This is a time to find out what works and what you forgot to restock your RV with for the season.

Once I hit the road, a very peaceful feeling settled over me and I was tempted to keep going on forever. I didn't though. But ever since I went to Girl Scout Camp at Clear Lake after fifth grade, I have always been overwhelmed by the incredible beauty of the outdoors, and how invigorating and comforting to spend extended time in nature. I was amazed that the counselors got to spend all summer at a place like that. I attended church camp for several years and the summer after my junior year, worked at our church camp, Pilgrim Heights. We tent camped with our kids and friends in the early years of our marriage and as we got older, switched to something with a real bed. Some of our happiest times were in those campers. "Re-creation" has real meaning spent outdoors.

The forecast for our three days at Lake Darling was not stellar, and last year it rained the whole time. But other than a shower Monday night, this week turned out pretty darn good. There were some chilly moments and I wasn't sorry that I had my winter parka. But we had some sunny skies and were treated to some lovely sunsets.

The wildfowl were quite entertaining, too. Coots gathered in large numbers in the mornings and then steamed up the lake like an Armada. Maybe they recognized us as 'old coots.' Pelicans gathered on an island at the north end so they came down in the evenings to check us out. The last night, they appeared blue! Canadian geese were numerous and several were herding goslings. A great horned owl visited us a couple of evenings.

The trees are just beginning to leaf out, but we did enjoy the redbuds. Because of the forecast, we hadn't planned to do any grilling, but before you start a Go Fund Me page for us, I assure you we didn't starve. Letha's traditional search for the wiley mushroom was disappointing, and Mike's stringer of fish was snatched by some creature of the wild. But all in all, it was a great week. I forgot to put in some Pam and my rice bag, but I found a pie plate and a phone charger left in there last fall that I've been looking for all winter, so that was a wash.

Agatha started without the charger but there is still a problem with some kind of relay (technical talk) that hopefully will be addressed by the dealer in May. I have to have her back in June for the Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mystery tour with the Serro Scotty organization, a group out of Michigan of vintage camper enthusiasts. I am really looking forward to that. We will be visiting five campgrounds in Minnesota and Iowa that are sites for the Frannie books.

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April 10th, 2023

4/10/2023

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Since I came from a family of six children and married into a family of seven, plus an infinite number of cousins, holidays through most of my life almost required crowd control and enough food to feed a village. Easter always involved a gathering and some kind of Easter egg hunt. But through the years, my family has become far-flung from Arizona to West Virginia, and of course there have been losses.

This year, my weekend consisted of driving to Kewanee, Illinois to help my oldest son Andy finish painting his kitchen. Andy is a sucker for old houses and this one has been quite a project. Much of the progress he had made was wiped out Christmas Eve when pipes in the upstairs bathroom burst while he was gone for two days. Ceilings and hardwood floors were damaged, as well as paint, etc. It has been an uphill battle with tasks that needed to be done in a certain order: Don't sand and refinish the floors before fixing the ceiling and painting, for instance. He thought the kitchen paint and woodwork could just be touched up, but the paint was not an exact match so it was better to do the whole thing. The trim is formidable with five doors, two windows, mopboards and trim around the ceiling.

But even thought it was a small fraction of my family, we still managed a ham, sweet potatoes, and salad on Sunday. The chaos in the house necessitated perching on stools at the island but we did clear most of the painting supplies off first. We didn't have an Easter egg hunt because one of his three dogs, Gracie, an Australian shepherd, thinks anything round is something to chase. Every time we'd take a break and go outside to enjoy the fine weather, Gracie would race around to collect her old softball or blue rubber ball and leap up on the porch to drop it at my feet. I think she liked that I couldn't throw it as far as her master.

True to tradition, Easter brought fine spring weather--even more appreciated after the winds, tornadoes, hail and storms of the last few weeks. Time to get some yard work done, and, as soon as the battery issue is solved with my camper, dewinterize and clean it so I can haul about four totes of stuff from the attic to restock it.

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Yippee-Kiyay!

3/26/2023

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Considering the weather extremes around the country, I shouldn't even mention this, but our four days on South Padre Island were plagued by clouds and wind. However, we still had a great time. Tuesday was another blustery day, so we did a little shopping, made a trip to the end of the road (SP 100), and visited a sand castle display.

Letha, Vince, and Don spent one afternoon on the water chasing the wily fish. Despite pelicans, pirate ships, and the Coast Guard, they had some success.

We also did a beach walk one day before we went to a small bar for some impromptu music. More wonderful shrimp, this time with noodles, finished the day.

Friday we headed back north to Dallas for a short but delightful visit with Don's daughter, Christi. She took us to the Cattle Drive in Fort Worth--a dozen or two longhorns are driven down the street by a few cowboys. The longhorns were very well behaved and walked rather sedately, but the length of some of those horns made my neck hurt.

We wandered around the District for a bit soaking up the cowboy culture. I was especially intrigued by a brewery named Second Rodeo, as in "not my first...", the sculptures and creative water features. We also did a little shopping in nearby Grapevine and started a trek back to Iowa on Sunday. All in all, a great trip!

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Way South

3/21/2023

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Although we Iowans have continually reassured ourselves that this winter (past, I hope) could have been much worse, a week ago Don and I began a trek to find a little warmer climes. As we loaded the car, a couple of Canadian geese kept watch from the neighbor's roof, and from the sound of their honks, I think they might have been taunting us with terms like "Shame!" "Cowards", etc.

Our first target was Allen, Texas, in the north suburbs of Dallas, home of my son Pat and his wife Jill. Two days of driving got us there, and although we arrived with temps in the low 70s, the next day's high was 56--the same temperature as when I left home. But we got a warm welcome and spent a few great days there. We went to the George Bush Library and Museum. I had been there before but always enjoy a visit to a presidential library. The 9/11 exhibit there is especially moving. We also got to celebrate Jill's mother's birthday with her and all of Jill's family.

After three days, we left at 6:00 am for another long day of driving to about as far south in Texas as you can go. Old friends Letha and Vince winter on South Padre Island, so we are enjoying their hospitality for a few days. Yesterday was in the 60s, but pretty blustery. The forecast today is for windy, and tomorrow windier. But there may be some sunshine in the offing. So yesterday was a good day for a drive. We returned to the mainland and visited the Space-Ex installation south of Brownsville. An especially interesting feature to us campers were three lots of Airstreams, apparently housing for employees.

We did a little shell-seeking on the beach, stopped to pick up some Gulf shrimp, and returned to a South Padre bar for a little music and dancing. That was followed by a great supper at 'Daddy's' and then the hot tub. So a full day!

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Grub, Gab, and Games=Glampers

2/5/2023

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It was become a Rite of Spring with the Midwest Glampers: a weekend gathering at Quaker Heights Camp near Eldora to plan our camping outings for the year. When I left home, my backyard was bare but the camp presented us with about a foot of snow and sub-zero wind chills on Friday. Fortunately, we were well prepared with outdoor gear, extra blankets, and maybe a few bottles of wine. And the furnace in the lodge worked well.

To get those creative juices flowing, we shared a loaded appetizer table Friday night, pancakes and toppings Saturday morning, and a yummy charcuterie board at noon. We also worked on various needlework and art projects Saturday morning as well as a jigsaw puzzle.

By the time we finished lunch on Saturday, we were ready to tackle our main task. Plans were made for trips to to state parks we haven't hit before: Nine Eagles at Davis City and Prairie Rose at Harlan. We will also try out two Wisconsin Corps of Engineers campgrounds, Grant River and Black Hawk. In June, some of the group will join me for all or parts of the Frannie Shoemaker Mystery Tour that the National Serro Scotty Organization is planning for several Iowa sites of the Frannie books.

That done, we headed outdoors for a little activity. Snowshoes and snow angels, as well as some everyday walking.

We finished off the day with a hearty supper and a group photo, after which Betty provided a variety of Fiesta Ware cups for Cake-in-a-Mug. Another successful planning weekend!

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Rocky Mountain High

1/17/2023

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So, here I am in Avon, Colorado on the second day of a ski trip. Yes, I did just turn 80 two weeks ago. No, I haven't downhill skied for about 40 years. (I have cross country skied only about 20 years ago.) But I figure people go on football trips and don't play football, so I am on a ski trip.

My companion Don is a diehard skier and makes several week long trips a year. And originally, I thought I would try a few lessons again. But the more I considered the ramifications of a break, or even a sprain, with my four story house, and how much I did NOT want to rehab for six weeks in the nursing home, the more I realized this would be a excellent time to do some undisturbed writing. So first this blog and then either the new Frannie book I'm working on or the the Mystery sisters. Of course, there are lots of cute shops around I could check out.

This is actually the third day we've been gone, but we had to do some juggling to finally get in our condo yesterday afternoon. We actually left the Des Moines area Sunday morning about 3:00 am and were treated to a beautiful sunrise as we sped through Nebraska. Our condo was not available until yesterday, so we got other accommodations for Sunday night. Of course we had to check out of there yesterday by 11 am and couldn't get into the week's rental until 4 pm. Maybe they would let us in a little early? Not a chance!

So we toured the area. First we rode the skiers' bus to the base of Beaver Creek Ski Area. We were the only non-skiers on the bus (Don decided to wait and hit the slopes today once we were settled). Watching the skiers of all ages reminded me of a flock of brightly-plumed birds. First of all, fully equipped skiers walk funny in their boots. The hard-soled boots require them to strut. Add the that, flashily colored and decorated helmets, bug-eyed goggles, ski suits in everything from pastel camouflage to safety yellow to stars and stripes, and coordinated decorated skis and snowboards, it's not hard to to imagine fantasy birds or even invading aliens. And the kids outfits are even more eye-popping. They have helmets topped with Mohawks, Minnie Mouse bows, or animal ears.

We rode the bus back to town. With the back of the car packed to the gills with clothes, food, and gear (we had already checked to see if we could get in the condo a little early), we took off for Vail, about 7 or 8 miles away. There we found a great lunch and explored the shops--mostly full of ski gear. I began to wonder if some of the families we'd seen in the morning had to float second mortgages to outfit their kids. I bought a patch for one of my camper blankets and a pair of socks. The last of the big spenders. Vail, like Avon, is full of quaint architecture and interesting sights. These structures in a playground reminded me of onions.

At exactly 4:00, we were allowed to unload our stuff. Our condo is on the fourth floor with large windows that overlook the Main Street Mall. It's very lovely and well set-up with only a couple of exceptions. If you are going to include a fully equipped kitchen, why not include hot pads to handle all of those pans? And placing the living room seating about six feet from the large screen TV mounted high on the wall forces the viewer to crane their neck to see anything. But other than that, very comfortable.

And now I really am going to work on one of my new books.

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Blizzards and Breakdowns

12/21/2022

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My family gets together in large scale every other Christmas. Last year we had cabins at Lake Darling with every family member except one granddaughter and her husband. Since the kids and grandkids are scattered across the country, that alone was an accomplishment. So this year is a "Do your own thing--see the in-laws Year." Some time ago, my daughter Kate invited me to spend the holidays with them in West Virginia and scheduled a flight for me on December 22.

But Monday, Mother Nature threw a typical December curve. A blizzard with multiple inches of snow, 30-50 mph winds, and sub-zero temps forecasted to arrive on--you guessed it--the 22nd. The weather map showed a red blob from Eastern Iowa to the East Coast. Monday afternoon, Kate, Ron and I started rethinking my departure. I could leave Wednesday afternoon and arrive at Dulles in DC about 9:00. But when we tried to change my reservation, the seats were gone.

Maybe a longer route? I could go from Moline to Chicago to Orlando to Dulles. Or Chicago, Dallas, Dulles. If we looked hard enough, there's probably a flight that goes through Seattle to Dulles. But all of those were 10-12 hours.

How about Tuesday morning at 6 am? (This was Monday night we discussed it.) Couldn't quite get it together that quick and I didn't want to ask anyone to shuttle me to Moline at 4 am. Then Ron found me a seat on a Tuesday afternoon flight. The first leg went smoothly. I was checked in and was through security at Moline in twenty minutes. The flight was on time and we arrived at Chicago Ohare without incident.

The 50-minute layover was just long enough to get to the next gate about 42 miles away and pick up a $14 turkey sandwich. We boarded the plane about 5:30 and eventually began our taxi. And taxied. And taxied. And sat. Finally the captain came on to say that they were concerned about the way the nose wheel was responding and were returning to the gate. They hoped to have it fixed and have us back in the air by 8. After several updates, we were told they were getting another plane and we needed to move down the hall to another gate. This gate was right across from a bar, which may not have been a coincidence.

People took it well. Airplane safety isn't an area where you want to take chances. There were quite a few families traveling because of the holidays and the children did amazingly well. I was grateful I didn't have two or three toddlers to wrangle and try and find food for reasonable prices. Finally by 9:30 we were on our way. We landed at Dulles about 12:30 am and made it to Kate's by 2:00 am. I was in bed by 2:06.

This morning a weatherman was broadcasting from Ohare--the third busiest airport in the world at this time. That busyness is increased by many trying to change flights to beat the blizzard. I was glad not to be there. Kate and I will be driving back to Iowa after the holidays so that could be a whole different can of worms. Happy holidays!

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Bullets, Bones, and Poisons

10/29/2022

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Those were the topics of the first three sessions Friday afternoon at Prime Crime, a mystery writers conference held at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis. The Columbia Club is a magnificent old hotel on monument circle. Attendees were greeted with evidence bags containing free books and programs. There are people from both coasts and a lot of 'locals' from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. My writer friend, Elaine Orr, and I arrived just in time to dump our bags in our room and hit the first session.

At the end of the afternoon, time to change and refresh for the evening's reception. The guest of honor is C. J. Box, best-selling author of twenty-some western mysteries about a Wyoming game warden. Trace Conger, Reavis Wortham, and John Gilstrap are other thriller writers present. Charles Todd, author of the Ian Rutledge mysteries, is more on the cozy side. Events were held on the top floor of the Columbia with great views. I ask C. J. Box if he had been wanting to have a picture with me, and he said he did!

Saturday began with a breakfast buffet, followed by sessions all day. I was on three panels, so didn't have much choice in my schedule. At lunch, Reavis Wortham did a great interview with C. J. Box. After a full afternoon and a short break, we had a banquet and were entertained by the visiting authors playing the Match Game.

This morning, there will be a couple more sessions and a farewell lunch before we head out for the long drive home. But it's certainly been worth it. I haven't been to a live writer's conference since before Covid and had forgotten how energizing it is. This one is different than others that I have been to in that it is completely focused on mystery, and there are readers here too.

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Off the Sick List

Hooks and Home Runs

Shakedown!

April 10th, 2023

Yippee-Kiyay!

Way South

Grub, Gab, and Games=Glampers

Rocky Mountain High

Blizzards and Breakdowns

Bullets, Bones, and Poisons

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