Spring has sprung !

Well so much for me staying on top of this blog ! I'm not going to post all of my 365 pictures here. They are on my slide that I have posted to the right. If you click on it you will be re-directed to my flickr site and can see them all plus more there.
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First I want to say hi Chris ! I'm so glad you have a computer at home now. We miss you at work ! Chris was one of the great receptionist where I work. She retired and is greatly missed. I loved all our funny stories we used to share. It's just not the same without you, know what I mean. (wink-wink ) ____________________________________________________________________
Today is a new day, my flowers are starting to pop up and the grass is turning green, hallelujah ! I love the Spring it seems to refresh our spirits and get us out of the gloomy stage that winter put us in. I have seen bluebirds, robins, red-winged black birds and lots of grackles. A sure sign that Spring is here. I bought a bluebird feeder now I have to get some bluebird houses made so I can keep the beauty in my yard.

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Updates on me - shoulder is coming along good. I can lift my arm all the way up and out but I'm still having trouble getting it to touch my back with a twist in it :) Women you know we need this motion ! Think about it. OK now you can stop trying this and read on. My Dr. let me take a picture of my x-ray. Yeah it's kinda weird looking at the anchors in my arm but what about that zipper. Do you remember when your parents told you to" zip it !" I'm still laughing when I look at this. I had a shirt on that zipped and the technician told me to zip it all the way up so it wouldn't mess up the x-ray. Well there it is, looks like I have a zippered neck.
___________________________________________________________________ I joined back at Weight Watchers and have lost 9.8 # these past 3 weeks. Wow, it is hard to stay focused on the weekends. Any tips ? I have started a walk at lunch date with a good friend every Tuesday. That's a start i guess ! Also my former supervisor Deb and I have set up a lunch date once a month for catch up ! We chose Chinese last month and believe it or not I chose healthy !! Deb is a great motivator, she is always telling me I'm doing great and have got such ambition ! Thanks Deb , that means a lot. Oh yeah did I mention she is an entrepreneur ! She designed and invented dining stones. They come in different color and stone choices. Here's an example of the blackberry color. They are great !! check them out here. http://www.diningstones.com/about.html If you order tell her you heard about it on my blog !
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Rick has been out of town for a week. This has given me a break from housework & cooking. I literally come home from work , eat a bowl of Special K or salad, do a little yard work , then curl up on the couch. I have only had to do one load of laundry ! Woo-hoo, I was needing a little R & R. But I do miss him when he's gone. He's in Reno for work and I'm sure some play. He calls every night telling me how much he won or lost at the casino. He said he has some really good pictures for me , I can't wait to see them but then again , it will probably mean that once I do , he will have to take me out there !
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We're going to be going to the Turkey & Deer Expo in Wisconsin next month and also get a visit in with my Aunt Sue and my cousins. That should be a lot of fun and a great time for some pictures !
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Speaking of visiting family members. I will be going back to Tennessee in May to see my family there. My dad has almost finished making me a boat for my prop collection. It will go along with this set up. I have been buying all kinds of goodies lately. I have got to stay out of Hobby Lobby ! Bunnies, greenery, a mirrored sheet of plexiglass and much more. Now all I need is a kid to put in the boat with a fishing pole and I'm all set ! Rick and I built a dock from an old pallet. To buy the boat and dock form a prop dealer or even EBay was going to cost over $400.00 yep, that's not a typo !

I've worked on a couple more self portraits that's actually more fun than serious. I'm very inspired by this couple. ( http://nacedesign.com/blog/ )

Dreams Come True One Step At a Time

When going through life and traveling in the direction of your dreams, the best way to get ahead is the simplest way: Take it one step at a time. Don't look over your shoulder; if you do, you'll feel the weight of all your yesterdays upon you. And don't worry about what lies ahead. By the time you get to the bend in the road or the crest of the hill, you're going to be better and stronger than you ever were before. Just go a step at a time, one day at a time. And you'll find a rich, thankful life you never thought you could afford. ~A. Rogers

Catch Up Day

It is definitely time for me to sit down and do a little catch up.

I'm back to work and loving ever minute of it ....yeah right. I am glad to be back in interaction with people. Sitting at home for 2 months was really making me go nuts. My shoulder is healing well and still the therapy is a little tough. I can at least get fully dressed alone, eat with my right hand and almost use the curling iron again ! BUT the most important thing is I can get my camera up to my eye with both hands now. It did look a bit challenging using only my left hand to take pictures.

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I took an adventure after my Dr.'s appointment on Friday. Vern (from work) has been telling me about this covered bridge not far from Burlington. It's in the town of Oquawka ( Gladstone township) SO I decided it was time to go on a road trip. I goggled it to get the coordinates and plugged that into my Garmin and away I went. It amazes me how accurate that little piece of technology is. I will take a trip back here in the Spring and Fall as I'm sure it will be more beautiful then. For now this is what you get.

This is looking into the bridge. Ah the first thing I saw was the writing, I can't believe that people destroy historical sites by writing graffiti ! The sign at the top of the bridge was funny to me but you know back in the day a $5.00 fine was a weeks worth of work.
Historical Henderson County Bridge. If you research this you will find it has the names of Allaman and Eames. I pulled this from the Quill Newspaper archives. It is long but worth the read to get to know a little history of the bridge.

The Allaman Bridge
John Allaman's great grandfather Jacob Allaman, moved here at age 46, from Thompsontown, Pennsylvania in 1857.
The railroad went from Pennsylvania to Gladstone which back then was called "Sagetown." Many traveled looking for new opportunity, as there was a recession in Pennsylvania.
Jacob heard that some people had moved here and reported back of the cheap land, and good crops. So, Jacob being a farmer, a bridge builder and a carpenter, packed up his bags, his wife Sarah, and their several children and came.
With him, he brought the tools and patterns to build what was and is, after its second construction, known as the Henderson Covered Bridge.
Jacob had built at least three other covered bridges in Pennsylvania.
The story of the well-known "Allaman" or Henderson Covered Bridge, John Allaman knows well. It's a cherished story he doesn't mind retelling.
The first bridge over Henderson Creek, between Gladstone and Oquawka, had been demolished when a storm washed it out. It was the only means of travel from Gladstone to Oquawka.
The Henderson County Board asked for bids for a covered bridge, because they last a lot longer so joints and the wood didn't rot from the rain.
Jacob was the successful bidder and he built the bridge work in 1866. Oquawka had a big sawmill and the pine logs used for the main beams, came from Minnesota.
They were cut during Winter and in the Spring after snow melted, they were floated down streams to the Mississippi River.
They tied a whole bunch of them into a huge raft. Two steam boats guided it down the river as they hit the various lumber yard/saw mills.
"Oquawka had a big supply and Jacob oversaw the proper sawing at the mill," John said.
After they were all cut into proper size and shapes he needed, in late summer they hauled them by team and wagon, down to the area where the bridge was to be built.
When the stream was low in the fall, they assembled it across the creek with a crew of 5 or 6 men.
The bridge is of Burr Arch construction named after Theodore Burr who developed and patented the design.
The total cost of carpenter work on this bridge was $2,125.00.
The stone abutment on each end were purchased and placed on a separate bid from a stone mason.
"According to Jacob's ledgers, the 6 carpenters on his crew were paid $1.00 per day when he was working, no overtime or extra benefits or health insurance, but still they put in long days and were glad for a job.
"Jacob stayed in Oquawka rather than ride clear back by horseback to his Rozetta farm. He had bought a 40 acre farm for a homestead at first, just west of the cemetery, their home is now pasture land owned by descendent, brother Charles Allaman."
"Jacob died in 1868, two years after the bridge was completed at age 67, probably of a heart attack. He had a contract to build another covered bridge by Keithsburg.
The forms Jacob used to build the bridge had been stored overhead in the barn on the Charles Allaman farm, until they were used again on reconstruction after the flood of 1982 destroyed it.
The forms were again used for its reconstruction and are now stored on the John Allaman property.
"The Allaman Bridge" carried traffic until 1934 when the new highway was built between Oquawka and Gladstone. In 1935, the state acquired the bridge from Henderson County and has since developed a very attractive rest area around it.
The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in February of 1975.
In July of 1982, a flood washed the bridge from its abutments. Members of the Historical Society and Illinois Department of Transportation salvaged the bridge. The bridge was taken apart and new white pine beams were custom sawed by a mill in Wyoming to replace the cracked or rotted ones. They were then cut to shape using Jacob's original templates which remain in the Allaman possession.
From July through September of 1984, the bridge was reassembled and placed across Henderson Creek in its original location.
A dedication ceremony was held Sept. 29, as part of the Henderson County Heritage Trail Festival.
IDOT won the U.S. Dept. of Transportation Biennial Award for Historic Preservation and cultural Enhancement for their work on the project.
It is two miles south of Oquawka, along Route 164, and is one of only 5 covered bridges remaining in Illinois.

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The pictures below are of my 365 project. One picture for every day of the year. To read descriptions about each picture you can click on the 365 project on the top of this page( right hand corner) This will take you to my Flickr page which will also allow you to view more of my pictures.

N0w today we are once we woke up to a white ground. Yes it is still winter in Iowa ! Clod, white blowing snow and since I don't drive in this crap I will see what I can come up with for my 365 picture today. I'm going to stay in curled up with a good book and sip on hot chocolate. Sounds good, huh ?

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Here are a few of the shots from my latest photo shoot. A friend of mine (Toni) works at Gandy Law Office in Fairfield and called me to take shots for their website.

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Rick and Louie participated in a coyote contest and won 3rd place. #rd doesn't sound like much but it was $132.00 each, this paid their entry fee back and put a little money in their pocket too. This is a yearly thing the two of them do and they enjoy it. Of course it takes a couple days to get over all the walking and driving that they put in. They start out at 5:30 am and don't get done for the night until around 8:00pm. Yep they are tired pups by that time. (no pun intended) Here's what won them the money !! Not for people with weak stomachs

Done for now, I will get my schedule in order and post weekly. Have a great day !

Maggie & more

I started my physical therapy or should I say torture. While waiting for my appointment, I had plenty of time to spare so my brother & his wife brought my photogenic niece over for some "fun with photos". Maggie was such fun to shoot ! She enjoyed sitting on Nannies floor getting all girly ! You can see her whole photo session by clicking on Maggie & more.

Now it's time for me to catch you up on my 365 project.
You have to keep an open mind and remember that I'm still stuck without driving so, some of my shots are from inside my humble abode. Unless it is therapy day and I get out.

This first one was taken while I was at moms waiting on Maggie to arrive. Mom has so many birds all throughout the year.This cardinal was enjoying the corn.
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A gift I received from a very nice lady from work. Helen knows exactly how to lighten someones spirits ! This tin was packed full of goodies !!
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Here's another therapy day. Blowing snow and 65 mph down the road, off we go ! Lori is a pretty good driver but man was I a nervous wreck. Oh yeah and her car has heated seats !! She was nice and turned mine on before she picked me up-needless to say when the control is on the right hand side and for now I have no right hand - I had a warm tush by the time we got to my house !
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Beautiful sunrise shining on the snow. I caught it just as it peeked around the tree.

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A light bulb without electricity? It is called light painting. I set up the tripod, turned my camera to bulb mode, hit the remote switch and started flashing a flashlight on the bulb. Wa-la !

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On the way to the grocery store I snapped this picture. To the eye this house it so empty and cold, but I'm sure it has warm memories.

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Pests! They are still here! I was told they eat fleas, do fleas survive in the winter too??

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Lights, camera, action ! I named this picture "look up".

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Hey, hey, I wanna be a rock star ! After Lori and I got back to the house from therapy- we had some rock star fun. The bad thing was the temperature- 24 !! We might have taken more if it was warmer. I'm already thinking up a plan for next week.

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Change has happened ! Jan.09 history was made.

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OK I always wanted to walk barefoot in the snow......I did ! Well I didn't walk, I only slipped my shoes off for two steps-it was a little cold.

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Now if you can think of any good ideas for me to take pictures of for my 365 project let me know. Here's a list that was compiled on another blog -http://365photosin2009.wordpress.com/theme-list/

It sounds good but being inside some are hard.

Keep your eyes open -I'm going to do "baby belly " photos of my niece soon.

Look 'Em

Boy do I have some good southern humor to tell you.

I was giving Rick a break from cooking supper ( he has been taking care of me since surgery ) so I decided I wanted a good southern meal. I was going to make soup beans, ( pinto beans) cornbread and green onions. That sounded so good and he was looking forward to it to. Well in order to proceed I needed his help. ( again, I only have a left hand for now ) He was in the kitchen to cutting up deer meat for jerky so I asked him to open the bag and pour some out on the counter. He asked , why are you doing that? I then told him I had to look 'em. Look 'em he said in a weird tone. Yes look 'em ! Now he says he's never had soup beans until he met me but of course he also gets a shopping cart when he goes to Wal-Mart! Not anymore now we get a buggy !! I'm trying to teach him some proper southern talk and he ain't gettin' it to easy. Anyway back to the bean story. I told him you have to look 'em to get out the bad beans, rocks, corn, etc. Laughing he said , that's a new one on me then turned around and said he had to look his deer meat - smarty pants ! I got the beans looked and soaked and we had our delicious southern meal the next night.

Shoulder update- First let me say ouch ! My brother took me to my appointment Thursday and the Dr. took off part of my robotic immobilizer. I now just have the padded sling on and begin therapy Monday - tomorrow ! Still no driving, which is the toughest part but at least I get time to blog ! I bet you're wondering - A) if she can't drive how is she getting to therapy and B) how in the heck is she typing all of this !

A- that's where my mom, siblings,boyfriend and my buddy Bill are going to come onto the picture. Now Bill has no clue he is going to help out but he told me not long after surgery if I needed a ride or anything to call him - well Bill pick up your phone I need a ride home on Thursdays !! :)

My therapy will be 3 days a week for 3 weeks then I go back to the Dr. for a check up then on to more intense therapy of strength training. Yes I'm going to have strength in my right arm again-'bout time !

B) typing -I am getting pretty dang good left handed. I told someone the other day that my writing looks like I went from Kindergarten to 4th grade :)

365 project - My picture a day for every single day of the year is going pretty good. When you sit inside all day there's not a whole lot you can shoot so you will notice one picture is of mu ah :)

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Snow - My boyfriends mom keeps sending me pictures of the tons of snow they are getting - I told her to keep that crap up there ! We haven't had to much here and that's the way I like it. Being a southern gal, I don't drive when it's white out. By the way thanks MaryAnn for being my first blog-follower !

Marine in the family -My nephew graduated boot camp and is now a Marine -woo-hoo !! Way to go Trevor. This is a picture from his graduation in San Diego. Picture taken by Gina.

Photo shoot tomorrow at moms. Yes one handed !! Since I have to catch a ride to work with Rick then, a pick up from mom, then hang out at moms until my 2:45 appointment - I thought why not ! Maggie is coming over for a fun day of picture taking and getting all prissy. I will post those pictures next week. Until then from my PC to yours - ta-ta !