Camry named car of the year

This is great. It makes me feel really good about our car purchase!
Motortrend car of the year

Talking turkey....

The bird is in the oven right now. I always prepare it the day before, carve it, put in crock pot and cover with chicken broth. It makes for the most wonderfully moist meat on Thanksgiving Day and it is one less headache preparing for the rest of the meal on Thursday. We will have the traditional meal including mashed potatoes, gravy, sage dressing, veggie casseroles and pumpkin pie. Guests will include Matt, Kevin, Katie, Dan, John, Amanda, Lee and Sarah and her friend...can't think of his name. Matt maybe?? :-) Anyway, I'm preparing for 11 people. Happy Thanksgiving Day to daughter Megan and hubby Andy. Wish we could all be together tomorrow. Oh well, we will celebrate Christmas in Phoenix so that helps a great deal! Happy Holidays to all my family and friends.

Painting and cleaning.....

After painting several rooms at Megan and Andy's new home, I decided my old home could use some of that same brightening. I am also cleaning all the carpets. This house is like a Pacific Ocean of carpeting so it is a monumental task. All I have left is the basement and our bedroom, which is more square feet than I already have done!

My walls were mostly white /offwhite so I decided to go a bit darker. I chose "Bamboo" for the main area. It is a deeper tan but in some lighting it does have a hint of pink to it, but not too bad. I like it. Our bedroom was done in "Nacho Chip" which will take some getting used to....at first glance I thought it looked like a baby's diaper after eating too much pureed squash. :-( It is growing on me, though and I am not going to repaint it. :-) At least Mark will have clean carpets and freshly painted walls when I leave to be a granny nanny!

Political humor

Here is a funny YouTube video from the one and only Stephen.
Colbert on the dems win

Humor AND politics are my passion so from time to time I will post what I consider to be classics of both. :-)
P.S. My favorite YouTube videos so far, in no particular order:

Will Ferrel as Bush on Global Warming

Evolution of Dance

Sistah Love

Bea and Rock Turnin' On

Mama's Rap (Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews)

What a difference a day makes!

It is now almost a distant memory that Cyndy and I were sweating on the golf course this past Wednesday. Yesterday winter reared its ugly head and let us know that summer is officially over. Some places in Iowa had 9 inches of the junk. AZ is definitely looking more inviting today......

Iowa golfing in November....a first for me!

Unbelievable is the only way to describe Nov. 8th weather in central Iowa. The clothing we are wearing in the picture came off midway to the first green! Well, not ALL the clothing, but certainly the jackets. :-) I would have given anything to have been in shorts. Never dreamed it would get to nearly mid 80's when I left in the morning.

A school friend had sent me an e-mail telling about 1/2 price golf at Toad Valley near Altoona. I talked to Cyndy, she agreed to go and we were thankful we did! We had a great time in the beautiful November fluke weather. (Tomorrow the forecast contains possible winter storm warnings for Iowa!!) We were paired with two guys about Matt's age and we enjoyed golfing with them. They seemed to "appear" to have felt the same way. They were a bit apprehensive when they cursed after a bad shot,but we assured them that we have heard/said similar expletives while golfing so not to be concerned about that. :-) In fact, it was probably the next shot that I let out an un-lady-like comment! I am sure it was only once, though.........

Today is supposed to still be balmy, 65ish, but as I said it will all come to a screeching halt tomorrow. Oh well, not that long until a Dec. trip to the Valley of the Sun and seeing Megan 8 months pregnant! I am still excited, of course. I have gotten sick of hearing my sisters and brother always being called grandma and grandpa by loving grandchildren. It is time for us to recieve that special love, too!

Well, so much for playing hooky yesterday. Today I go back to painting the walls and if it gets warm enough I will rake leaves from the landscaping and flower beds this afternoon.

Our new purcahse

A new car is not a big deal to most people. But, to the Swanson's it is a very rare deal for sure. In our 32 years of marriage we have had only four cars. The Grand Prix was our last purchase which was nine years ago and 150,000 miles later! I have been researching cars for about a month and have had a yearning for the new Camry Hybrid on the market. Des Moines dealer told me it would be a three month wait for a Hybrid, as they are made only in Japan, shipped over here and sold out the minute they arrive. I was not willing to wait that long as we need it to drive to AZ for the birth of our grandson in January. On a lark yesterday I drove to Ft. Dodge Ford/Toyota dealer and they had the exact one I was wanting. White, fully loaded right up to the heated leather seats that I WON'T need in AZ. :-) I knew it wouldn't sit in the lot very long so they let me drive it back to the farm yesterday to show Mark and let him drive it. We both fell in love with it and bought it this morning. MPG are listed at 38 highway and 40 city, which is where the battery section kicks in the most. I also wanted the Navigation system, as I will be lost in the Valley driving around and know that this will be extremely helpful to us in locating Home Depots, restaurants, Babie R Us, etc. :-) It also has seven airbags virtually protecting everyone riding in the vehicle. Rated one of the safest cars for crashes and whiplash. We are going to try a new strategy of trading every 2-4 years, depending on mileage. The Grand Prix was a great car and caused us not one headache but with this Hybrid I cannot say that I will miss the old red flash!

Back in Iowa.....

I returned to the farm on Wednesday night, Oct. 25. Matt picked me up with my car at the airport and then we drove to his home. I drove in drizzle, cold and rush hour traffic through Omaha. It was quite a slap in the face weather-wise after being in Phoenix and 80+ weather for two weeks. When I leave to be granny nanny I will miss Mark much during the planting season but I will NOT miss Iowa weather. I know many people love Iowa weather, I just happen to not be one of them. :-) I did some shopping yesterday in Ames but other than that I have not been outside since I returned home. Sad....

The pictures show what Iowa looks like right now. Dead is the operative word. Dead flowers, dead tree leaves, dead corn and beans, deadly winds, dying grass. Other than that, it is really nice here. :-)

Catching up......

Since last posting......

Sharon and I hiked up Squaw Peak on Thursday morning. It was most definitely a HIKE! Going to the to top was a real challenge but very invigorating! We were both worried about the treacherous trek going back down but after that uphill battle, going down was a walk along the beach! The view from the top was worth every labored breath we took.

Friday I spent the day painting the guest bedroom while Andy and Megan were at work. That evening we went to a new sports bar in the neighborhood for dinner. That is one very nice thing I notice about being in the city....if you don't feel like cooking a restaurant is a stone's throw away as compared to driving 25-30 miles on the farm in Iowa.

Yesterday Andy's friend from work invited us all to tailgate with them and attend the ASU-Stanford game. The tailgating is quite different from a Hawkeye home game. Not very crowded! Of course, Stanford was 0-6 going in to this game and are now 0-7. I was sweating bullets sitting in the stands....another difference from an Iowa game. :-) We left at the end of the 3rd quarter to go to a sports bar that shows the Iowa games. That was another sad game for the Hawks. Of course, two of their losses are to the number one and number two teams in the nation so I must take that into account when assessing their season. Following that game's end we went to Oregano's for possibly the best bread and pizza I have ever had in my life.

Sunday brought on a walk with the dog and house cleaning. Now Megan and I are going to go to Babies R Us......I must buy "Buck" something at this store. Last night I bought a combo package of about four newborn outfits for him at Target. I am going to like being a grandma. :-) I didn't forget Sox, though, and bought her a package of rubber balls to chew on and toss around!

The pictures on the right are from the Squaw Peak hike, one showing Megan's law firm building to the right of the open-roofed Diamondback's stadium. The water is Tempe Lake right near ASU stadium.

A hike at Sharon's Terravita

Sunday Megan and I went for a hike with sister Sharon at Terravita. The first picture is a view from their home looking at Black Mountain. The house at the top is Goldie and Kurt's home. The second picture is the home of Michael Jordan's mother. The last two pics were from our hike and one of the golf course. It was another beautiful day to hike in AZ. Surprise!

The rest of this week I have been painting. I am making progress and should get most of it finished before I leave on the 25th. If not, I can finish in December when we return for Christmas. We will be here quite awhile when we do come, as we had to make reservations to depart for Phoenix early and the return late due to using frequent flier miles and blackout dates. I hope Andy doesn't get sick of us.....he might. :-(

This morning Sharon is picking me up at 8:30 and we are hiking Squaw Peak. It has been named something more politically correct now, but I cannot recall its new name and I happen to like "Sqauw Peak" so that is what I am going to call it! It is a pretty good climb so should get some much needed exercise today.

before pictures....

Megan and Andy are in the midst of having their backyard torn up to begin contruction of a swimming pool, grassy area for their future son and new trees, landscaping, etc. The area behind the wheel barrow will be the pool location. The area of the BB court and hot tub will all be grass, landscaping. It will be fun to see the new look when we come back in December.....if it is finished by then.

I took Sox for a jog this morning then kenneled her and have been painting since. Just taking a break..... :-) When you are retired it is required that you take several breaks during the day. Actually, not unlike when I worked.....

My travels...

I left home yesterday around 7:30 and drove to Omaha to meet Matt. He took me along for a home appraisal and I got to see what he does for a living. In my second life I want to come back as Matt.....the appraisal took around 30 minutes, he will go back and type it up (perhaps another 30 mintues) and voila, he made some money. Repeat, rinse and more money. I had a great time with him doing this and then we went to the airport for lunch and my early afternoon flight. He will keep my car for these two weeks and thus save me around $140 in parking fees. Thank you son!!

My flight was uneventful and actually arrived early for once. Sister Sharon picked me up at the airport as Megan and Andy were still at work. I met dog Sox for the very first time. She is MUCH bigger than I imagined and her hair is unbelievable....it is a beautiful red and lays in wave upon wave!! I am sure the mix of golden retriever and poodle showing up there. She was very excited to see two new people so Andy had to hold her for a bit. :-)

This morning I rode to work with Andy and Sharon picked me up there and we headed to Pinnacle Peak for a great hike. Up and down and quite vigorous. I have enclosed some pics from this morning's hike and also one of Sox. I am now going to start painting....the main thing I am supposed to be doing here. :-)

Perfect time to go to AZ!!!

I leave tomorrow for two weeks with Andy and Megan. It is supposed to be quite cold here tomorrow, in the 40's, so it will be awesome to go to Phoenix where it is upper 80's. Ahhhhhh!!!

I am going to help them with some painting projects they have left and after that I will play with their dog Sox, hike and golf with sister Sharon when time permits. Sounds like a great two weeks to me. :-) My first priority WILL be the painting, though, since that is why they are flying me out there. :-)

Mark finished harvesting beans last Sunday. It is always a good thing to get a crop out of the field. He had some problems with his old combine and had to spend quite a few bucks, but it is much cheaper than buying a big new rig! Hopefully he will start corn this week and have no break downs.....

Well, I am off to do some packing. Tanks and shorts are my top priority.......

Colors of fall in Iowa

Cyndy and I met at Honey Creek for 18 holes of golf today. It was another beauty, near 90, sunny and the course was awash in fall hues. The pics should give an idea of the beauty of the back nine at Honey Creek. I had a birdie, 2 pars and the rest were....a bit more than that. :-) Great day though. After golf we went to the local Mexican restaurant for lunch.

Mark is busy combining his beans. Our local elevator has been "condemned so it is awfully slow to haul the wagons to town and unload where they are hoping will work. A mess, quite frankly! Oh well, whatever it takes to get these crops out of these fields.

The Harvester Golf Outing

Yesterday Mark, Cyndy and I drove to The Harvester Golf course for an 11:20 tee time. The course is absolutely beautiful! It is a difficult course and presented many challenges but its beauty was breathtaking. This was a result of a retirement gift from all my co-workers. We received a gift card for two green fees and $50 to spend at the course bar and grill. We spent every penny of it. :-) Also, the course photography asked if he could follow us a few holes and take pictures which would be worth a $20 gift card. We said YES and we used all of that gift card also. What a super fun and super free day of golf in all its glory. The weather was fantastic and perfect for golf. The pics are of the course and a pic of Mark and Cyndy with the Harvester Lake behind them. Fore!!!!!

yup....she's gonna have a baby!!!

waiting for a name........

Our first grandchild will be entering this world around the end of January. Until they officially name him, I am calling him Buck. :-) Matt thinks that is a good "football player" name but I don't think Megan and Andy agree with this choice! We will have to wait and see what he will be named. They found out on September 12th they were haveing a son and called us while on our way to the Clay County Fair with Rick and Maureen.

Our first cruise

Over spring break 2006 Mark and I took our very first cruise. It WILL NOT be our last, however. It was just awesome. We went with my sister Sharon and brother-in-law Arne.
We departed from Ft. Lauderdale and visited Key West, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Cozumel. I have included some photo highlights!

ahh....retirement!!!

Cyndy and I got sick of the computer work for awhile and decided to head to Dayton Golf and Country Club for a bit of----golf! It was absolutely gorgeous out there. No breeze, sunny, cool but not cold. It was actually the best golfing weather that I recall. Not that my game knew that, but we had a great time anyway. Cyndy easily broke 90 and I BARELY broke 100 but it was great fun none the less!! If I could wish one thing for myself it would be a better golf game, but like I said, great fun none the less. We are planning a tee time at Harvester Golf Course for next Tuesday, thanks to my great co-workers at Ogden. Cyndy is going to join us. Should be a great time, weather permitting at this time of the year. FORE!!!!!!!!!!

Cool and windy

My good friend Cyndy came today to pick up her brand new iMac and I showed her some basics of how to use it, etc. It will take her some time to get used to it but we all know how user friendly our Macs are!! We had hoped to go golfing but it was only in the 50's with a stiff wind bending the flag poles too far for us to really enjoy an outing. Instead we played with our Mac computers.

Mark found someone today to take ALL our cats off our hands. This was a blessing....for the cats! We are going to be gone too much to care for them so a new home was in order. Our apologies to all the Kalkwarf great grandchildren that seemed to enjoy these felines more than I did!

Here's a picture of me and my siblings after mom's funeral on September 5th. I think it is a really good picture of us all.