11-15-10. I hope everyone is doing okay. I know everyone isn’t but that’s a bit of wishful thinking. It was cold and rainy over the weekend. It was in the twenties last night, but has stopped raining. It went back up to 48 degrees this morning. The rainy cold weather makes me ache all over. I took a extra strength Tylenol and rubbed sports cream on my lower back, legs and feet. The sports cream really works for me and it doesn’t stink like some of the rest of the rubs that I can’t stand to smell.
Last week we went to Tipton on Monday, Quad Cities on Wednesday and Muscatine on Thursday. The only person we got to see from the family was Rob. It’s always good to see him. Sharon was working so we didn’t get to see her this time.
I made some Christmas cards using a picture I took during the winter with a male and female Cardinal sitting close to one another in the cedar tree in front of the house with snow on it. I laid the picture on the printer then laid a red envelope on top of it and when I printed it, it has a red border around it and it makes a big card. Then I have some big red envelopes to put them in, so anyhow, I gave one to Rob for him and Sharon and put some pictures in it that I had took. I also put some copies of my news items from the Douglas County Herald. Rob still has a not of pain so he could use some prayers. As usual, we didn’t call Frank Dee to let him know we would be in the Cities, so we missed him again. I called just before we went to his house, but he wasn’t home, so I left a message and we went on over there and left a bag hanging on his door knob which consisted of my homemade Christmas cards for him, one for Harley and wife and one for Jeff and Betty as well. I put some of my pictures in all of them of the flowers and critters I write about all the time. I thought they would enjoy seeing what I write about so much. Next time we go to the Cities I’m going to try to remember to call Frank in plenty of time to so we can see him again. It’s been a long time now. I miss seeing him and joking around with him even if he’s not an angel nor a saint. Rob told us that “Smoky” had a new restaurant in East Moline so we met him there this time. We were at Walt’s house in East Moline and Rob lives in East Moline so it was real handy to meet there. Smoky used to have a big restaurant in Colona, Illinois and we ate there quite a lot and then he closed it, but now has the one in East Moline. It’s smaller and just serves breakfast and lunch, but they’ve still got the good food and you couldn’t ask for a friendlier group of people. They know all the Allisons and we’re giving them a big welcome. Rob had already been eating there so he said, “See, I told you I’d bring some more customers in.” And they said that was really good. We also saw Walt’s grandkids (who live in Bettendorf) grandma on their mother’s side or their maternal grandmother. I didn’t recognize her until Walt told me it was her. I had just met her once at Randi Marie’s graduation party. She seems like a nice lady.
Candi and Jarred gave us their big George Foreman grill because they didn’t use it anymore. Best I remember Mona got that for Christmas one time for all of us to use. It’s still like new, so now we’ve got three different sizes of his grills. We use one of them all the time.
When we went to Muscatine on Thursday they were really busy in the restaurant. We sat close to Lisa’s station where the coffee, water and etc. are so we got to at least see her working. She’s so sweet and you can tell all her customers simply adore her. All the people who work there are nice.
Anita texted me one night and invited us to Thanksgiving dinner, so I hope I get to see all my family. All of us were together on Zoie’s birthday in September and it had been a year. The last time we were all together was on her birthday last year. I think I was sick and couldn’t go Thanksgiving and then at Christmas time I think I was snowed in and they couldn’t come out here. I’m really worried about this winter and no one to plow me out. I sure do dread the first big snow storm we get. The weather is so crazy you never know what it’s going do anymore. Either its crazy or I am or both.
I guess all the critters have went to sleep for the winter, the smaller ones anyway. We are still seeing the turkeys and deer. Even the little chipmunks are gone. Walt was putting a little bowl of food on the porch for it and the food was disappearing so he thought that was what was eating it, but I was watching yesterday and a little shrew came out of a small opening in the porch wall and started to go to the bowl, but I guess it either saw me or heard something that scared it so it went back, so Walt set a trap and caught it. If they get in the house they’re more damaging than mice. We’ve caught them inside in the traps a time or two.
We were going to Tipton today, but I decided to stay home and let him go. On Wednesday we plan to go back to Muscatine, then Thursday we’re going to Davenport and take the car to Lujack’s for an oil change. On Thanksgiving we are going to Muscatine to Anita’s for dinner and then last night Berta called and invited us to dinner the day after Thanksgiving, so I guess we’ll be making three trips in to the Cities this month and at least four trips to Tipton and four trips to Muscatine so we don’t ever get bored. Something about writing makes me sleepy, so I guess while I’m still awake I better say bye, bye, bye for now.
