It’s lonely at the top... I took this photo in the last couple of years of the Polk County Courthouse in downtown Bolivar, Missouri. I’ve always thought the statue of Lady justice on top appeared unusually large. In fact, she is about thirteen feet tall (six feet shorter than the Statue of Freedom that tops the U.S. Capitol) and was placed on the building when it opened in 1907, according to the local news paper. The statue is hollow and is supported by an 8-inch by 8-inch oa

Missouri... Where the weather is so messed up that they give it names and then track it like paparazzi stalking a celebrity in Rehab! Let's see there are Flood Warnings, Thunderstorm Warnings, Lightning Warnings and maybe any other adventure they can throw at us this week. We Got This! 🤣 Laughing & Rolling Along... Nana

As I was out on the road one day, I ran across this driveway gate. I had noticed it several times before but I finally stopped to get a picture with my camera. Pigs With Wings. The phrase "pigs might fly" or "pigs may fly" has been used in various forms since 1600's, when it was said that "pigs fly with their tails forward," used as a sarcastic remark something overly optimistic. The form "when pigs fly" is more common in the USA. Pig’s can’t fly! It’s impossible, which is pr

At birth, we board the train and meet our parents, and we believe they will always travel by our side. As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of your life. However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone. Others will step down over time and leave a us to ride. This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations,

My backyard has become a jungle full of broken trees, over grown and out of control. The wildlife is getting along fine. However, with all the rain I may now be classified as a rainforest too. Storms has brought in destruction to several trees and many have been bent to an unfamiliar sight. One good thing is I might be able to put up one of those little signs that says natural habitat. 😃 With the state of things it is an overwhelming adventure I am reluctant to start purchas

What is the most ordered food when people generally step-in to restaurants or stop by any eatery? The answer in unison would undoubtedly be in... Noodles of some sort! But, how many of us actually order spaghetti instead of noodles? And how many of us still think that the long, thin, solid, cylindrical noodle is actually not a noodle but a noodle pasta? And that it is certainly not a Chinese cuisine but an Italian one! Our family loves us some Spaghetti. In fact our brood usu

You wake up, without the prompting of an alarm, and survey the vast expanse of the weekend coming forth. “Saturdays are the best days,” you think to yourself, deciding to stay in bed a little longer. Or perhaps it’s the joy of sleeping in yet again, indulgent and serene, that prompts you to think, “Ah yes, this is it — Sunday is the highlight of every week.” Maybe you’re a Friday-loving sociopath. It doesn’t matter. You’re wrong... All of those days are fine, but they’re not

Tax Time! There I was computing my taxes this year and found that I owed... $3407. (Not really but just for an example) I packaged up my payment and included this letter: Dear IRS: Enclosed is my current Tax Return & payment. Please take note of the attached article from the USA Today newspaper. In the article, you will see that the Pentagon is paying $171.50 for hammers and NASA has paid $600.00 for a toilet seat. Please find enclosed four toilet seats (value $2400) and si

In honor of "Mom" Deviled eggs have always been a favorite with my family. Mom made the best simple "Deviled Eggs!" Here's how she taught me... Start with 12 eggs, boiled and peeled 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 4 tablespoons yellow mustard 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar Paprika (To sprinkle on top) Like Mom and contrary to what many people say, I think adding the eggs to boiling, salted water, makes them easier to peel. Always have eggs at room temperat

Today is a special post... My dear daughter... 43 years have passed from the day I first held you in my arms. It’s been an exhilarating journey being your mom. Today, You are everything that I had wished I could be while I was raising you. Everything I was striving to be. And now, I get to watch you as a wonderful wife & mother and person I hoped you would become. I am so proud to be your Mother and I am sure your Father is looking down upon you with a smile on his face too.

We had Good Friday & then Easter. "Good Friday has been, for centuries now, the heart of the Christian message because it is through the death of Jesus Christ that we Christians believe that we have been forgiven of our sins," Here's a more detailed look at what happened on Good Friday: The Crucifixion: Jesus, after being arrested and condemned by Jewish religious leaders, was sentenced to crucifixion by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Public Humiliation and Suffering: J

When I was a little girl, I was a swimming fool. The city pool was a block from our house. First of all, I think they had to drain it every week and refill it with water they piped in from the South Pole. You’d think with so many that were sharing this cold crammed packed water we would have all gotten a horrible disease like typhoid fever, leprosy or at the very least, Polio, but the water was either too cold to sustain microbial life or nobody could ever stay in long enough

I think about my adventures a few years ago. I took a walk through a cemetery with my family. I noticed there were headstones dating back to the early 20th century, and I read many of the inscriptions. As I did so, it occurred to me that most of the gravestones said little, other than the length of his or her life, about the person buried there. I wish my gravestone could be different. The mark I leave on this world may be smaller than a gnat, but I want anyone reading my

What does a car have four of but a motorcycle only two? Sure, tires! However, the similarities end pretty much there. If one of your automobile tires goes flat, you can ease over to the road's shoulder and replace it with your spare. The motorcyclist has no such luxury. In fact in "my case" it is much of a you're stuck until someone comes to get the bike. So this is why I've gone to carting a jack and portable air compressor with me. If the rear tires on your car wore out two

An interesting tidbit for today... Records show that in 1626 Thomas Johnson established an apothecary business in central London and it was here, on April 10, 1633, that he put on sale a strange, new exotic fruit that came to be known as a banana. To scientists, Thomas Johnson is known as “the father of British field botany”. Johnson could not have imagined it, but to the delight of millions of children & adults the day would eventually come when this fruit would be cut lengt

The weather cooled down so I wish I could enjoyed just sitting by the fireplace but going upstairs had gotten more difficult. I am determined to do a DIY stair climbing chair. I am missing my recliner couch and big TV, better kitchen & bath. Just watching the flames flicker can be so relaxing: I guess staring at flickering light awakens the inner caveman/woman - and it has been said that it causes a person's blood pressure to drop. In fact research from anthropologist from t

Stuck in rush-hour traffic, I couldn’t help but stare when a biker wearing sun glasses pulled up next to me on a shocking pink Harley Davidson. My first thoughts were, “Is that really a pink Harley? I wonder if he’s…” Just then the traffic cleared and he pulled in front of me. On the back of his helmet were stenciled the words “Yes it is. No I’m not.” 😅 Which windshield wiper blade always quits first? That’s right—the driver’s side. This once happened to me one day while dri

After time on the road, I finally made it back home in March from my Snowbird Winter Vacation . I have not gotten to see my daughter, SIL and grandson on the way through Springfield, Missouri. I must have heard the expression “There is no place like home” a thousand times and to be honest there is a lot of truth behind this sentence. When I travel I want to travel forever. But every adventure ends at some point. And therefore I often look forward to coming home again. Over

I rode into town a few years ago to eat breakfast. As I got off my motorcycle a woman walk out of the restaurant and started asking questions about the motorcycle. She like many felt confused as to why anyone chose a motorcycle instead of the comforts of a automobile. What she did not know or understand is that motorcycle riding is beneficial for physical as well as mental and emotional health. Riding is a great way to enjoy physical exercise like lifting your leg just to get