Friday, November 30, 2012
Snug as a Bug
Okay. So, we are firmly ensconced in our incredible (Lovely word, incredible. Aptly describes our home here in North Dakota - beyond credibility) home away from home. I am still holding my breath that there has been some mistake and a knock on the door will take it all away...
But, John is already settled in at the hospital and full-time staff is so comfortable with his work - after just a few days! - that they're taking vacation days to get in some Christmas shopping. He was on call Tuesday night, too. That's so cool to me - that they trust him so completely. He's that kinda guy! I'm so proud of him!
We've done some verbal research with acquaintances about things to do here in the winter. We're on the North Dakota / Minnesota state line with a river as the dividing line. Apparently there is park land on either side of the river with 30 miles of maintained trails for folks to cross-country ski on, and I understand that there is at least one ski shop that will rent me snow skis. (I gotta be crazy!)
We've also discovered that the Dairy Queen on the corner sells Orange Julius'. I LOVE Orange Julius', and cattywompus from the Dairy Queen is Wal-Mart and Sam's. Directly across the street from us is a Dollar Tree and across the street from THAT is the mall with Macy's, Sears, J.C. Penney and all the usual mall stores.
We brought the little Christmas tree we bought in Virginia, but we will need to buy ornaments. We're getting quite a little collection because of Christmas' in Hawaii and Virginia - and now North Dakota.
We went across the river into Minnesota last weekend and saw the movie, "Lincoln." This weekend we think we'll go see the new James Bond film, "Skyfall." The theater is pretty neat because the seats are like padded rocking chairs with reclining backs.
The River Theater is also directly across the street from Cabela's. We dropped in there for a quick look-see and found hi-tech snowshoes for $110, sleeping bags that keep you warm down to -40 degrees for $349 (on sale for $190), and a tent with a wood-burning stove in the center for only about $2,000. (Guess if that knock on the door ever comes we could stay in a tent... Please God, no-o-o-o-o!)
North Dakota weather?
Nov 22nd - Thanksgiving Day - 26 degrees with a windchill of 12. Blizzard conditions with ice pellets. By 5 o'clock the wind chill was 1 degree.
Nov 23rd - Snowing
Nov 24th - Snowing hard :)
Nov 25th - Snowing. By 8 p.m. it was 6 degrees with a windchill of -7
One of the locals asked what I would do when winter gets here. Winter? THIS isn't winter? Ah, no. Winter is when the high is -20 for two straight weeks with a 40 mph wind which make the windchill - ah, I don't even want to know what that factor comes to!!
But, John is already settled in at the hospital and full-time staff is so comfortable with his work - after just a few days! - that they're taking vacation days to get in some Christmas shopping. He was on call Tuesday night, too. That's so cool to me - that they trust him so completely. He's that kinda guy! I'm so proud of him!
We've done some verbal research with acquaintances about things to do here in the winter. We're on the North Dakota / Minnesota state line with a river as the dividing line. Apparently there is park land on either side of the river with 30 miles of maintained trails for folks to cross-country ski on, and I understand that there is at least one ski shop that will rent me snow skis. (I gotta be crazy!)
We've also discovered that the Dairy Queen on the corner sells Orange Julius'. I LOVE Orange Julius', and cattywompus from the Dairy Queen is Wal-Mart and Sam's. Directly across the street from us is a Dollar Tree and across the street from THAT is the mall with Macy's, Sears, J.C. Penney and all the usual mall stores.
We brought the little Christmas tree we bought in Virginia, but we will need to buy ornaments. We're getting quite a little collection because of Christmas' in Hawaii and Virginia - and now North Dakota.
We went across the river into Minnesota last weekend and saw the movie, "Lincoln." This weekend we think we'll go see the new James Bond film, "Skyfall." The theater is pretty neat because the seats are like padded rocking chairs with reclining backs.
The River Theater is also directly across the street from Cabela's. We dropped in there for a quick look-see and found hi-tech snowshoes for $110, sleeping bags that keep you warm down to -40 degrees for $349 (on sale for $190), and a tent with a wood-burning stove in the center for only about $2,000. (Guess if that knock on the door ever comes we could stay in a tent... Please God, no-o-o-o-o!)
North Dakota weather?
Nov 22nd - Thanksgiving Day - 26 degrees with a windchill of 12. Blizzard conditions with ice pellets. By 5 o'clock the wind chill was 1 degree.
Nov 23rd - Snowing
Nov 24th - Snowing hard :)
Nov 25th - Snowing. By 8 p.m. it was 6 degrees with a windchill of -7
One of the locals asked what I would do when winter gets here. Winter? THIS isn't winter? Ah, no. Winter is when the high is -20 for two straight weeks with a 40 mph wind which make the windchill - ah, I don't even want to know what that factor comes to!!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
NASCAR !!
Ah! I forgot to tell you about the free NASCAR tickets!
Just as I was finishing up one of our school bus routes the Transportation Director comes on the radio and asks if anyone wants some last minute free tickets. I wait a few minutes, and not hearing anyone else speak up, I say, "Well, yeah!"
Now, we've never been to a NASCAR race before, but you should know by now that I never pass up an opportunity for a new experience! I calculate the likely "yes's" I might get from our family and ask for that many tickets.
The long and the short of it is, John, his brother, and his 27-year-old nephew, Henry, made the races.
The last thing Angie said to us when she handed us the tickets was, "Buy earplugs." Wise words, very, very wise words!
John took his other camera to the races - and left that camera in Texas, so I have no photos to share with you :(
Just as I was finishing up one of our school bus routes the Transportation Director comes on the radio and asks if anyone wants some last minute free tickets. I wait a few minutes, and not hearing anyone else speak up, I say, "Well, yeah!"
Now, we've never been to a NASCAR race before, but you should know by now that I never pass up an opportunity for a new experience! I calculate the likely "yes's" I might get from our family and ask for that many tickets.
The long and the short of it is, John, his brother, and his 27-year-old nephew, Henry, made the races.
The last thing Angie said to us when she handed us the tickets was, "Buy earplugs." Wise words, very, very wise words!
John took his other camera to the races - and left that camera in Texas, so I have no photos to share with you :(
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
That's Granma: School Bus Driver!
New Chapel Hill Independent School District
GO DAWGS!!
(That's Texan for "dogs")
It all started for me a few years back when one of the local school districts was on the evening news saying that they didn't have enough school bus drivers and, therefore, the drivers they DID have were having to do double routes. They would drive their regular routes, go back to the bus pen, get on a different bus, and run that route, too. Students were getting home sometimes a couple of hours later than their regular time. Always the helpful one, I said to myself, I can drive a bus...
I drive long buses and short buses...
old buses and new buses.
Actually, I'm kind of carrying on an old family tradition. John's father drove a school bus, and John put himself through college driving a school bus. I think it's a fun thing to do - and a helpful thing to do. So, between John's traveler contracts, I work as a substitute bus driver which means I drive every day, but I don't have one particular route. I drive all of the buses on all of the routes. Angie just tells me what time and what bus, and I'm good to go.
Sometimes there are three students to a seat - maybe 80 students?
Or a Special Needs bus may only have four students.
I drive ALLLLLLLLL the buses !!
And here in Grand Forks, North Dakota, we went to the theater to see "Lincoln," and what to my wondering eyes appears? An add in the previews for school bus drivers! I guess they are in need all across the nation! But, alas, I don't have a North Dakota license, and we only have one car so someone would have to walk to work - in -40 degree weather? I don't think so...
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Transportation to the Territories
The federal government and the railroads worked together to connect the East coast to the West coast. Wagon trains were good - but very susceptible to weather and Indian attacks, etc. The railroads took care of most of that, could carry cargo for homesteaders and saloons and trading posts, and settlers didn't have to walk 3,000 miles in order to save the livestock for pulling the wagons.
So the federal government gave land grants to almost every railroad I'VE ever heard of being built in America! The railroads then used the land as collateral to borrow money to buy rails and trains and to hire construction crews. The Federal government also gave every other "section" of land to homesteaders.
A "section," according the our Public Land Survey System, is equal to one square mile and contains 640 acres. By 1832, 40 acres became the smallest area that could be acquired. After the Civil War, former slaves, forever freed in America by the 13th Amendment, were given a quarter-quarter section and a mule, hence the phrase "40 acres and a mule." Have you ever heard someone say "out on the back 40?" Same source: a quarter-quarter section of land. Frontier surveyors sometimes (often) had a shaky grasp of mathematics and had to work feverishly to keep up with land-rushers. Also, dividing up the "section" of 640 acres was much, much easier than any other quantity.
But, back to the railroads...
For the Dakotas, the success of the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern railroads was due to the abundant agriculture and fast settlement of the Red River Valley along the Minnesota state line between 1871 and 1890. Major development of the Dakota Territory took place during these years.
The Great Northern BOUGHT its land from the federal government, operated offices in Germany and the Scandinavian countries to promote and resell its lands, and brought European settlers over at low cost. I've heard, "Build it and they will come." Guess the Great Northern believed in it!
Now, there was competition between the railroad moguls. This battle was a blessing to the soon to be state of North Dakota. As they battled to control access, nearly 500 miles of new track and more than 50 new town sites were created in just a single year. Many of the towns were never settled though and later abandoned completely - but not from lack of trying by the Great Northern and Soo Line railroads...
Lest you get too romantic about train travel back then, think about no heat or air conditioning, open windows (if there were windows at all), and soot and cinders, sand and dirt blowing in on you. There was no restaurant car so you had to pack your food. (At least in a wagon train you could stop and cook up something - and shoot some game TO cook!) And I suppose they had a "chamber pot" somewhere if you had to go, but I can't imagine a lady with all those skirts trying to use one on a rocking, tossing, bumping train... Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it all!
So the federal government gave land grants to almost every railroad I'VE ever heard of being built in America! The railroads then used the land as collateral to borrow money to buy rails and trains and to hire construction crews. The Federal government also gave every other "section" of land to homesteaders.
A "section," according the our Public Land Survey System, is equal to one square mile and contains 640 acres. By 1832, 40 acres became the smallest area that could be acquired. After the Civil War, former slaves, forever freed in America by the 13th Amendment, were given a quarter-quarter section and a mule, hence the phrase "40 acres and a mule." Have you ever heard someone say "out on the back 40?" Same source: a quarter-quarter section of land. Frontier surveyors sometimes (often) had a shaky grasp of mathematics and had to work feverishly to keep up with land-rushers. Also, dividing up the "section" of 640 acres was much, much easier than any other quantity.
But, back to the railroads...
For the Dakotas, the success of the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern railroads was due to the abundant agriculture and fast settlement of the Red River Valley along the Minnesota state line between 1871 and 1890. Major development of the Dakota Territory took place during these years.
The Great Northern BOUGHT its land from the federal government, operated offices in Germany and the Scandinavian countries to promote and resell its lands, and brought European settlers over at low cost. I've heard, "Build it and they will come." Guess the Great Northern believed in it!
Now, there was competition between the railroad moguls. This battle was a blessing to the soon to be state of North Dakota. As they battled to control access, nearly 500 miles of new track and more than 50 new town sites were created in just a single year. Many of the towns were never settled though and later abandoned completely - but not from lack of trying by the Great Northern and Soo Line railroads...
Lest you get too romantic about train travel back then, think about no heat or air conditioning, open windows (if there were windows at all), and soot and cinders, sand and dirt blowing in on you. There was no restaurant car so you had to pack your food. (At least in a wagon train you could stop and cook up something - and shoot some game TO cook!) And I suppose they had a "chamber pot" somewhere if you had to go, but I can't imagine a lady with all those skirts trying to use one on a rocking, tossing, bumping train... Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it all!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Ah, But Is North Dakota REALLY A State??
According to 82-year-old Grand Forks history teacher, John Rolczynski, no. A single word was left out of North Dakota's 1889 constitution which puts it in non-compliance with the United States Constitution and, therefore, North Dakota cannot be a state. Territory, yes; state, no.
It was widely reported last year across the nation - and even internationally - that, after a seventeen year quest, Rolczynski finally got a U.S. Congressman to take him seriously, and the people of North Dakota were to vote on amending its constitution to fix the problem last month.
What's so very interesting is that last month some North Dakotan's submitted a petition to the White House to SECEDE from the Union. (Someone should make up their minds here...)
Now, if Rolczynski is right, and no vote was put on the ballot, I'm guessin' secession isn't necessary, huh?
According to Elizabeth Chuck of MSNBC.com, before teaching, Rolczynski served in the U.S. Air Force — one of his trainers was Charles Lindbergh, he said — and took political science classes because of his father's wish for him to be a lawyer. Rolczysnki ended up getting a degree in Spanish, French, and social sciences, and later learned Russian. He told the Grand Forks Herald he credits his attention to detail to the skills he learned as a Russian linguist in the Air Force in the 1950s.
Seems a pretty credible guy to me...
It was widely reported last year across the nation - and even internationally - that, after a seventeen year quest, Rolczynski finally got a U.S. Congressman to take him seriously, and the people of North Dakota were to vote on amending its constitution to fix the problem last month.
What's so very interesting is that last month some North Dakotan's submitted a petition to the White House to SECEDE from the Union. (Someone should make up their minds here...)
Now, if Rolczynski is right, and no vote was put on the ballot, I'm guessin' secession isn't necessary, huh?
According to Elizabeth Chuck of MSNBC.com, before teaching, Rolczynski served in the U.S. Air Force — one of his trainers was Charles Lindbergh, he said — and took political science classes because of his father's wish for him to be a lawyer. Rolczysnki ended up getting a degree in Spanish, French, and social sciences, and later learned Russian. He told the Grand Forks Herald he credits his attention to detail to the skills he learned as a Russian linguist in the Air Force in the 1950s.
Seems a pretty credible guy to me...
Sunday, November 25, 2012
A Little History of North Dakota
Of course there were the Native Americans first: Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Sioux, and Chippewa, to name a few. The Mandan tribe, also known as the "White Indians," was perhaps of the greatest importance to future settlement by Europeans.
Oral history says that the Mandan ancestors climbed up the roots of grapevine from deep in the earth.
Some say La Verendrye was the first European to visit the Dakota area; others hold to an account of a Welsh man, Madog Owain, born at Dolwyddelan castle, coming to this area in the twelfth century. (c. 1170 AD). (That's over 300 years before Christopher Columbus!) He apparently landed on the Gulf coast and came up through the Mississippi River valley. I'm thinkin' he and his men turned west onto the Missouri and ended up with the Mandans. In support of this account, some point to the unusually light skin coloring, hair coloring, hazel, blue or grey eyes, Welsh words and sentence structure in the Mandan language, and the use of implements such as coracles (skin covered boats) just as are used today in Wales.
La Verendrye visited the Mandan around 1738 and was much impressed by their level of development. The permanent locations of the Mandan villages and the Mandan's friendliness with the Europeans aided in limited trade with Europeans throughout the remainder of the 1700's. As they say in real estate, location, location, location... The location of the villages at the northern end of the Missouri River gave the nearest portage to the Hudson River basis and, therefore, the quickest access to European traders (mostly French and British.)
By the mid-1700's the Mandan had settled nine villages in what is now south central North Dakota on the Heart River. On the banks of the Missouri River, the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the Mandan in 1804, and here Sacagawea became a part of the quest for a northwest passage. According to the Expedition, the Mandan's tribe numbered about 1,250 when Lewis and Clark were with them.
Between 1804 and 1837, an epidemic of smallpox and cholera broke out, and the Mandan's tribe was reduced to about 150 persons. These diseases were inadvertently brought to Native Americas (but sometimes intentionally) by Europeans. The Mandan had always been friends of the white man (Europeans), but not after watching their tribe decimated by white man's plagues. They joined with the Hidatsa in 1845 when they moved from Knife River to the Forth Berthold trading post. Subsequently, in 1870, a reservation was set aside for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara in that area.
When Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 it extended from New Orleans north to the Canadian border along about the western border of today's Montana. HUGE piece of land!!
In 1812, when Louisiana became a state, the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase became known as the Missouri Territory. Other states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota were eventually carved out, and by 1861 the Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska Territories came into being.
Following the Civil War, in 1889, North Dakota gained statehood along with South Dakota, Montana, and Washington.
Hmmm. What else was happening in 1889? Well, the Johnstown Flood, killing thousands, was the biggest news story of the year. The ever fun, always fascinating Oklahoma Land Rush, the first edition of the Washington Post was printed,and little noticed (but certainly recorded) was the melting of the Greenland ice. That seems to happen (according to the geological record) every 150 years or so. (I've always wondered why everyone was getting all het up about "global warming." Greenland didn't get it's name because it was always a white sheet of ice, for goodness sake!)
And so now we have our 39th state, North Dakota!
Oral history says that the Mandan ancestors climbed up the roots of grapevine from deep in the earth.
Some say La Verendrye was the first European to visit the Dakota area; others hold to an account of a Welsh man, Madog Owain, born at Dolwyddelan castle, coming to this area in the twelfth century. (c. 1170 AD). (That's over 300 years before Christopher Columbus!) He apparently landed on the Gulf coast and came up through the Mississippi River valley. I'm thinkin' he and his men turned west onto the Missouri and ended up with the Mandans. In support of this account, some point to the unusually light skin coloring, hair coloring, hazel, blue or grey eyes, Welsh words and sentence structure in the Mandan language, and the use of implements such as coracles (skin covered boats) just as are used today in Wales.
La Verendrye visited the Mandan around 1738 and was much impressed by their level of development. The permanent locations of the Mandan villages and the Mandan's friendliness with the Europeans aided in limited trade with Europeans throughout the remainder of the 1700's. As they say in real estate, location, location, location... The location of the villages at the northern end of the Missouri River gave the nearest portage to the Hudson River basis and, therefore, the quickest access to European traders (mostly French and British.)
By the mid-1700's the Mandan had settled nine villages in what is now south central North Dakota on the Heart River. On the banks of the Missouri River, the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the Mandan in 1804, and here Sacagawea became a part of the quest for a northwest passage. According to the Expedition, the Mandan's tribe numbered about 1,250 when Lewis and Clark were with them.
Between 1804 and 1837, an epidemic of smallpox and cholera broke out, and the Mandan's tribe was reduced to about 150 persons. These diseases were inadvertently brought to Native Americas (but sometimes intentionally) by Europeans. The Mandan had always been friends of the white man (Europeans), but not after watching their tribe decimated by white man's plagues. They joined with the Hidatsa in 1845 when they moved from Knife River to the Forth Berthold trading post. Subsequently, in 1870, a reservation was set aside for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara in that area.
When Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 it extended from New Orleans north to the Canadian border along about the western border of today's Montana. HUGE piece of land!!
 |
| Attribution required (Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY 2.5) |
In 1812, when Louisiana became a state, the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase became known as the Missouri Territory. Other states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota were eventually carved out, and by 1861 the Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska Territories came into being.
 |
| Attribution required (Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY 2.5) |
Following the Civil War, in 1889, North Dakota gained statehood along with South Dakota, Montana, and Washington.
Hmmm. What else was happening in 1889? Well, the Johnstown Flood, killing thousands, was the biggest news story of the year. The ever fun, always fascinating Oklahoma Land Rush, the first edition of the Washington Post was printed,and little noticed (but certainly recorded) was the melting of the Greenland ice. That seems to happen (according to the geological record) every 150 years or so. (I've always wondered why everyone was getting all het up about "global warming." Greenland didn't get it's name because it was always a white sheet of ice, for goodness sake!)
And so now we have our 39th state, North Dakota!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Our Grand Forks Home
Yea! We have another winner!
I called everyone on Craig's List and everyone on UNDerground and in the newspaper and phone book. I was getting desperate, so I began explaining the whole 13-week-medical-traveler help-me-out thing. One guy said, hmmm, he had an idea, but would have to check it out with his siblings.
Turns out, they had just bought their momma a brand new quadplex in a retirement community, and she up and had a kidney infection that ultimately put her in a nursing home permanently. That was over a year ago and the house has been vacant since - with all of her furnishing left in it. So, they chatted amongst themselves and decided to let us live in it for the 13 weeks.
Two car garage (no worries over frozen engine blocks!), ceramic top stove, oven, microwave, washer/dryer, refrigerator, garbage disposal...
TWO full bathrooms, brand new queen size bed, two bedrooms and an office, leather recliner and easy chair with a ottoman, carpet throughout. And there's a fireplace that opens on both sides between the office and living room ...
AND YOU TURN THE FIRE ON BY FLIPPING A LIGHT SWITCH!! It's all ADA construction, open floor plan, with a ton of windows - double pane with honeycomb shades for insulation. They said the average utility cost in the dead of winter should be $130-150 a month. 1,600 sq ft., 9 foot ceilings. The retirement association even clears the driveways and roads with sno-blowers, which is good because we're getting a forecast of snow again for the third day in a row.
I called everyone on Craig's List and everyone on UNDerground and in the newspaper and phone book. I was getting desperate, so I began explaining the whole 13-week-medical-traveler help-me-out thing. One guy said, hmmm, he had an idea, but would have to check it out with his siblings.
Turns out, they had just bought their momma a brand new quadplex in a retirement community, and she up and had a kidney infection that ultimately put her in a nursing home permanently. That was over a year ago and the house has been vacant since - with all of her furnishing left in it. So, they chatted amongst themselves and decided to let us live in it for the 13 weeks.
Two car garage (no worries over frozen engine blocks!), ceramic top stove, oven, microwave, washer/dryer, refrigerator, garbage disposal...
TWO full bathrooms, brand new queen size bed, two bedrooms and an office, leather recliner and easy chair with a ottoman, carpet throughout. And there's a fireplace that opens on both sides between the office and living room ...
AND YOU TURN THE FIRE ON BY FLIPPING A LIGHT SWITCH!! It's all ADA construction, open floor plan, with a ton of windows - double pane with honeycomb shades for insulation. They said the average utility cost in the dead of winter should be $130-150 a month. 1,600 sq ft., 9 foot ceilings. The retirement association even clears the driveways and roads with sno-blowers, which is good because we're getting a forecast of snow again for the third day in a row.
Only 12 more weeks to go!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Texas to the Dakota's
What trip ever starts on time? The plan was to be on the road by 9 a.m.; we made it at 10:45. Expecting 26 hours overall to get from Tyler to just short of the Canadian border.
Friday night we had reservations in Wichita, Kansas. Texas to Kansas in the first (short) day; that's not too bad. After seven hours of driving our sweet ol' van had used just 1/2 tank of gas! 474 miles on 16 gallons - 29 mpg. That'll work! Especially for a vehicle with 211,000 miles on it!!
Before noon Saturday we were north of Salina, Kansas on Interstate 35. We've never been here before, so we are in "uncharted territory" (for us.) Waa-hoo!
We passed Delphos, Kansas. We all know that Abraham Lincoln didn't have a beard when he was elected president, but he grew one after receiving a letter from a little girl saying she thought he'd look better with one. That little girl, back in 1860, lived in Delphos, Kansas. It is also famous for the UFO crop circle that appeared there in 1971.
We also crossed the Nebraska state line before noon. John thinks we've picked up a tailwind which bodes well for the gas mileage!
We stopped for Chinese for lunch. My fortune cookie said:
About 3:30 we crossed the Missouri River:
into Iowa and will follow the river up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the night.
John really likes his Jazz music - and I lose patience with it pretty quickly - so I took a bit of a nap. When I woke up, I said that I must have missed most of Iowa. John said, no, because he hadn't seen any potatoes yet. Silly, says I, you haven't seen any potatoes because they're all in IDAHO! LOL!
We pass a long caravan of "chipper" trucks:
We wonder if they were on the way to the New York area to help with the cleanup of Superstorm Sandy.
By 4:30 we had been driving 7 1/2 hours, covered 410 miles and used just a tad over half a tank of gas. We cross into South Dakota.
Around 7 p.m. we pull into the hotel in Sioux Falls, S.D.; should make Great Falls, N.D. in about six hours tomorrow.
Filling the gas tank is number one for Sunday. We pay $3.39 a gallon for 83% octane fuel with no ethanol. I'm thinkin' we can't even BUY ethanol-free fuel in Texas. With ethanol, the price was $3.19 and 87% octane. Why the difference in octane? I exchange text messages with our sons.
One says, "Everything here (Texas) has ethanol. It's bad for engines, but government requires it."
Which government? Federal? If yes, North Dakota is breaking the law. If it's the Texas government, why would oil-rich Texas demand ethanol be added? The corn lobby of West Texas?
Do any of my blog readers have any light to shed on the subject?
Before noon on Sunday we cross over the lowest continental divide either of us ever saw: 1,106 foot elevation. A divide designates where rain drops go. No, really! If it falls on the east side it goes to the Atlantic Ocean or down the Missouri and Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. If it falls on the west side of the divide that rain drop finds it's way to the Pacific. Most often the divide is at the top of a mountain 10,000 feet high. Poor ol' North Dakota rain drops are not gonna have much help from gravity in finding it's way to the ocean...
I notice that ponds (in Texas we call them "tanks") are beginning to show icy patches on the surface and snow accumulation around the edges.
Woohoo! Only 138 miles to "home." Temperature at 1 p.m. is 44 degrees with a wind chill of 39. Sunsets will be coming at 4:47; sunrises at about a quarter to 8.
We pull into the Sleep Inn at a few minutes to 2 p.m. Plenty of time to get checked in, find the hospital so we know how to get there tomorrow morning, grab a bite to eat and get a good nights rest. I'll spend Monday trying to find us a "permanent" home here in Grand Forks!
Friday night we had reservations in Wichita, Kansas. Texas to Kansas in the first (short) day; that's not too bad. After seven hours of driving our sweet ol' van had used just 1/2 tank of gas! 474 miles on 16 gallons - 29 mpg. That'll work! Especially for a vehicle with 211,000 miles on it!!
Before noon Saturday we were north of Salina, Kansas on Interstate 35. We've never been here before, so we are in "uncharted territory" (for us.) Waa-hoo!
We passed Delphos, Kansas. We all know that Abraham Lincoln didn't have a beard when he was elected president, but he grew one after receiving a letter from a little girl saying she thought he'd look better with one. That little girl, back in 1860, lived in Delphos, Kansas. It is also famous for the UFO crop circle that appeared there in 1971.
We also crossed the Nebraska state line before noon. John thinks we've picked up a tailwind which bodes well for the gas mileage!
We stopped for Chinese for lunch. My fortune cookie said:
Yuppers!!!
Yea! Paychecks are goooood!
Yea! Paychecks are goooood!
About 3:30 we crossed the Missouri River:
into Iowa and will follow the river up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the night.
John really likes his Jazz music - and I lose patience with it pretty quickly - so I took a bit of a nap. When I woke up, I said that I must have missed most of Iowa. John said, no, because he hadn't seen any potatoes yet. Silly, says I, you haven't seen any potatoes because they're all in IDAHO! LOL!
We pass a long caravan of "chipper" trucks:
We wonder if they were on the way to the New York area to help with the cleanup of Superstorm Sandy.
By 4:30 we had been driving 7 1/2 hours, covered 410 miles and used just a tad over half a tank of gas. We cross into South Dakota.
Around 7 p.m. we pull into the hotel in Sioux Falls, S.D.; should make Great Falls, N.D. in about six hours tomorrow.
Filling the gas tank is number one for Sunday. We pay $3.39 a gallon for 83% octane fuel with no ethanol. I'm thinkin' we can't even BUY ethanol-free fuel in Texas. With ethanol, the price was $3.19 and 87% octane. Why the difference in octane? I exchange text messages with our sons.
One says, "Everything here (Texas) has ethanol. It's bad for engines, but government requires it."
Which government? Federal? If yes, North Dakota is breaking the law. If it's the Texas government, why would oil-rich Texas demand ethanol be added? The corn lobby of West Texas?
Do any of my blog readers have any light to shed on the subject?
Before noon on Sunday we cross over the lowest continental divide either of us ever saw: 1,106 foot elevation. A divide designates where rain drops go. No, really! If it falls on the east side it goes to the Atlantic Ocean or down the Missouri and Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. If it falls on the west side of the divide that rain drop finds it's way to the Pacific. Most often the divide is at the top of a mountain 10,000 feet high. Poor ol' North Dakota rain drops are not gonna have much help from gravity in finding it's way to the ocean...
I notice that ponds (in Texas we call them "tanks") are beginning to show icy patches on the surface and snow accumulation around the edges.
Woohoo! Only 138 miles to "home." Temperature at 1 p.m. is 44 degrees with a wind chill of 39. Sunsets will be coming at 4:47; sunrises at about a quarter to 8.
We pull into the Sleep Inn at a few minutes to 2 p.m. Plenty of time to get checked in, find the hospital so we know how to get there tomorrow morning, grab a bite to eat and get a good nights rest. I'll spend Monday trying to find us a "permanent" home here in Grand Forks!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
On Our Way Out Of Town...
Since we had to jog over to Dallas on our way to North Dakota(h), we coordinated with our daughter-in-law to stop long enough for grandchild hugs. They met us in a Wal-Mart parking lot (God bless Wal-Mart) with smiles and "hearts."
Kristin kept her multitudes occupied while waiting for us to arrive by having them make hearts for us to take with us. This is one of the reasons all of the grandchildren LOVE to have Kristin go on vacations with us because she always has a happy plan to fill those "Are we there yet?" hours.
While they were focused on their little projects, Kristin was busy making us a "roadmap" envelope...
to hold a traveler's Thanksgiving card:
Even her lil' Thomas, a friend she keeps during the day, made us a bit of his heart to carry along!
Precious times. Precious times.
While they were focused on their little projects, Kristin was busy making us a "roadmap" envelope...
to hold a traveler's Thanksgiving card:
Even her lil' Thomas, a friend she keeps during the day, made us a bit of his heart to carry along!
Precious times. Precious times.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE !!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
And the Winner is .... Grand Forks, North Dakota !!
Maui, Gettysburg, Chicago, 'Frisco, Waco, Texas... The list goes on and on for locations interested in a traveling cardiac echo tech, and John's resume was submitted to all of them by the several agencies he works with. (I know. I know. Terminal prepositions are terminal!) with which he works. (There. Feel better?)
After three months of lounging around our land in Texas, Grand Forks, North Dakota (Da-ko-tah, as one billboard put it on our way up here. Don't miss the "h" on the end.) is our new home - for 13 weeks - or more.
We got the verbal contract offer on a Thursday morning, signed the paperwork that evening, I drove my Special Needs school bus route Friday morning, we loaded the car, hit the road and spent the night in Kansas. By mid-afternoon Sunday we were in a Grand Forks hotel researching long term housing options.
Housing options are slim when most places want a MINIMUM six month lease. We will only contract for the length of our contract - even though more often than not they are extended upwards of a year. I always believe someone out there will understand that we are just coming to their community to try and help out the folks.
I call nearly every hotel in "the book," explain our situation, and finally find one - Sleep Inn - that will work with us short-term and, if need be, long-term. GREAT place, and a take charge, decision-making Kenny is THE MAN!
John shows up at the hospital Monday morning 8 a.m., begins the paperwork / ID badge routine, gets the layout of the hospital and a schedule for Tuesday. Whew! It's been a fast few days!
After three months of lounging around our land in Texas, Grand Forks, North Dakota (Da-ko-tah, as one billboard put it on our way up here. Don't miss the "h" on the end.) is our new home - for 13 weeks - or more.
We got the verbal contract offer on a Thursday morning, signed the paperwork that evening, I drove my Special Needs school bus route Friday morning, we loaded the car, hit the road and spent the night in Kansas. By mid-afternoon Sunday we were in a Grand Forks hotel researching long term housing options.
Housing options are slim when most places want a MINIMUM six month lease. We will only contract for the length of our contract - even though more often than not they are extended upwards of a year. I always believe someone out there will understand that we are just coming to their community to try and help out the folks.
I call nearly every hotel in "the book," explain our situation, and finally find one - Sleep Inn - that will work with us short-term and, if need be, long-term. GREAT place, and a take charge, decision-making Kenny is THE MAN!
John shows up at the hospital Monday morning 8 a.m., begins the paperwork / ID badge routine, gets the layout of the hospital and a schedule for Tuesday. Whew! It's been a fast few days!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
UN Ban On PRIVATE Gun Ownership World Wide - Including Texas?
I'M not saying this ... I'm just reporting what Reuters News Service has published...
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Not since the days of slavery have there been so many people who feel entitled to what other people have produced as there are in the modern welfare state, whether in Western Europe or on this side of the Atlantic.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Texas To Secede From the United States?
WE THE PEOPLE website
We petition the Obama administration to:
Peacefully grant the State of Texas to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.
The US continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government's neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending. The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it's citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.
Created: Nov 09, 2012
President Obama waves to the crowd on election night. (Photo By Chris Carlson, AP)
States with citizens filing include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Oddly, folks from Georgia have filed twice. Even stranger, several of the petitions come from states that went for President Barack Obama.
The petitions are short and to the point. For example, a petition from the Volunteer State reads: "Peacefully grant the State of Tennessee to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government." Of all the petitions, Texas has the most signatures so far, with more than 23,000.
Of course, this is mostly a
symbolic gesture. The odds of the American government granting any state
permission to go its own way are on par with winning the lottery while
getting hit by a meteor while seeing Bigfoot while finding gluten-free
pizza that tastes like the real thing.
An article from WKRC
quotes a University of Louisville political science professor who
explained that these petitions aren't uncommon. Similar petitions were
filed following the 2004 and 2008 elections. Still, should the petitions
garner 25,000 signatures in a month, they will require an official
response from the Obama administration.
From the We the People site:
The right to petition your government is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. We the People provides a new way to petition the Obama Administration to take action on a range of important issues facing our country. We created We the People because we want to hear from you. If a petition gets enough support, White House staff will review it, ensure it's sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response.
Not everybody who wants to secede
is polite enough to write a petition. Peter Morrison, treasurer of the
Hardin County (Texas) Republican Party, wrote a post-election newsletter in which he urges the Lone Star State to leave the Union.
"We must contest every single inch of ground and delay the baby-murdering, tax-raising socialists at every opportunity. But in due time, the maggots will have eaten every morsel of flesh off of the rotting corpse of the Republic, and therein lies our opportunity... Why should Vermont and Texas live under the same government? Let each go her own way in peace, sign a free trade agreement among the states and we can avoid this gut-wrenching spectacle every four years."
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Sunday, November 11, 2012
Lunch Time!!
Mmmm. Time for lunch I think!
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Saturday, November 10, 2012
The Harvest?
The Harvest. Well, what there is of it.
In years past we've been able to pick summer vegetables all the way into December here in Texas. Year before last we had the terrible drought, so that explains the bad crop that year. This year, the rains were pretty good and the temperatures pretty normal, but still a bad garden, so who knows. I truly believe the biggest gamblers on the planet are the farmers!
And we had vegetables growing in the strangest of places - pastures and in the middle of the lawn, for goodness sake!
 |
| Miss Eliana and one of her friends, Mixy the cat. |
And we had vegetables growing in the strangest of places - pastures and in the middle of the lawn, for goodness sake!
 |
| Pasture Cucumber |
But we got some pecans for pretty much the first time ever! With shelled pecans going for $7 or $8 a pound, I feel like I'm holding gold !!
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Friday, November 9, 2012
Harvest Festival
Each year the churches here host a Harvest Festival. It's to allow the children to enjoy the fun part of Halloween in a safe and secure way. This year Granpa volunteered to help out and ended up manning the cotton candy machine.
No, that's not cobwebs on his shirt, it's cotton candy. For hours Granpa stood there with cotton candy flying everywhere in the wind as he tried to spin it and bag it. He was brave -- and even sweeter than usual!!
No, that's not cobwebs on his shirt, it's cotton candy. For hours Granpa stood there with cotton candy flying everywhere in the wind as he tried to spin it and bag it. He was brave -- and even sweeter than usual!!
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Thursday, November 8, 2012
New Baby !
A couple of Christmas' ago I knitted and crocheted afghans, ponchos and snow hats for the youngest grandchildren and a nephew. Well, we just added to the family, so I got to make a tiny poncho and snow hat for that lil' critter, too!
How small is it, really? Well, the gold one is for a five-year-old...
But it seems to have fit perfectly!
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD, COLE!
We love you!!
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012
An American President
I want all Americans to go get their most recent paycheck stub. Now, get some tape and tape it to your bedroom mirror (the kitchen refrigerator is too public.) Now, highlight the amount taken out for FICA, Social Security and Medicare. Total those numbers.
Six months from now, in May, take a May, 2013 paycheck and do the same thing.
Now, subtract today's total Federal tax deductions from the total deductions in May.
How's it look?
Let me know.
Six months from now, in May, take a May, 2013 paycheck and do the same thing.
Now, subtract today's total Federal tax deductions from the total deductions in May.
How's it look?
Let me know.
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