Monday, May 21, 2018

More Excitement Than You Can Shake a Stick At!

Hello Everyone. Thank you all for your kind comments, emails, etc. I appreciate all the love you've sent my way. You guys are the best!
I know you're wondering about the construction cones. We had new sidewalks installed, much to my delight. Now I no longer need to risk breaking a hip when my heel catches in the broken walkway. It was messy, noisy, and made for a long week but in the end we have beautiful new walks and I couldn't be happier. The workmen were so nice they made sure to keep my garden covered with tarps and even moved their trucks so I could unload the shopping without having to park far away and drag it home. I wish the landscapers were that attentive. Speaking of the garden...
The plants have nearly doubled in size since I shot that.
 We had a few sunny days between the freezing cold rain, and I took full advantage digging out the brightest pieces of vintage I own.
 I mean, if you're going to wear 60's/70's vintage might as well go for the wildest examples.
I can't remember which thrift store I rescued this from, but it was about a dollar due to a stain on the side of the skirt. Given the wild print, it is impossible to see unless you are looking for it. The hem came down (oops) but I can fix that. I don't mind vintage with a few flaws, particularly at that price.
Bought this shirt in Wisconsin ("America's Dairyland"). It brings me a great deal of joy.
 This shirt with rudely gesturing squirrels also brings me joy.
Gesturing, like so.
Would you look at what I found at Hand-Me-Ups in pristine, unused condition with all the original instructions still tucked inside the thermoses? There's even a plastic container to hold sandwiches, etc. Now we just need some proper picnic weather.
 Have you ever peered up a buffalo's arse? Very interesting!
These were taken at Standing Bear Lake in Omaha. 
This tree with the shelf fungus is marked for removal due to emerald ash borer infestation. Unfortunately, we are seeing quite a bit of this, and it is still the early days of the borer being in Nebraska. We have so many ash trees in our parks that in a few year's time the landscape will look dramatically different without them. 

Danny took me to Iowa for Mother's Day to watch baseball. We stopped at the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter (That's why they called him the "Heater from Van Meter") but it was closed. The hours said it was open but you can't believe everything you read as it was definitely closed. We took some photos outside instead.


We arrived in Des Moines too early to check into our hotel, so we stopped by the Science Museum. 
It was more amusement park than museum, and you'd have to work pretty damn hard to learn anything on your visit. It was like a nursery with children running and screaming everywhere. The exhibits were all interactive, but lacking in explainations, etc. Good enough place to kill an hour, but on the expensive side for an unscientific science museum. 
$20.00  admission to play with Leggo?! I think you can probably guess which one Danny made😁.
We were in Des Moines to see the Cub's AAA team the Iowa Cubs play at Principal Park. It was freezing, raining, and we both came home with severe food poisioning (I'll spare you the details of that) but it was all worth it because after the game Danny got one of the players he likes to sign a ball for him. 
They need to update the mural...this guy isn't playing for the Cubs anymore. I'm wearing two pair of trousers, two shirts, a hoodie, and a ski jacket...and I was still cold. This has been the strangest spring.
In-between the downpours. 
...and during a downpour.
We were behind the netting just to the right of home plate, but balls still managed to go over. I spent a good part of the evening ducking. Having had the experience of being hit in the face with a baseball, I'd rather not do it again. Besides, I'm rather fond of these specs and I wouldn't want them to meet the fate of the last pair that came in contact with a ball.

We took advantage of the hotel pool (heated!) and I tried out the swimsuit I bought in the sales two winters ago but never wore. I love it. For once I have a suit I can swim in without fear of my boobs falling out. Wish I'd tried it sooner-I'd have bought a spare. Everlast make such good gear-they aren't paying me to say that. I've gone through my share of leggings, hoodies, and shorts but the Everlast stand up through washings and wear. Name says it all. Good stuff. Not too expensive either.

 It was all fun and games until I woke up feeling like I was being disembowled. Yeah, I won't elaborate.
 But it was Mother's Day, so I dressed up anyway for the ride home.

We spent a good bit of the ride home in gas stations and rest stops. We also hit severe weather, so it was a bit of a challenging drive. Before leaving, the toilet in our hotel room started (literally) steaming. No, no, not a metaphor-it was broken, and there was boiling water rising from the bowl. Wish I'd realised that before sitting down! Add a burned bum to the memories of my visit to Des Moines. A week later, We're both still recovering from whatever bug we were sickened by, but it got me thinking that it turned out to be a very New Age spa weekend without trying. Got a bowel cleansing and my privates steamed for the effort. I feel like Gweneth Paltrow. It used to be you had to travel in the developing world for this sort of entertainment, now you can just spend a weekend in Iowa for the same experience. I've had dysentery-until last week I would have said nothing could ever be quite as horrible. My biggest fear is that as soon as the food poisioning started to lift the second wave was either some sort of ecoli from the poo(l) or norovirus from the museum full of kids reaching the end of the incubation period. Thanks, Iowa!
Okay, enough of that! Here's a sneak peek at the dress I bought a few months ago for this year's State Fair at the end of August. I couldn't resist trying it out, but now I'm wondering if I should wear it to the Wayne Chicken Show in July, and buy something new for the fair? 
I haven't even started thinking about my hat yet! 
Next time I'll get caught up with some of the interesting things I wore in  April, and what I will be canning/bottling for the fair this year ( strawberry jam, possibly pickled green tomatoes). I hope spring is treating you well. Don't eat at the ballpark, kids. 













11 comments:

Polyester Princess said...

Sorry to hear about your, err, Iowan mishaps, but your Mother's Day outfit is absolutely gorgeous. Love the psychedelic vintage dress at the start of your post. You should see some of things I bring back from Think Twice up close: fallen hems, split seams and minor spots galore! But who cares if it's that cheap? That dress would be perfect for either the State Fair or the Chicken Show and I'd steal that purse from you if you weren't so far away ;-) The science museum sounds like a lot of fun, we do have something similar here, called Technopolis. xxx

Alli Duncan said...

Great to hear about your trip to Iowa and accompanying pictures. So sorry that you were both so ill. I have only had very bad food poisoning once (also on holiday, courtesy of fish from a malfunctioning freezer) and yes, you really do think you are going to die. I loved your fabulous pink 60s outfit and your mothers day ensemble and rude squirrels top were also brilliant. Oh, and the farm outfit - gosh, it all great! Hope you are both completely well now.

Bibi Maizoon said...

I am loving all the outfits from the Lawrence Welk prom dress at the top to the turquoise floral sheath at the bottom of the post. Looks like you had a marvelous Mother's day! I didn't know Everlast was still in business- Champion is another old American brand that still makes great quality clothes. Sorry about the bug, bowel cleansing, & burnt bum- I guess Des Moines has more in common with Delhi than I thought?

Mim said...

Oh golly, I was thinking you'd been quiet - the ilness explains a lot. We always carry remedies for that sort of thing in our travel medical kit but it's not the sort of thing you'd expect in the US. I hope your recovery is going well now.

Your 60s outfit is superb, I love it - the mother's day one a close second. It's ace how you can pull together so many different looks.

bahnwärterin said...

i´m impressed by your garden - lots of diverse veggies and herbs on that tiny spot! and flowers!
oh my - that mothers day trip was a hard one. thank you for reminding me why i do not visit public pools, places with lots of kids in general and why i do not like fastfood..... next time try "sat isabgol" from india - its pure plant and works wonders - we order it from the net, no idea how it works in the US.
your spring outfits make me happy!!!
xxxxx

Beth Waltz said...

Yay! for the brilliant print, and the gloriously "simply fabulous" lavender bag in the currently fashionable 4X size! (However, we understand your relish for the rude squirrels, too.)

Goodness, Goody, did the black cloud that covered the Cubs for a century attach itself to you like some caprine curse?! Tummy troubles are the worst sort of ailment, painful and undignified.

Your garden patch is off to a good start despite the weird weather. I'm just now poking my tomatoes in the pot and pondering where to plant my scarlet runner beans. (Last year they ran amok.)

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

Oh my goodness, you will have good reason to remember your Iowa trip - and a burned bum to boot! You couldn't make it up. I do hope you and Danny are both recovered and back to normal - what ever that is!

Such fabulous outfits you are wearing. I absolutely love the dress you bought for the State Fair. There's something about a print or a pattern at the base of the garment that really sings to me...

I do hope your weather has improved; ours has been beautiful for about a week now. It can't last...

Vix said...

Loving those cones in your top few photos, you look like a piece of surreal art.
Love the psych dress and the flicking the VVVVs squirrel top. The folk outfit is incredibly fab and what a find the Thermos kit was.
Everlast is what all the cool teens are wearing at the moment, you hipster, you! xxx

Sue said...

I am in love with the dress from the state fair, that is gorgeous!!! Swimsuits, I so hear you about escaping boobs! Me and Sue W were doing lane walking in our public pools and we always laughed that our boobs made waves, we called them a 'Titsami', bahahahaha. We laughed while we bobbed about in the water, with no boobs failing out.

Miss Magpie said...

Loving all the outfits even the pink one! I do hope you are both feeling better now, not the kind of momento you want from a trip away...

Goody said...

@Ann
Thank you. The Mother's Day dress is repro from Lindy Bop, and was much nicer than bexpected for the price.

@Alli
We were sick for 2 weeks, so I don't know what hit us, but just as we thought it was better...it wasn't. Hopefully, we are both fully recovered now.

@Bibi
*laughs* yeah, but Des Moines Belly doesn't have the same ring to it !
@Mim
I'm typically careful but the *one time I'm not*. I love the wacky 60's clothes-I can't pull off the normal looking shift dresses.

@Beate
I will look for it-thank you.

@Beth
I'm envious you can grow beans-ours would be either decimated by pests or rotting from the humidity as soon as they formed.
I don't know about curses but that was the sickest I've been in years and it lasted two weeks. I swear, I didn't offend any goats ;)

@Veronica
We are now in a proper heatwave of 100+ degrees F. I rather like it, but everyone zseems to be grumbling about it. No end in sight, so I guess it can wear on you. I'm glad to hear your weather has finally improved.

@Vix
Hipster huh? Where's my damn avocado?!
I just wanted gear that was durable.

@Sue
"Titsami" omg that's too funny! When I run in the pool the "smart" sensor on my Garmin thinks I'm riding a bike. Smart, huh? I think legs can be as bad as boobs in a swimsuit because they either cut into your things or run up your arse. Well, mine anyway ;)

@Miss Magpie
If you like a pink outfit it *must* be good! Thank you.