Along with the Cold... Comes the Stockings!

Cheryl Finish!

Cheryl Start!

Slightly warmer today, but still cold.  We hit the trail early and planned on a relaxing day of scoring and kicking out the two stockings we sold last night.   We were slightly surprised that the number jumped to 12!   Yeah!    And   uh oh!

13 stockings!

The sudden jump in stockings are a bit of a shock, since we are low on various felt colors, buttons, and thread.   You might think that we could simply buy more... but we have a trip planned to Michigan AND ( more importantly) the money we receive from sales goes into an account that only allows us to access it on weekends.
 Cheryl is forced to do a transfer...wait, then another transfer,  then buy needed items. 
Only to have to wait for them for another week or two ( felt mostly,  buttons usually only takes a couple days.)  Still,  with sales increasing and inventory decreasing,  Scoring a GRE and preparing for a trip to see relatives... The stress begins to bubble up.

An Eagle on the Run today!  

But at least Cheryl can run!  Burning off that extra crazy helps me out as well.   ( Her crazy...not mine!)

Time to move the Grain.

It was almost pleasant out today, once we turned our backs to the wind.   The sun struggled to make an appearance for the majority of the day.  It came out for a few hours in the afternoon, but was then swallowed back up around 4 P.M.

A Satisfying video.

The Harvest continues, though most of the fields have been shaved by now.   Now that the October job is done, the November job of moving the grain to the food plants  and refineries begins.   I still get a kick out of the golden river of corn and soybeans from  the silos.  So cool.

Hope everyone is having a fine week so far.  I must be feeling a little frisky as I write this at 8:00 P.M. after sewing up those stockings.   Perhaps it was the three cups of coffee I consumed today.   That might make sleeping a little difficult later...but ah well...  what are you gonna do?

Finally! A First Frost... That Freely Froze the Fields

Frosty Yard

Frosty Subaru

 Temps dipped below freezing last night... as demonstrated by the windows on Subie.   I had to find the scrappers from the shed and my Bar Mitts for my bike.    The sudden cold snap caught other things by surprise as well.   Namely, the trees!

Glad I put on the Bar Mitts

Green Leaves Down!

The trees have been changing colors over the last few weeks, and losing a few leaves now and then.   But after last night,  it appears that many of the hold outs lost ALL of their leaves at once!  It actually made for some interesting pictures.    The Elm trees on the Corallville Trail and the Ginko Tree in our neighbors yard are such examples.

Another Tree frozen.

The Ginko leaves  fell before turning yellow this year

Other than that,  We were blindsided by a last minute surge of stockings.   12 in all.( up from only 2 this morning!)   We just finished up and Cheryl is currently working on a few customer requests in her spare time.   I guess tomorrow will be another scoring day, so she will have to get ahead as much as she can before then.

Well,  most of them are still green.

We have plans to go to Michigan on Friday.   Hopefully the weather will remain clear and we will have safe driving conditions through Chicago.  Wish us Luck! 

Blindsided weekend Stockings!

Thanks for stopping in,  and make sure you are staying warm...  Unless you live in Florida or something.  Then...  I'm just jealous.

The Cold Has Come.... Er, Came... Um. Arrived?

So much for my clever alliteration. 

It was chilly this morning as we ran/biked.  Last night, around 7 P.M.  Cheryl and I went for a walk in the dark.   The temps with the wind nearly froze our ears off.   As we neared the end, you could clearly see small flakes of snow in the air with the flashlight.

That being said,  we still went out this morning.  Not being used to the cold, I bundled up in my "typical" mid-temp, cold gear.   ( as opposed to my sub-zero, arctic tundra set up)  Even in the cold weather gear, I still managed to freeze! 

Cheryl purchased some new bike leggings for me last Wednesday.   Since bike leggings are designed for skinny, in-shape people...  A person of my age, size, and flabbiness tends to push the stitching to its limits!   So Cheryl buys me a new set every year.  You night say that she should order a larger size.   But I think that is impossible since I this IS the largest size they make.

There are other jokes to be made, But I will stop there.  You get the picture.  I do like the color, though.  And Cheryl informs me that there are several other colors available.  I'll have to check them out.

Last Thursday was the last day Cheryl ran in shorts.  And may just be the last time for the year.   I'm not sure if the weather will warm up any this late in the season.  Once we get acclimated to the temps,  I'm sure it will all be fine.  Until then,  we simply have to make our way with the gear we have.

Note how the Tractor tries to beat Cheryl through the intersection.  

The harvesters took today off;  But last Thursday, it was pretty crazy.   There were lots of tractors and combines on the roads and in the fields.  Sometimes Cheryl tests her courage by trying to run one down.   Although she can look intimidating from time to time,  I think she should give the large farm equipment a little more respect.

So that is all from Wellman, Iowa for the time being.  We continue to sell and sew up a few stockings.  It keeps us busy between scoring gigs and running.  As November hits, I'm sure things will pick up .
 Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the cold with a nice Hot Chocolate...  Or Coffee.   Everyone loves Coffee.   Right?     Thanks for stopping in.

Sehr Windig Tage.

My German is so rusty, I'm sure there is something wrong with that title.    But hey,  It's windy and I have a cat on my keyboard as I type this. 

I just wanted to log in and mention that the snow has not arrived, but the cold temps have.   Along with the gusty wind.  Cheryl did not run today, but we did have to do six stockings and she has to score...  So I have a little free time to blog about nothing.

The overcast skies suggest that the snow/ rain might come late today.   We shall see.  In the mean time, I raked a few leaves into next year's garden site, helped Cheryl with the stockings, and finally began writing a short story.   November is the writers month...but I'm usually too busy with stockings to put forth my best effort.  But short stores are slightly less complicated.

Hope everyone is having a warm and fun day.  My flowers did not like the cold last night.  I see one new bud starting, but otherwise, it may be all done for the year.   Then I will be able to harvest those seeds for next spring.  I can hardly wait!

Cheryl Chills on the Hills....

It was a cold morning this morning.   No frost ( that I could see anyway) But you could see your breath and feel that cold air.   But the sun came out just as we started our run and the warmth it provided was very welcome.  I dare say that it made the cold tolerable.  But that is from my point of view... from a bike.   Another cyclist passed by bundled to the hilt with winter attire.   I understood the gesture. 

Cheryl, on the other hand,  still wears shorts on these runs.  We ran the hills today,  and those usually generate more heat that the flat area.  She noted that the bathrooms will soon be closed, as the colder air threatens the plumbing. 
When they are,  that will signify that the city of Coralville believes it is "cold enough";  AND,  it will mean that Iowa City will not be as convenient as before.   Maybe we will hit the Kewash Trail more often.

In the mean time,   We continue to do the trickle of stockings that come our way.  A few dogs and cats.   Occasionally,  someone will order one of our old designs.   It's all good, but still not enough for all those expenses we have.

 And So Cheryl continues to have to score from home.   I believe she is getting burned out a bit.... as is typical in the scoring world.    Having an endless project while juggling stockings is tough enough.   Most projects have a definite start and end date.  It helps to know where the goal post is at any given time.  But when the move the deadline or randomly schedule you in the middle of your day off...  it can be frustrating.

I also wanted to note that the harvest continues.   Possibly because of the rain and snow that is predicted at the end of the week.   Lots of tractors and grain trucks pulling corn and soybeans to the towers. It makes for some fun driving on the back roads.

But enough of that!  This was simply meant to check into the blog and log the stocking numbers.   This will be good information for next year..  or future year(s).   Thanks for stopping in.

A Hint of Winter...

 Today was one of those days where you begin to consider the possibility of snow.   I was much colder than yesterday, with very high winds this morning.  As I write this,  the wind is howling outside my window.   I like it!  For the most part...   Although it is tough to be outside if you are not dressed for the occasion.

I actually broke out the neoprene tights for my biking adventure this morning.   Cheryl wore shorts, but with the ear covers, gloves and long sleeves that suggest 40 degree temps.  The wind made that number seem colder.   But we soldiered through somehow, and managed to run the complete 7 mile training run.

Today was the day I decided to put away all the "Summer Things"  and prepare for winter.  Seems like a logical conclusion at this time of year.  I took out the air conditioner, raked up some leaves, put the garden hose in the shed, and took down my hummingbird feeders.   I noted that the Cardinal Creeper still is pushing out a flower or two on the vine.
  A blogger from Des Moines still has some Morning Glories.  I was shocked that those flowers are still in bloom.   I have a few marigolds and three small red flowers on the Creeper....but that is all!

Cheryl says snow is coming on Friday... mixed with some rain.   It may be a while before the snow accumulates to signify Winter is truly here, but snow on any day is a very loud herald. I don't even think we have had a killing frost yet!  But Cheryl plans on running through it all.   We have plans...   And those plans require some type of training during the winter months.


Hope everyone is staying warm and cozy on this blustery chilly day.   And enjoy those flowers, if you still have them. I'm sure they will not be around for much longer.

Another Rainy Run. With Eagles and Stockings.

How else are you going to title it?

Five Miles of Hills.

I almost feel like I'm developing a catch phrase.   "Run in the Rain,  Rain Run, Wet Wild and Wainy...."   Something like that.   Similar to McCoy  trying to tell Kirk that the Red Shirt has been killed....again!     (Am I Geeking out with my Star Trek References? )  But how else am I supposed to say it?

In the Rain

And leaves

Try not to slip on the downhill...

Anyhow... after that warm day on Saturday,  a cold front moved in and brought some showers.  Luckily, it was more of a light drizzle/mist and not a downpour.  Cheryl bundled up and we ran the hills in Coralville.  It was one of those cold, breezy peaceful days with lots of other people enjoying the autumn color.

Eagle Taking off.

I have been hoping to see a deer on these runs.   I guess the bucks have not been in a hurry to show off their antlers to the general population yet.   Still,  I try to have my camera in hand in case I get to see an unusual animal sighting.   Like this!

As mentioned briefly before,  the Eagles are coming back.   Rarely do you get a chance to see one up close,  but there was one on a carcass right next to the road.  By the time I realized it was not a turkey vulture,  He was already airborne.  I barely had time to grab the camera and snap away.   A few parting shots were all I could capture.

Today'sgloomy skies

Today was a little drier,  but still cool.   And the stockings have been picking up.   Cheryl continues to work on the custom dogs that occasionally come in.... and score for Pearson and ETS.   She is a trooper. I try to help by messing up the kitchen,  leaving heaps of dirty dishes in the sink,   and give her a massage while she is scoring.  I also get to do the embroidery and button work on the stockings.... and that is kind of a big deal.

Running on Kewash Trail

Do you see the Sumac?

The Autumn colors here pale in comparison to what we took for granted in Michigan.  However,  every now and then you see a splash of color that sticks out and you get to appreciate it better. Like a small candle in a dark cave.     And so it is that I noted these sumac trees with their bright red leaves.   It reminded me of a memory I have about my Dad.

Hint:  It's the RED stuff.

 He was color blind...but  it was difficult to tell unless he told you.  One time, Cheryl and I were walking on the property with him and there was a BRIGHT RED plant of some type.  ( Possibly sumac,  can't remember)  It Stuck out like a beaming lighthouse on a pitch black ocean.  And my Dad could not see it.

4 out of the 12 stockings this weekend. 

See the Custom Doggies?

 I was blown away.   That was the first time I realized just how big of an impact color blindness is.   It was similar to these pictures.   And if you do not see the color contrast...then I feel for you.  Color blindness is really a sad thing.  All those Wonderful colors you miss...Especially in Autumn.   ( And Spring, I guess.)

Hope everyone is having a great week so far.  I guess Monday is not really a gauge for that,  but I wish everyone the best all the same.   Thanks for stopping in.