Saturday in Muscatine. Eagles, Hops, Tomatoes, Cats.

I know it is Sunday...  sometimes I have to wait a day to fully process the blog topic and pictures.  Especially when nothing really huge happens.


Yesterday was our Bi-Weekly Muscatine Visit.   We ran/ biked along the river as normal.   We stopped in at the Kum & Go to get breakfast Pizza and Drinks.    And lastly, we stopped in to Hyvee to gather up Groceries and Cat food.    Typical Boring Uneventful Visit...  The End!

An Early Eagle? 

Possibly a resident...  Cool sighing. 

What?   I can't end a Blog Post after only a few sentences... So now I have to think about the little things I can turn into Mountains....   Well,   The Bald Eagles are back.   At least one!   We spotted him in a tree along the Gazebo area of the trail.   He was flying around but decided to hunker in a tree near by.   Either he is really early, or he never left.   I suppose it is possible that the eagles might stay here year round.   But there are not the dense numbers as there are here in the Winter  Still,  it is always a treat to see them hanging out near the rivers.

Train along the Trail 

It wouldn't be a Muscatine Visit if it did not have a train pass through.   This happens quite frequently, but I usually skip it when I bother to blog about Muscatine.  We used to live near RR tracks and the train would make a huge noise as it passed through.   I remember not being bothered by the noise. ( they are VERY noisy!)  It was kind of like the Fog Horn back in Spring Lake...  A rare atmosphere noise that reminds you of a place in time.   If I had to live near a train, I don't think the sound would bother me that much.

Trump Signs everywhere...

A number of TRUMP flags and posters are popping up.  I did not capture all of the BILLBOARD sized Trump signs on the way to Muscatine...  there are a lot of Trump Fans  in Iowa.  ( except Iowa City...) When we work in Iowa City, you would think EVERYONE hates Trump... But step outside  one mile and you will see a different Iowa.   No 18 X 24 yard signs here... they are on Barns and Wagons and Huge Flags...  Sides of houses and Roof Tops..   That is a lot of Love to be painting your house, barn, or roof in the Trump Logo.    I have not seen hardly any Biden signs yet.   We found one in Riverside... It is now gone.  Iowa City were all Bernie Fans.    With no Bernie,  there is only Burn.  ( Pun intended)

Bio Hazard in the Parking Lot. 

And Another. 

While at HyVee,  I stepped out of my Subaru only to narrowly avoid stepping on a "Used Mask".   I assume it was used, because who would take a perfectly good disposable mask and leave it on the ground without using it first?

And ANOTHER!  Three just in the
distance between car and store.

Ah!   Disposable....

I think they must understand "disposable" as "Throw it anywhere after you are done with it."  Instead to throwing it away in a trash can.  There are so many things wrong with this scene that I could dedicate and entire Blog post on it alone.   It felt like I was about to step on a used Needle or Condom!   A Bio Hazard?   I think so!

I think by Disposable, the don't mean
"Drop Anywhere"  Litter Bug! 

What ever happened to "recycling?"
If Kids can do it, so can adults...
Right? 

I don't want to go all "Karen or Ken" on people, but if you are going to use a mask.. and "attempt" to force me to do the same... Pick Up After Yourself!    There,   Rant complete.

These purple ones are so cool!

4 different types of Tomatoes. 

Tomatoes are coming along.   Cheryl fears that they will all ripen at once, overwhelming us and our small dehydrator.   I have hinted to the neighbors that we might be giving them  our overflow, but we shall see just how many and of what kind.   I still want to dry some and put them on Pizzas.   But every year, we usually end up with so many that that should not be a problem.   In the mean time.. BLT's and Fresh Homemade Sour Dough Bread.

The Hops flowers are forming
Nicely! 

I have been watching a lot of "Hops" videos and Root Bear videos now that we have discovered Carbonation, Fermentation, and Beverage Making at home.   There are a lot of things that go into Root Beer.  I may have to do a lot of experimenting to get the right flavors to come out.  I could cheat and buy the Root Beer Extract and just add water.. but that does not seem like the path I want to explore.    Things are more rewarding if there is a journey and hard work attached...  (But only if you are successful in the end.)  It may be good practice for when I finally harvest the Hops and start that home Brew Beer Project...  I can't wait!

Hiro In the shade...

I did not want to make this political, but it is apparently a slow news day for blogging.  I should end the post with a picture of the Cat.   Hiro enjoys the outside, but with the Huge Shade Tree gone,  he now has to find cover from the sun under the neighbor's car.    This makes him very dusty and he smells like "car exhaust".   Sometimes cats behave just like kids...

Thanks for stopping in.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.