And today we stumbled upon a live Polyphemus moth! Since she was alive, I did not want to kill her, so we picked her up out of the rain and put her safely on the wall under the eaves. I have only seen one other one in Michigan and it fell into one of the trout ponds and faded. Cheryl's sister Julie, will be getting married here soon and we are planning on attending so that means another trip to Michigan. At first we were planning on a three day trip, but Cheryl and I are sick of hotels and really just want to get back home as soon as possible. Also we really should not be wasting much money at this point. It should be fun! And we have been looking forward to it all summer, so perhaps I'll be able to snap a pic here and there and post it one of these days. Hope everyone has a great week!
Showing posts with label kalona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kalona. Show all posts
Monday, August 9, 2010
Hooray for Kalona Library!
Well are we just not the luckiest people ever? It seems the the Kalona library stays open longer and later then its Wellman counterpart. And since we have to pass through Kalona on our way home, we have a couple of opportunities to log on each week before they close. So what has happened this week in Iowa? Well probably not much in the overall scheme of things. I turned 40....I guess that is a big deal. I don't feel any more mature...only older physically. ( aches and pains that is) Cheryl and I have found a renewed vigor in searching the roads for butters that have an unfortunate meeting with a fast moving vehicle. 
And today we stumbled upon a live Polyphemus moth! Since she was alive, I did not want to kill her, so we picked her up out of the rain and put her safely on the wall under the eaves. I have only seen one other one in Michigan and it fell into one of the trout ponds and faded. Cheryl's sister Julie, will be getting married here soon and we are planning on attending so that means another trip to Michigan. At first we were planning on a three day trip, but Cheryl and I are sick of hotels and really just want to get back home as soon as possible. Also we really should not be wasting much money at this point. It should be fun! And we have been looking forward to it all summer, so perhaps I'll be able to snap a pic here and there and post it one of these days. Hope everyone has a great week!
And today we stumbled upon a live Polyphemus moth! Since she was alive, I did not want to kill her, so we picked her up out of the rain and put her safely on the wall under the eaves. I have only seen one other one in Michigan and it fell into one of the trout ponds and faded. Cheryl's sister Julie, will be getting married here soon and we are planning on attending so that means another trip to Michigan. At first we were planning on a three day trip, but Cheryl and I are sick of hotels and really just want to get back home as soon as possible. Also we really should not be wasting much money at this point. It should be fun! And we have been looking forward to it all summer, so perhaps I'll be able to snap a pic here and there and post it one of these days. Hope everyone has a great week!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Could Iowa be ready for Aquaculture?
There I go again....I'm in this state less than a month and I'm thinking "what could my next business venture be here?" Cheryl thinks I'm crazy! And after Oak and Chisel, Allenbrite, Picklejar books, and great lake vending all going the way of the Dodo, I'm thinking I'm crazy as well!
So here is the scoop: There are only a handful of current operating aquaculture facilities here in Iowa according to my latest Google search. Most of them focus on fee fishing or pond stocking operations. None, That I had researched, grow fish for the seafood industry. You could look at it as 'I've moved the the wrong place!' Or you could look at it as 'this is the Perfect place to get something started!' I'm the latter. Thinking that I, with my limited knowledge and business experience could actually make a go of bluegill aquaculture here. 
Oh! Have I mentioned that I'm still broke! Yes! Starting another business with no start up capital! Perhaps this is why Cheryl and I are not as successful with our business ventures. Lack of funding! Anyway, here are the reasons that I think that Iowa in general and Wellman/Kalona specifically, could have the potential to spearhead the bluegill aquaculture industry. These small towns are located near several small rivers and tributaries. ( supply of water) I have also seen several plots of land with small ponds already existing on them. Wellman and Kalona seem to be small towns that, after several years of downsizing, are now back on the rise with new blood, new people, and new ideas ready to grow their small town back to its former glory. In Wellman, there are a number of vacant building s that once were used to grow and produce turkeys! 
When this business folded, it took several families down with it and currently, no one is operating the property. ( a convenient location next to a skilled labor force) So now all I need is MONEY! Money makes life happy and helps grow business like fertilizer to a plant. I also am wondering what the town council would think of my idea and if there is some legal mumbo jumbo that has to take place before we can get the ball rolling.
But first, I have to secure my place here and that means getting back in the black and out of the red with our current job. I have not been blogging lately, but this rant has been building up. I can't wait to get some pictures on the blog because the countryside is very pretty. And a picture is worth 1000 words and are not as challenging to read. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Update! I just found an interesting article on the web about just this subject! And...get this....They got their study fish from IOWA! But they are doing the research in Missouri. Anyway, here is a link to the article.
So here is the scoop: There are only a handful of current operating aquaculture facilities here in Iowa according to my latest Google search. Most of them focus on fee fishing or pond stocking operations. None, That I had researched, grow fish for the seafood industry. You could look at it as 'I've moved the the wrong place!' Or you could look at it as 'this is the Perfect place to get something started!' I'm the latter. Thinking that I, with my limited knowledge and business experience could actually make a go of bluegill aquaculture here. 
Oh! Have I mentioned that I'm still broke! Yes! Starting another business with no start up capital! Perhaps this is why Cheryl and I are not as successful with our business ventures. Lack of funding! Anyway, here are the reasons that I think that Iowa in general and Wellman/Kalona specifically, could have the potential to spearhead the bluegill aquaculture industry. These small towns are located near several small rivers and tributaries. ( supply of water) I have also seen several plots of land with small ponds already existing on them. Wellman and Kalona seem to be small towns that, after several years of downsizing, are now back on the rise with new blood, new people, and new ideas ready to grow their small town back to its former glory. In Wellman, there are a number of vacant building s that once were used to grow and produce turkeys! 
When this business folded, it took several families down with it and currently, no one is operating the property. ( a convenient location next to a skilled labor force) So now all I need is MONEY! Money makes life happy and helps grow business like fertilizer to a plant. I also am wondering what the town council would think of my idea and if there is some legal mumbo jumbo that has to take place before we can get the ball rolling.
But first, I have to secure my place here and that means getting back in the black and out of the red with our current job. I have not been blogging lately, but this rant has been building up. I can't wait to get some pictures on the blog because the countryside is very pretty. And a picture is worth 1000 words and are not as challenging to read. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Update! I just found an interesting article on the web about just this subject! And...get this....They got their study fish from IOWA! But they are doing the research in Missouri. Anyway, here is a link to the article.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Getting a feel for the area on our Anniversary
So Cheryl and I have been checking out the area for the last couple of days. Monday we put an application in for the ACT scoring 
place, but did not get any immediate results. Pearson, however, wants us back for another project in August. YEAH! The Wellman Library is pretty cool for a small town. IT is rather large but still cozy, with computer access and a nominal selection of DVDs and VHS movies you can check out for free! The only bad thing is that it looks like I won't be able to post any pictures from this computer. It is unfortunate because I took several cool ones of Wellman, Kalona, and Washington. These towns
are exactly what I imagine they used as a reference for making Pleasantville. 
Now Cheryl and I didn't have much money to sample the local culture much, but when we do finally get paid on Friday, I'm thinking there are some local cheeses and corn that will have to be sampled! OH! Almost forgot to mention that Cheryl and I have been married 14 years as of the 20th of July. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday we had nothing and were just starting out... Oh wait....that was yesterday! Hehe! P.S. The images on this page are borrowed from the web.
place, but did not get any immediate results. Pearson, however, wants us back for another project in August. YEAH! The Wellman Library is pretty cool for a small town. IT is rather large but still cozy, with computer access and a nominal selection of DVDs and VHS movies you can check out for free! The only bad thing is that it looks like I won't be able to post any pictures from this computer. It is unfortunate because I took several cool ones of Wellman, Kalona, and Washington. These towns
are exactly what I imagine they used as a reference for making Pleasantville. 
Now Cheryl and I didn't have much money to sample the local culture much, but when we do finally get paid on Friday, I'm thinking there are some local cheeses and corn that will have to be sampled! OH! Almost forgot to mention that Cheryl and I have been married 14 years as of the 20th of July. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday we had nothing and were just starting out... Oh wait....that was yesterday! Hehe! P.S. The images on this page are borrowed from the web.
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