Long Lost Relatives

My Mom had to move into a nursing home last month, as it turns she has cousin living at the same place that she had not seen in forty years. Visiting with Ivan I found out a little family history, two Oliver brothers, Otto and Herman there were more I am sure, lived just across the valley the from each other. Otto, my grandfather had five children, Herman his brother had eight, my mother and Ivan were born one year and day apart, Ivan being the older. When my mother was born, Herman had another son on the same day, needed help on the farm big families were common in those days. In visiting with Ivan he told me would help out Ott and Ella, my grandparents, because their children were still to young to help out much on the farm. He would go and cultivate the corn for Otto. Ivan and my mother are in their nineties now, Ivan is still pretty spry at his age. He told me when the staff is short on help they will recruit him to push around other residents that are in wheelchairs. I told him that is a good thing, he can push my mother around if needed. Getting acquainted with Ivan I would stop by and visit with him, and now when I call my mom I ask if she has seen Ivan and to tell him" hi "from me.

The Beginning of the End

BOOK 20

Odysseus slept that night in the cloister, brooding about how he should do in the suitors. Then the women who had been misconducting themselves with the suitors left the house, and this made Odysseus even angrier. He had to fight down his anger, not to give himself away, reminding himself how he had to be quiet in the cave of the Cyclops until he was able to make his escape. However, he was still tossing and turning, finally Athene reassures him and he is able to go to sleep. Just as Odysseus falls into a deep sleep, Penelope awakes and starts weeping herself, she had a dream that night while she slept that Odysseus was by her side as he was then he left for Troy; not a dream but the very truth itself. Then Odysseus woke and heard her weeping he was puzzled, it seemed she already knew he was back home. There were two signs, one of thunder on a clear day and other of what miller-woman had to say about grinding meal for the suitors and how that had worn her out. Odysseus then knew he was to avenge the suitors. The day starts, firewood chopped, and other preparations made for the suitors and their daily party. Something strange happens on this day, while the suitors where eating they started laughing with a forced laughter, the meat became smeared with blood, they began weeping and there was a sense of foreboding. They had sealed their doom on themselves, and this a foreshadow of things to come.

Lansing Iowa Part 2

Lansing has a Park, Mt Hosmore, on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi river, at the time of my visit winter was still in effect, no lustrous green colors, however still worth seeing.

A Veteran's Memorial

The view to the North

To The South

A walk in the woods

Flower's blooming

A nice place to walk and explore any time of the year

Lansing Iowa, Part 1

This is Lansing Iowa, the small town where I stayed for part of my visit. It's a town along the Mississippi River, and has been around for a long time, at least back to the 1840's. Here are some pictures around town

This is Miltys, a pretty good place to eat



Along the river front and the Lansing bridge






There are some old homes and churches in Lansing, some going back the 1840's








When in Lansing you have to visit Horsfall's



It's amazing how much "stuff" is cramped into this store, you have to see it to believe it. One can always find something to buy there, every time I visit I usually contribute at least $45 to the local economy.