OK, I think you have suffered long enough....

Have you had enough of the picture of me garnishing the weapon? Yeah, I think so..I know I have. I hope I haven't tarnished my almost perfect reputation..and I haven't fired a single shot since that monumental day, but then again..I haven't been challenged by any angry beasts either. Maybe word is out in the raccoon community to not try & snag a quick lunch at the backdoor anymore...
So now it is off to my current passion! Gardening. I feel like I have truly discovered the hidden treasure at the end of the rainbow. I had to have a nice long talk with Kurtis the other day, and remind him just how lucky he is that he has me to share the rest of his life with. Some women demand fur coats, multiple pairs of shoes, a different hairdresser each week....diamonds,,,,etc etc, you get the picture. Me? Nope...the only request I made of Kurtis the other day is that he accompany me to the.......Iowa City Landfill. Yep, the Iowa City Landfill. You know....where all the county garbage is hauled??? We were having a nice lunch at Carlos OKelly's when I laid the question on him. Here was my method....I asked "Kurtis, are you in a big hurry to get home? He replied "No, not really, why?" Well, I said, I would like to take a nice drive out to the Iowa City Landfill...I noticed him put his fork down, look up from his Sancho Monterey and say "The Iowa City Landfill??? What the hell would you want there?? Here is the good part....."I am interested in looking over their recycle program, I have been reading where they are making compost out there for gardens" (You see the angle now??) They collect all the yard waste, leaves, twigs and about 704 tons per year of food scraps from the dining halls at the UofI and they grind and compost it, and sell it for $10.00 per ton. Now, I ask you, what could Kurtis do but to be drop dead excited to tag along on this adventure....so a few chips later and a belly full of Mexican food...off we went. Well, let me tell you...fancy diamonds and bobbles may get some women excited....but when I stood there with mounds and mounds of black steaming compost heaped about me......I almost felt faint!!!! I had hit the mother-lode!!! I have already hit up my brother Larry to get me a full dump truck full....yep a good 7-8 tons should do!! And then......as if that wasn't excitement enough, they also have mulch....all you want for FREE!!!!! So, I am planning my new beds at this moment...you may want to take time to drive by this summer, my gardens may never look better!!!!! I can hardly sleep dreaming about scooping and hauling compost and mulch.....

Now, back to my Hawaiian trip..I will pick back up on Tuesday February 20th. This was Kurtis's birthday..not a bad place to celebrate a birthday. We started out the day by going to a old pineapple plantation called "Galloways" It has been convered into a beautiful arboretum and bed and breakfast that serves breakfast each morning. We then headed down the road to the Waimea Canyon..much like the grand canyon but Island style carved out of volcanic eruptions..it was just beautiful..except for the winding roads which in time made me sick, so we cut the trip short. We also visited the Kauaii Coffee plantation. Kurtis sampled all the different varieties, and bought a bag to bring home to Marsha. The big highlight of the day was were we ate lunch. When Jessica had heard we were going to Hawaii she was all excited and wanted to make sure we found the "Puka" dog place. The restaurant was featured on a food network show and has kind of become famous.....so off to the Puka dog we went...and had a fine delicacy for lunch. I thought they were really great!! It is a hot dog that has a bun baked on it, then a variety of sauches are injected into it when you order. I had the spicy mango relish with hawaiian mustard version and I think Kurtis had the standard catsup and hawaiian mustard. I though they were great..I think the two dogs and drinks were almost $20.00....but who cares!!
Until next time....>MOM