Thursday Thirteen #13

We've told you about famous people from IOWAH and some other facts about IOWAH. Today, we are going to tell you where to go to have FUN in IOWAH! We tried to provide linkies to everyone so you can check it out for yourself!!

1. The MTLH and our Ant Kat says that number 1 has to be the "Iowa State Fair". It's held every August and they say it is a lot of fun! For 5 years in a row, there has been over 1 million visitors! Pretty good for state that only has around 3 million people living in it! They say the food is the BEST!

2. VEISHA is a student-run celebration at Iowa State University every April. It came back last year after taking 2004 off due to riots the year before. VEISHA is named for the colleges at ISU:
Veterinary Medicine
Engineering
Industrial Science
Home Economics
Agriculture

3. Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad. This is our town. Mom says we are a railroad town. It's a trip of 11.3 miles on a train. You see trees, rivers, the Kate Shelley High Bridge, the YMCA camp and lots of animals! They host "Thomas the Tank Engine" every fall. It brings a lot of people to our little town!

4. Dyersville-"Is this Heaven? No, It's Iowa" This is the town where the movie, "Field of Dreams" (with Kevin Costner) was filmed. The movie was released in 1989.

5. Fenlon Place Elevator in Dubuque. The Fenelon Place elevator is described as the world's shortest, steepest scenic railway, 296 feet in length, elevating passengers 189 feet from Fourth Street to Fenelon Place (if you go to their site, you can see a picture!)

6. Tulip Time in Pella. Tulip Time is held the first Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in May. The festival celebrates Pella's Dutch Heritage with parades, stage performances, a Dutch market, street scrubbings, and quilt and flower shows.

7. Clear Lake is the home of the Surf Ballroom. This is the last place that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper played a concert. Sadly, they died in a plane crash after their concert.

8. Go watch some baseball at an Iowa Cubs game. They are a Triple A baseball team, whatever that means!

9. Step back in time at Ft Dodge Museum and Opera House.

10. Come take a walk at the Bridges of Madison County. Made famous by the book "The Bridges of Madison County" by Robert James Waller (who was born in Iowa!) and made into a movie starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.

11. The Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa. The Grotto is a composite of nine separate Grottos, each portraying a scene in the life of Christ. The Grotto includes the largest collection of precious stones and gems found anywhere in one location. The artistry has to be seen to be appreciated, plus the message it gives is beyond words. It is frequently considered as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." The Grotto has been placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 2001.

12. Algona Nativity Scene. During World War II, Algona was the site of a German prisoner of war camp. While being held captive, prisoners at the camp created a large nativity scene which was left to the town as a gift. (the Linky has a lot of good information and pictures). Our mom has been there and said it's very sad but beautiful.

13. Science Center of Iowa. The Science Center of Iowa is a center devoted to lifelong learning featuring six dynamic experience platforms and where visitors can explore and experiment. Mom says this is a lot of fun. And they even have an IMAX theater now.

Thursday Thirteen #12

Last week, we told you some Iowah history for our Thursday Thirteen. This week, we will tell you about 13 famous people that were from Iowah.

1. Johnny Carson~ Comedian that hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years; born in Corning.
2. Meredith Wilson~Writer of the famous Broadway musical The Music Man; born in Mason City
3. Grant Wood-Artist. Painted his most famous painting "American Gothic" in 1930; born in Anamosa.
4. John Wayne~Actor who became famous for his hero image in western and war movies; born in Winterset. (*Also home to the Bridges of Madison County (book))
5. Frank Gotch~ World heavyweight wrestling champion from 1908 to 1915, the best known athlete of his era; born and raised in Humboldt. This is where our MTLH is from. The park where Frank Gotch wrestled is across the street from our gramma's house!
6. Fred Maytag~Founder of the Maytag Company; lived in Newton.
7. William "Buffalo Bill" Cody~Pony Express rider, cavalry scout, buffalo hunter, and showman in the late 1800s; born in LeClaire.
8. Mamie Doud Eisnehower~Wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
   Born in Boone (this is where we live!) in 1896. One of the main streets here is named after her and her birthplace (house) is just 2 streets over from our house!
9. Dan Gable~Wrestler/Coach. Won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics without surrendering a point. Two-time Olympic head coach (1980 and 1984). As a coach at Iowa, he won 15 NCAA team titles in 22 years and 22 straight Big Ten Conference titles; born in Waterloo.
10. Herbert Hoover~The 31st President of the United States; born in West Branch
11. Donna Reed~Actress. Born as Donna Belle Mullenger January 27, 1921 on a farm near Denison, Iowa
12. Elijah Wood~Wood is best known for the role of Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Born in Cedar Rapids.
13. The 5 Sullivan Brothers (George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, Albert)~five siblings who all died during the same incident in World War II, the sinking of the light cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52), the vessel on which they all served. Hometown of Waterloo.

Thursday Thirteen #11

We took a couple weeks off of doing Thursday Thirteen. We're back this week! We thought we'd teach you all a little about Iowah! (there isn't really an "H" on the end, but lots of people pronounce it that way!)

1. The three of us (and even the MTLH) have only lived in Iowah. Nowhere else!


2. Iowah is known as "The Hawkeye State", although at our house, it's more of a Cyclone State (Iowah State Cyclones!)


3. The official bird of Iowah is the goldfinch.


4. The official state tree is the Oak.


5. The state flower is the wild rose.


6. The capital of Iowah is Des Moines. (It's sorta pronounced DUH MOIN).


7. Iowah was the 29th US State. It became a state on 28 December. 1846.


8. Iowah is the 30th most populous state in the USA.


9. As of 2000, the population in our state was 2,926,324.


10. The state motto is "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain".


11. The abbreviation for Iowah is IA, not IW or IO like some people think.


12. Major Industries - agriculture (corn, soybeans, hogs, pigs), food manufacturing, and insurance.


13. 

**Also, we are not known for growing potaotes. That is IDAHO. The MTLH used to get asked that a lot when she talked on the phone for her jobbie.

Quick weather update!

Hi everyone!

We are still here, with electricity! The lights were flickering last night so the MTLH got out the flashylights and matches for candles in the firebox. We haven't lost power (keep your paws crossed it stays that way) but we are still going to be prepared.

It is raining right now (8 AM CST) and we are sitting right at 32* F which means if it gets any colder, all the rain turns to ice. WHICH COULD BE BAD!

Here is the latest radar picture. The MTLH outlined our county with the yellow box, it's right under "Ft. Dodge".

We wanted to do a TT this week (we missed last week too) but we have to concentrates on being prepared and staying safe. We have plenty of crunchies and stinky goodness, the 2-legged kitten has lotsa food and the MTLH says she has to go to the place where they sell big people food to make sure she is prepared.

We miss blogging every day and dropping in on our friends. When this crazy Iowah weather gets back to normal, we will too!!

Weather and Winners!

First, Junior: We have your package all ready to go! We are waiting on one thing to come in the mail (hopefully tomorrow) and if the weather holds, the box will be on its way to you by the weekend.

Second, we are going to let you all know that there is another big storm coming and wanting to bear (BEAR?? Like the growly animal?) down on IOWAH AGAIN. The most current forecast:

A winter storm watch remains in effect from 6 am cst Wednesday through Friday morning. Snow will likely develop across the region Wednesday morning, and mix with or change to freezing rain and sleet south of highway 3(WE ARE SOUTH OF HWY 3 and our Gramma lives where HWY 3 is) by afternoon. There is the potential for ice accumulations of one quarter to one third inch near and south of highway 3 through Wednesday evening. Snowfall through Wednesday evening will range between 1 and 4 inches, with the greatest amounts close to the Minnesota border. There will be a brief break in the precipitation Wednesday night before snow, heavy at times, and increasing wind develop across the region Thursday morning. It is very possible that much of northern iowa will experience near blizzard conditions Thursday afternoon and evening with west to northwest winds 15 to 25 mph and frequent gusts over 35 mph, causing near zero visibility and blowing and drifting snow. Preliminary storm total snowfall by friday morning is 6 to 12 inches with locally higher amounts.

The MTLH is going to be packing some things to take away if she and the 2-legged kitten have to leave because we lose electricity. We are hoping and keeping paws crossed that we don't but we gots to be prepared. So, if we are not around for a few days, you will know why. But we will take lots of pictures to post. The MTLH is worried about us. IF she has to stay in a hotel, we will have to stay here. Or if she goes to "grampa Steve's", we can't go cuz he be allergic. So, think warm kitty thoughts for us!

Have you seen Spring?

We was wondering if anykitty or their beans has seen spring? Here in Iowah, it finally got above the negatives today! Hooray! The sun was shiny and the MTLH says it got to like, 30*!! WOW! Almost window opening weather, according to the Man in Green. He gives the MTLH a hard time about opening the windows anytimes it's above 30*. She says that is not true...has to be above 50*! MOL! But the stupid weather beans are saying a winter storm is going to bring more SNOW tomorrow. Maybe 3-9 inches of it! That's nothing likes they gots outted in New York this weekend, but we don't wants it! The weather beans can't make up their minds on an amount so we guess we has to wait and see. We keeps you posted!

If it does, we all be cuddling like this:

(even though our fire box like that doesn't work).

Still Trying to stay warm!

It is still cold here in IOWAH! Right now it is 0*F but feels like -20*F. This is one of the coldest days in a long, long time! The weather man is saying windchills may get to -20*F. The MTLH and the 2-legged kitten are staying in the house today to cuddle

with us!

Jesse is the only one who has the right idea! Best to stay UNDER the blanket to keep warm!!

Another Snowy Sunday in Iowah

When they opened the door to go outside

Hello to all our innernets friends! It did that crazy thing called snow again. That's where the rain turns white and falls on the ground and doesn't go anywheres. It started about 9 pm CST last night. It didn't stop until about 11AM CST today!!! There is a lot of it out there! The MTLH says there is AT LEAST 6 inches out there. Maybe more!! The current temp is 27* F at 1:25 PM CST.

Here are some pictures that the MTV took while the MTLH had to go buy baby formula. (Good thing she didn't forget to buy crunchies!)

This is the MTV's car at about 10 pm last night.

This is the view out our squirrel watching window.

Our backyard

This is the view when she opened the garage door!

Cupcakes!

This will teach the MTLH not to leave cupcakes where certain kitties (ahem, me Conner) can get to them. I sniffed it a bit then decided to put the bitey on it. it smelled good. it tasted yummy too!! (She didn't leave it there, it just happened to "fall off" the desk!)

Oh yes, we will give you an update on IOWAH weather: Current temp as of 4 PM CST: 23* F and it's snowing like mad. There's ice on the roads and windows. When the MTLH and the 2-legged kitten came back from church and all, she said they haded to drive slow to be safe.

Trouble

Dazey gotted in trouble this morning with the Mom that Lives Here (MTLH). Dazey thought she was STARVING TO DEATH at 3:30 this morning so she pounced up on the bed. Then pounced the Mom that Lives Here. She got put not ever so gently on the floor. Then the MTLH went to check on the 2-legged kitten and Dazey thought she was getting up to feed her so she raced down the stairs. But, MTLH went back to bed. In total, Dazey game in 4 times this morning and didn't get fed until MTLH and 2-legged kitten got up at 7:00. She even tried the paw on the mouth trick. Another visit to the floor!

-reported by Jesse

In other news, they are predicting a big storm for IOWAH this weekend. We hopes we gots enough crunchies to last!! Some people are saying 8-12 inches of the cold white stuff. That can't be good. Hey Mom.......

Family Friday...

We don't have any kitty kuzins. We do have 2 wuffie kuzins but they lives far far aways and we don't have piktures of them. So, here is a picture of the Mom that Visits with Conner...

Here is a picture of the Man in Green with Conner and Dazey when we was being bad and getting a time out...we dont' likes time out! And eshpesihlly not together!!

We hopes everybuddy has a good weekend!!! It's 52* right now in IOWAH!

Thursday Thirteen #3

Here it is, Thursday again! We need to get the Mom that Lives Here on the ball to get these posts up sooner! The day is about gone! Drumroll pleez...................here it is, our "Thursday Thirteen"

13 things about winter in IOWAH

(there is some good things and bad things)

1. We can't go outside. It's to cold, so sayz the Mom that Lives Here. She goes out, why can't we?
2. Can't open the windows in the winter. Refer to #1.
3. The Mom that Lives Here doesn't bring in any pretty flowers for us to eat..........er....smell.
4. Sometimes it does this thing called "snow". It's cold and white and falls from the sky. When it comes in the house, it makes our paws all wet and cold. Although, we haven't had any yet!
5. We don't get ice cubes in our water dish.
6. There are no birdies to watch and envision as our lunch out the windows.
7. It's to cold to lay on the kitchen floor.
8. Mom has a heated blanket that makes the bed toasty warm!
9. We don't get baths!!!!
10. We can lay in front of the heaty vents to stay warm!
11. We gets to cuddle with the Mom that Lives Here more!
12. Catmas!
13. It's closer to the time the Man in Green comes home from Irak!