One Tree So Much Beauty

Life In The Country In Fall

Beautiful Fall Color In Iowa

Here are some of the beautiful fall colors of Iowa!

My New Hobby

I have many hobbies. They include reading, researching, writing, watching sports of any kind, and collecting old books, to name a few. One of my newest hobbies, however, is metal detecting.

I absolutely love metal detecting. Granted it has been restricted to my back yard, but you would be surprised to discover what lies under the layers of grass and soil that was left by those who came before us. No I haven't found any coin caches or diamond rings, but I have found a few old coins and various pieces of pottery. I have even found a few of my son's toy cars that he has lost outside over the past eight years. Being a lover of all things old and historical, this is absolutely one of the most fascinating activities that I have found. 

Thanks to a very friendly and hard working mailman who delivers to my house and listened to endless stories from my son on the YouTube videos that we watch about metal detecting, we own a Bounty Hunter Quick Silver metal detector. Not the most expensive machine ever built nor the most powerful. It is perfect for beginners such as my son and I. He also threw in a pin-pointer to help us on our detecting journey and also took time on a Saturday afternoon, after he was done with a full day's work, to give us instruction on it's use. Awesome huh?

Here are a few of the relics from my back yard.

Don't ask me what any of this is.

 I found a  few dimes and pennies. The penny separated from the rest is a 1944 Wheat Penny.

My son and I have gone out twice and my boyfriend and I have gone out once to detect the yard. I have a few permissions, because you should always get permission first, to detect a friend's yard which is two acres and my sister's yard which is three acres. Also, you should keep in mind that there are laws about when and where you can detect when on public land. Check with the local DNR division. 

I have had a lot of fun with my detector so far. Get one for yourself and see how much history you can dig up, just make sure you fill in the hole afterwards!

The Flood of September 2016 In Cedar Falls/Waterloo Iowa

Coffee Chat: Making A List, Checking It Twice

No, Santa isn't coming to town quite yet. I'm just getting organized by making my list. Okay, I make them daily. It is the one way that I can make sure that I get everything done in the day that needs to be done. List making helps me to lay things out on paper that are stuck in my brain so that I can sleep at night without thinking about them. Sounds a little nutty, I know.

I make lists about things that need to be done during the day, long term goals, short term goals, groceries, bills, YouTube and blog things I need or want tot watch or read, or subjects I would like to blog or YouTube about, and much much more. Crossing things off the list is extremely satisfying because it means that things are getting accomplished and I'm being productive. There is nothing more motivating than crossing a bunch of "To Do"'s off of a well organized list. The biggest thrill is when the whole list is finished, this is rarely done in a day.

There are more of you list makers out there, don't be shy. Making list is a great organizing tool. It can keep you on task and at the end of the day, if you haven't finished the list, you can always pick up where you left off or add the remains to another list. Either way you should feel proud of yourself because you have taken another step forward to getting yourself organized. Great Job!