7/29/20 Decorah and it's waterfalls and ice cave

These pictures don't do the waterfalls justice, they were lovely, but a camera phone just can't capture it!

Ok....this is just a spillway and the picture was fine (nothing impressive).  I am a little salty about the DNR at the fish hatchery where this was taken because they closed their bathroom due to Covid.  Seriously people, there are sinks in which to wash in the bathroom.  Closing a bathroom is just silly.

Dunning Springs was beautiful, the picture...meh!

While Ken, Matthew and Anna fished, Joel, Carolyn and I climbed to the top of the waterfall.  The fishermen missed out!

After the waterfall we walked to the Ice Cave (while the others still (unsuccessfully) fished)....very very cool cave....they would have loved it, but I didn't even bring it up!  (no sense in feeling bad about what you didn't get to see)

Pitch black in the cave...this only turned out because Joel used his flash!  (Thank goodness for phone flashlights.)   I was a little nervous about going in at first, but of course Joel wasn't and Carolyn soon followed, so I became brave!

Malanaphy Springs...again so pretty, but you can barely see the waterfall in the picture!  It was much bigger than it appears.  The rushing water went for a long way to a cliff, then into the river.

Then we got ice cream and headed home!

7/28/20 Manchester, the Turkey River and Prairie du Chien

We stayed in Manchester over night.  We went to a little water-park in town to look around.  I guess you can tube or kayak down the river here (man-made rapids), but the areas looked a little narrow to me.  Helmets are used, but I still don't want to knock up against a bunch of rocks.  The kids tried to fish a little.

 Cool kaleidoscope next to the river.

These pictures don't do our river adventure justice.  It was so pretty.  Anna first (begrudgingly) went in the canoe with Ken until I felt it was safe for her to kayak alone.  I wanted to tell her that my mom probably (in heaven) still wishes I didn't kayak alone, so at 13 she should understand my desire for caution.

Now I am in the canoe and Anna joined the other kids kayaking.   (Of course she had not trouble!!)  There were a few "exciting" spots where the water was a little active, but mostly it was an easy paddle downstream.  My kind of river!

Ken took these photos because he had a special water-proof bag to keep his phone in.

We stayed just across the Mississipi in Wisconsin, so that the kids could swim at a water-park.  (Keep in mind that there aren't many hotels in the places to which we traveled.)  We thought they would have to get up at the crack of dawn, but lucky for us (but not the hotel owner), we had the pool to ourselves around dinner time!!

7/27/20 Backbone State Park

Northeast Iowa is the prettiest part of Iowa, hands down!!  Hills and cliff you don't get in central Iowa for sure.

Backbone State Park is one of the prettiest places in Iowa (in my experience)

Matthew found this cool cliff....the first of many we saw in the park.  I told him to pretend he was lifting it....cuz we are silly like that.

Here is the crew walking in the Maquoketa River.....yes it is a river and not a stream.  I didn't bring my good camera on this trip, so I can't zoom in for a better photo.  Worth it to not worry about the camera!

Matthew told me to pose.  I am hardly in any photos in my kids album, because I can delete whatever I don't like....I am going to try to include a few pictures for this trip!

We walked the East side trail, then took the Bluebird trail back to our car.  Come to find out that we should have hiked the actual Backbone trail.  We didn't know that and it was a little short and I was worried I wouldn't convince the family to do a 2nd trail.  The next day, a local (gas station cashier) indicated that the Backbone Trail has the best boulders and is like a gigantic spinal column of rocks.  Oh well...next time.

Joel, AKA dare-devil.  I was fine with this climbing, but drew the line on day 3 when he wanted to climb a waterfall....uh no...wet rocks - what are you crazy!! 

 Many of the photos from this day were taken by Ken, Carolyn and Matthew!

7/26/20 End of Stay-cation!

In January we planned our vacation - to go to Worlds of Fun in KC, to Branson MO and then to Table Rock Lake.  Small vacations have been our M.O. while having kids in the work force and in college.  Well in March, I knew that vacation was out!  I had already asked off for 7/24 through 7/30.  (I often start my vacation on the earlier Friday, since I work M/Tu/Friday.  I get extra days off in a row (9) by just skipping that earlier Friday.  I could take a Very long vacation, but just taking 4 days off instead of 3, but I haven't had to do that recently.  I'd rather just take days off here and there instead.)

Anyway, we decided we did want to take a little trip to the great outdoors, where we could still be socially distanced from everyone, but "get away".  So this meant that the first part of my vacation became a stay-cation....and I have to say - I really liked it!  We leave tomorrow for the away part of our vacation.

I made many masks and ear-savers during my time off.  Today I will mail a care package to my friend Beth, who is relocating to California on Friday!!!!  I made her a set of hot-pads and napkins to welcome her to her new kitchen.

 Also a Hawkeye mask (since she is a fellow Hawkeye) and another for good measure!  She is a speech pathologists in the schools, so she will need many masks.

 Packaging sealed the deal!!!

 (the note say "no microwave"...metal is in the hot pad)

 Here is the Christmas ball that Beth mailed to me a few weeks ago.  We have been exchanging this ball every other Christmas since before Matthew was born.  This Christmas it was lost....but then it was found!!!  Beth included a soft facemask and some excellent lip care (like chap-stick but fancy!!)  Now this Christmas I will mail it back to her with a couple of treasures inside the ball!

I also finished up 6 MN Vikings masks from my great fabric find.  2 have been hand delivered to fans, the others will be mailed to MN today!!

Now I need to find a little something that I can take with me to sew when I am in the hotel!

7/25/20 Precious photo-shoot

The Animal Rescue League wanted pictures of Precious to post for people to see on their website. 

She is hard to photograph because if you sit near her she wants to come even closer!!  She loves people. 

(Although today she wanted to "love" the neighbor boys, but I didn't want her to go to them, since they are small and she is big.  She pulled on her collar and I thought she would hurt herself!!  Normally she is so mellow, it easy to forget her strength.  I could control her easily, but again was worried that she would hurt her own neck by pulling.  She probably shouldn't be with a family with young people, not that she would hurt the child, but because they might not be able to control her outside if she really wanted to see someone.) 

It is unfortunate that she is a Pitty-mix, because they have bad reputations and really are too strong for their own good.  Plus she has been bred, rather recently.  I wonder if the owner decided to keep a pup and ditch Precious, which is very annoying!  Don't breed dogs....especially pit-mixes!!!  To be honest, I didn't know she was a Pit-mix or I wouldn't have agreed to take her....my bias to be sure as she was the most loving dog we have Fostered and we have had a bunch.  Even after having her, I would still not accept a Pit-mix dog into the house.  She is lovely, but I am not a risk taker.

Here is Joel trying to get a picture of her upside down smile:

7/24/20

We had to change our plans slightly as I found out that Maquoketa caves are currently closed.  You can hike the trails, but I felt like we would feel deprived there....so switcheroo and we will go to Decorah the 3rd day to see the waterfalls of Iowa....which I am sure are very comparable to Hawaii (bwa ha ha ha ha ha).  I also made reservations at a hotel that has a pool that opens at 6 am!  Hoot hoot.....swimming while most people are sleeping....Anna is game and she is my deprived swimmer.  Joel said he will adhere to his personal sleep schedule (which is get up at 8....this makes me laugh because he is "up", but not "up" if you know what I mean!!!)  Maybe he will get to swim a bit before other people get there.  I will bet that Matthew won't swim and Carolyn is 50/50!  We will head for Decorah that day when other people arrive at the pool.  Outside just feels safer, but Anna will get her swim in first!

Not a great screenshot, but now I have deleted the mapquest!

I have been gathering things for the trip (and for the great Iowa City migration).  We have Precious until Sunday night, which a great, because she is such a sweetie.  My house is a mess, but I have just accepted this until my Iowa City contingent is settled there.  (Matthew moves into his apartment on August 1st, but then will return to Des Moines to work for awhile....no mention of Marching Band....which I take to mean they haven't decided yet!)

Ankeny school's decision for the fall....Hybrid model

from our school (they will review each 6 weeks)
..............

Learning Model Recommendation

In making our recommendation, we considered our mission of preparing all learners for a lifetime personal success and our commitment to prioritize the health and safety of our students AND staff.

Additionally, we understand the importance of making a decision in a timeframe that allows families to plan for the fall. Thanks to the work of all stakeholders over the summer, we were able to complete this work earlier than anticipated.As a result, the learning model that will be recommended to the Ankeny Board of Education on July 27 is a Hybrid Model.

Hybrid Model: In order to mitigate the risk for students and staff still attending onsite, we believe the Hybrid Model would be the best for our students and staff. For students, this allows them to meet their teacher and start the year face-to-face to engage in learning the routines, procedures, and structures related to their classroom learning and safety - at lunch, recess, in the hallways, entering/exiting the building, etc. For teachers, this allows them to focus on building relationships with their students face-to-face and teaching all the routines, procedures, and structures the students need to support their learning and safety. This model is in better alignment with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). A link to the Hybrid Model can be found on page 8 of the Return to Learn plan.

Again, the Return to Learn plan and the learning model recommendation will be on the July 27 Special Board Meeting agenda for a decision. The agenda with the meeting log-in information will be available here on Friday, July 24.

Remote Learning Option

In addition to our Return to Learn plan, we are also pleased to be able to offer our families a remote learning option.  (all at home for the entire semester)

----------------------------------------------

FROM ME:  The McCleary children will be doing the Hybrid model, going to school every other day, with 1/2 the children, doing virtual classes on the opposite day (while the other 1/2 of the kids are in the building).  I am not sure that I know what is best, but this seems to be a good option for now.  Anna (and Joel, although I haven't told him yet) would love to go every day and I know people are up in arms that they are going back into the buildings at all....sigh!

Anna's school:

Joel's school (and parking lots and lots.....haha) and surrounding community.

 The kids won't be together in a building ever because in Ankeny, 9th grade stays at Northview (except for sports/band/show choir)  They will go to school on the same days as each other during the hybrid model.

7/23/20

Today was a day for eyes and vacation planning.  6 eye evaluations (everyone but Ken and Anna had 2 visits (one was for contacts....which we decided to pursue while at appointment number 1)).  Here she is with her contacts in....but she looks the same since March, since her glasses are for distance vision and socially distancing doesn't count!  (ha ha)  She really uses her glasses to see the Whiteboard at school and for when she drives (in the future)....

Masks make glasses fog-up....so we are planning ahead for school in the fall!!  She didn't have any trouble putting them in or taking them out.  It was way more work for me (and I gave up after my first set of contacts LONG AGO)...I found them uncomfortable, which is less surprising now that I knew I was developing hyperthyroidism, which effects the eyes.  I could try again now that that whole thing resolved, but now I would need reading glasses to make up for the distance vision correction....sigh - I don't think they are for me.  Matthew's contact trial never stuck either and Carolyn is a minimal contact wearer (show choir and sometimes for work))  Of course I Anna is they type of person who is up for any challenge!

We cancelled our planned vacation in March when it was obvious that we did not want to go places where others were and certainly not inside.  Then we discussed going to Lake Okoboji, but there are many things there we would want to do that would involve being around other people (like Arnold's park).  So we are saving that trip too.

We decided that being outside and away from people was the answer.  Monday are going to Maquoketa Caves.  We are staying in Maquoketa at a place with a pool....Anna promised that she will get up when the pool opens, before other people are there!!  She hasn't swam all summer since that is way out of my comfort zone.  Joel might get up too to swim, pretty sure Matthew and Carolyn will skip!! 

Tuesday we are going to paddle some water-craft on the Turkey river (likely canoes....that is my next mission).  We probably will stay in Oelwein, since I found a hotel that can sleep 6 there and that is very unusual.  Lately we have needed to book 2 rooms (like in Maquoketa), but since we don't plan to be in the hotel long, it is nice to pay for only one room.

Wednesday we are going to hike in Backbone State Park and then head home.  (Joel and Matthew have been to the caves and the park for Boy scouts and I drooled over the photos.  Iowa isn't known for it's beauty to be honest, but both of these places feel special.)  We feel like the places we are going shouldn't be too crowded, since we will be there during the work week. 

7/22/20

The saddest day of Covid today.

My neighbor's mother died of Covid19 and his father also has the disease.  Please pray for them.  The father is in assisted living, I assume the mother (Charlotte) was as well (she was in a wheel chair).

Heartbreaking.

7/21/20

I had no pictures to share today, so I just looked through some oldies.  Here is a day when Carolyn and Ken went to Iowa City in the fall for one last visit before she decided to accept their offer and attend the University of Iowa.

I decided today that I must really like my job, because for 3 of my patients, when I saw their name on my schedule, I thought, "Oh good, one of my favorite patients!"

So I think that I think that a lot!  The one boy is going into 4th grade and I met him 8 years ago!!!  It is wonderful to get to know these kids and their families.  (Obviously for HIPPA rules - no photos of patients...but I wish I had photos of many of them through the years!!)

7/19/20

Anna and I went for a walk on the High Trestle Trail....We jumped on the trail near her old middle school.  It is the same trail that goes all the way to the High Trestle bridge (22+ miles away) that Joel biked to a few weeks ago.  Anna and I walked for awhile, turned back around and went to watch Joel ump for a few plays.  (ball diamonds are near the trail)  The walk was marvelous....shaded and cool in the early morning!!

They have made some changes at the ball diamonds that I feel make it more safe.  They don't allow parents to be between the dugouts and the end of the diamond toward the catcher.....they want people in the outfield and the far side of the dugout.  When we arrived security was having to move people who did pay attention to the signs.  They were a little fussy.  I wanted to say - "This is to better separate the 8 team's fans that play on each quad - to keep your families safe!!!"  When we went before, everyone was mixed together behind each home plate and it felt like a free-for-all.  Today felt better.  (alas poorer viability for fans.....but safety first)

I made butternut "zoodles"  While prepping the butternut, I thought "this is too much work"..... but oh how satisfying the spiralizing felt!!!!

 Matthew and I are making 2 huge chicken recipes.  Baked parm. chicken thighs and Italian Chicken in the crockpot.  He has run to the store to get some ingredients and I started the crock pot as it will take 8 hours!!   The plan is to have food ready to pull out of the freezer on days I work (Fridays esp. I just don't want to cook) and for him to take some freezer meals to school for days he has marching band...(if)

Anna is making mini quiches!!

7/18/20

Carolyn's friend Patrick bought me (yellow) and Carolyn (pink) flowers today.  He told her that he would like to make a good impression, but since we can't meet due to the pandemic, he got me the flowers.  Isn't that sweet?  (He works at Hyvee, which is why they have seen each other more than any of her other friends.)

A day before this was picked, I searched for produce and somehow missed this giant.  In my defense, it is on the outside of the garden :0)

7/17/20....the sad loss of the day....from our choir director

Thought this was the likely outcome....but here's the news.  (Show choir is probably our family's biggest extra-curricular event.  It takes a lot of time and training starts in early August and doesn't end until March.  This year Anna was joining the crew after attending many many show choir competitions.)  sigh....

Show Choir 2021 Questions/Comments

Happy Friday! There is a lot of important information in this email. Please read it thoroughly. The first section is a joint letter from the vocal music programs at ACHS and AHS. The second section is exclusively from ACHS. Dear Parents, Students, and Supporters of Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial Choral Music: After a long summer of working together with our administrators and colleagues to plan and troubleshoot, the directors at both AHS and ACHS would like to provide the following joint statement: Due to the ongoing health crisis and the physical nature of our activity, show choir camps for this fall will be postponed.  It is simply not safe to have all of our kids in the same building for camps. Masks or no masks, it would put the kids we love so much in a dangerous position. We have many students who are immunocompromised, and they are important parts of our teams. Asking any of you, but especially them, to risk their health for show choir camps would be irresponsible. We love our choreographers, too, and we’d hate to jeopardize their health. We’d also hate for them to travel to our schools and risk bringing any health issues with them to share with our kids. In fact, some of our choreographers live in states with full lockdown procedures in place right now, rendering them unable to travel. If we try and do this now, we risk having to fully cancel the entire season. In our eyes, it’s better to be careful now in hopes that it will allow for something later in the school year. Just remember this: show choir is not cancelled. It will be different, and we’ll need incredible flexibility, but it is not cancelled. At the end of the day, this is about our kids. We love them too much to risk their health right now. We will work diligently to find a way to be together eventually, and we will work to create something wonderful again this year—different maybe, but still impactful. Additionally, we are in constant contact with our colleagues around the state, and as we all process new information together, we will keep you posted. Please stay safe for the rest of the summer, and please know that we’re thinking about you. Sincerely, Nolan Henkle Director of Choral Activities Ankeny Centennial High School Ben Walters Director of Choral Activities Ankeny High School Additionally, I feel like I need to keep you further updated regarding how this next year will look. This is no longer part of a joint statement, but just Henkle talking. After much consultation with our colleagues across the state, we believe it necessary to agree to not compete or host during the 2020-2021 show choir season.  We believe that not competing this year opens doors for us to get creative and still find a way to provide extra-curricular music programming this school year. It is fully our intent to find a safe way to foster the skill-building and experiences that our kids expect. Without a hard deadline (competition season), we can adjust timelines and alter the format of what we perform, as needed, to best meet the educational and safety needs of our students. Transporting all of our kids to/from competitions in a safe manner would be implausible.  The 2021 Mid-Iowa Show Choir Championships will not occur. It would not be financially possible or morally responsible to host a show choir competition this season.  Asking you to pay regular show choir fees (at a time when money is already short for many families) only to pull the rug out from underneath you by cancelling competition season later would be cruel, and we are not interested in putting that burden on families. We will release a revised fee schedule in the coming weeks to reflect this. Here's the deal: competition season isn't going to happen. If we accept this now, it allows us to still have a season together. And there is PLENTY to still be excited about! I don't want to give anything away too soon, but your directors are working hard on innovative ways to create new things, some of which would be impossible in the context of a competition show. I'll let each individual director share more as the season gets closer, but know that you're in good hands! Also, the more we do our jobs to stay healthy, the better the chances of live performances by the end of the year--so be smart! I'm sure that this information has your head spinning a little bit--and that's totally understandable. My brain has been doing the exact same thing since May. Please know that we've poured weeks and weeks into this decision and we haven't taken it lightly. If you have questions or comments or need something clarified, please fill out this form. I will send another email next week answering as many of your questions as I possibly can. I have chosen to require you to add your name to your form submission out of self-preservation (it's a lot easier to be mean when you're anonymous), so please keep your thoughts and questions respectful. If you're too emotional to formulate a helpful question or comment, perhaps wait a while. I know we're all at different phases in our emotional cycle, but I've already mourned the loss of competition season, and I'm reinvigorated for what this year could bring. After all, does anything normal ever happen to our program? Nope. We love and miss you a million, and we can't wait to take another wild ride together. Go Jags. Henkle

The one week pup!

Meet Precious....she is staying at our house for a week while her feet heal!  (She is getting allergy medicine and special baths)  She is the most loving dog we have had.  She is a little whiny, but Carolyn thinks it is because she is missing the puppies that she obviously had somewhat recently.  But she is totally house-trained and she doesn't  chew anything or bark....(although she might bark if she felt threatened, but we are pretty nonthreatening)