H.A. Larson's Blog, page 5

The Ghosts of Seven Sisters Road

According to urban legend, one evening in the 1900s, a father snapped and hung each of his seven daughters from the limbs of seven trees along a country road in Nebraska. Another version is virtually the same except this time it's the angry son who hauled each of his seven sisters after a heated argument, one by one, out of the house and hung them on the seven trees that sit atop the seven hills on the road they lived on.

Whether the story is true or not, the legend has persisted for over a hundred years and while the hills are either gone or eroded over that time, the road is still very much there. It sits about five miles south of Nebraska City and is now officially known as L Road. Local lore states that screams and/or groans of the sisters' disgruntled spirits can be heard in the otherwise quiet darkness, and the dimming of car lights - or cars simply stalling - while traveling on the road is common.
Because I'm an amateur ghost hunter and happen to live fairly close to Seven Sisters Road, I had thought about doing a proper investigation there for the past several years but had yet to get around to it. That changed last year when on a cold, dark, October Saturday night a few weeks before Halloween, I drove down in my car while my friend Jayne and her friend drove in a separate car. Why separately? Remember the stalled car part of local lore? Well, we weren't going to tempt fate that night.
At any rate, we made it there. It was cold, rainy, and dark...just the kind of evening you could expect for a ghost hunt. Unfortunately, my old GH equipment - like my EVP recorder - no longer works so I used an app that worked like a spirit box. I've taken screenshots of the words I received down below. They start from the bottom of each screen and work their way up.



The first thing I asked was, "Is there anyone here with us tonight?" to which I received the reply "Quiet." I'm guessing they didn't want us to talk.



For the most part, the answers didn't really jive with the word salad I was given and when asked about the words, I got more word salad.



I have to admit that I don't think this app is legit. But, it was worth a shot.




My friend's friend used a different app that uses the same kind of software that the Kinect uses. We could see a figure near the car for quite some time and my friend, Jayne, had one that really liked standing next to her. I'm adding a video I took of the app in question. I hope it shows up below.



All in all, while the vibe was spooky, the apps we used left much to be desired. Since I rarely do a GH, I just don't see the need to buy equipment. However, having said that, I think I will purchase another EVP recorder as I find the technology to be the most legitimate and has been my only real evidence in past hunts.

So, this wasn't the most exciting hunt I've ever shared with you guys but I didn't want to NOT share it with you either. I've been thinking lately about trying to put together another GH trip but with being a single mom and prioritizing travel with extra funds, it's probably not going to happen anytime soon. But, you never know, right? 

 

Healthy Life Update: It's Been Awhile

Well, hello again. There was a time when I made Healthy Life updates fairly regularly, but now they are very few and very far between. The reasons for this were covered in my last update when I discussed getting back into a healthy routine at the beginning of 2023. 
How did 2023 go? Overall, alright. I lost 35 lbs and was keto most of the time. While I was doing better than the few years prior, I was still farther from where I wanted to be. I had some areas that I really wanted to address:

* Diet
* Exercise
* Sleep
* Addictions
* Aging well


I was two days away from my 52nd birthday when I took another one of those long, hard looks at myself. I want to live a long and healthy life so I had some tough decisions to make. I needed to make changes and there was no time like the present. So, here's what I'm doing and my plans for the future.


* Diet: I've been back on the Keto bandwagon for a while now. It works for me and I feel better when I eat like this most of the time. I say most of the time because I do allow myself a "treat" here and there. Allowing myself a treat helps me not to go completely off the rails. At the beginning of March, I also started doing Intermittent Fasting (IF) again. The combination of Keto and IF does wonders for me so I was determined to get back into this routine.
* Exercise: I'm fully back into hiking. I hike at least once each weekend and walk during my lunch break at least twice a week, but often three. 
* Sleep: I struggled to either fall asleep or stay asleep. While some of that did resolve once I hit menopause last Fall, it wasn't until I learned about grounding that things really improved. I bought a grounding mattress topper for my bed and my sleep quality is amazing - which makes me feel amazing.
* Addictions: I quit smoking cigarettes after a 26-year addiction back in January 2014. In 2021 with all of the stress I was under, I had almost convinced myself to buy a pack of cigarettes. Instead, I bought a disposable vape. Thus began a two-year addiction to nicotine, albeit in a different form. I put in the work and quit the nic...for a second time. It didn't take long to notice the health improvements from quitting.
* Aging well: Diet and exercise can go a long way to helping you age longer and better. I wondered if there were other things I could do to help. Grounding isn't just good for sleep but for this, as well, so I was making headway, but was there anything else? I found out about a supplement called Urolithin A. While it doesn't work for everyone, for the people it does, it can make a huge difference. I started taking the supplement just recently, so it's too early to tell, but I feel something.


How will this all play out? Only time will tell. In my 5-Year Plan, I specifically made a deadline to get my proverbial shit together this year. I'll definitely update you as we go along. In the meantime, if you're interested in anything I've mentioned, I've provided links below.

Intermittent Fasting (IF)
Ketogenic Diet
The Importance of Sleep
The Benefits of Physical Activity
What is Grounding?
Keto Documentary: Fat Fiction
Grounding Documentary: The Earthing Movie
Urolithin A
Urolithin A - second resource


 

Weekends are for Living

When Friday creeps up each week, the excitement starts to build and the possibilities of what one can do with a few days of freedom loom large. This encapsulates my experience with nearly every weekend in my life. I have banker's hours which means I work 8-5 M-F and I wouldn't have it any other way.
My bestie, Rebecca, and I have a standing Friday night friend date. We get together at either her place or mine, cook a meal, eat some hours d'oeuvres, and enjoy some drinks while listening to pleasant background music. It's a fantastic, fun, and economical way to kick off the weekend. By the time the day has wrapped up, I smile knowing that I have two days before me to do what I wish.

This month's weekends have been a blast so I thought I'd share some of it with you. 



The first weekend in March, I went to Rebecca's like usual. Saturday was pretty lazy so I was ready to get out and about. I called up one of my other besties, Libby, to see if she wanted to hit up a few wineries. She was game so we started at Soaring Wings and ended up at Cellar 426 where we got a nice assortment of ciders.



I tried a few and just wasn't that impressed. I am a huge fan of ciders so I felt a bit disappointed.



Still, we had a helluva good time so no complaints!
The next day, Sunday, was house cleaning and food prep day. While not exciting, it is good to get those things done when you have the time.



The second weekend of the month rolled around and Rebecca came to my house. I made cornish hens, roasted green beans, and a simple snack board. Saturday, I made my way up to Libby's. It was nice enough to sit outside so we lingered long after the sun went down and our coats came out. She found some James Arthur Vineyard's Sleigh Bells wine at a local grocery store and bought several bottles. JAV is a local winery that we love and this wine is a seasonal blend that we absolutely adore. She rounded it out with a delicious charcuterie board adorned with a few random pieces of pizza.  LOL



Sunday was absolutely gorgeous and I was ready to get outside. So, my daughter and I headed to a perennial favorite: Schramm Park SRA. We walked around the fish hatchery ponds and took pictures of the geese on crystal clear water.






We were there to hike, though, so hike we did.






After our hike, we drove to Ashland to meet up with my son at Glacial Till Tasting Room. It's halfway between our homes so is a good place to meet up.



My daughter had a coke while my son enjoyed a glass of wine and I a cider. I've talked about Glacial Till before but for those of you unfamiliar, they started off as a cider maker but later built a winery about 40 minutes south of here.
GT closed an hour after we got there but my kids weren't ready to quit hanging out. Since I homeschool my daughter, I suggested she just head home with him for a few days since his weekend is Mon and Tues. 



It made sense then to meet back up at GT on Tuesday to exchange my daughter again. I grabbed a cider flight while I waited for them to arrive.



The third weekend (last weekend) my daughter and I met up with my Dad in Iowa, about halfway between our respective homes. The three of us took a short hike at Whiterock Conservancy to check out the River View.
There is a dedicated post coming for this day trip so I'm not going to share too much.



After our time at Whiterock, we ended up here. More on that later!



Sunday was breezy and chilly, but gorgeous. My daughter, Rebecca, and I went out to my favorite local hiking spot - Neale Woods. 



From the trail, we spied a ginormous downed tree with turkey tails growing on it, so we hiked down to it.



My daughter peeking out from under it.



Since it was St. Patrick's Day and I had a brand new bottle of Templeton Rye, I invited Rebecca over for snacks and drinks. I put out cheese, crackers, bread, and fruit. My daughter's snacks are in the background.

What a great month it has been so far and there are still two weekends left. This weekend, my daughter and I are Lincoln-bound to spend it with my son. The plan is to start chili in the crockpot, do some hiking, hit up a winery, and then come home happy and exhausted to a warm meal waiting and ready. We'll probably end the day watching a movie and enjoying some drinks (not my daughter, obvs).
 Weekends are for living so I hope you live yours to the fullest.
Cheers!






 

Summer Vacation 2023: Mississippi Palisades, Illinois High Point, Wisconsin, and Dubuque, Iowa

Sooo, I'm a little behind on posting, obviously, but better late than never, right? The day after the kids and I visited the beautiful and impressive Maquoketa caves, we set out to take on the Illinois highpoint before backtracking to Dubuque, Iowa, to do some touristy things there. There are a lot of photos in the post, so be forewarned. Having said that, though, it was a big, fun day so the photos are worth scrolling through.



We crossed over the Mississippi River on Highway 52 to Savanna, Illinois. On our way over, we stopped at Driscoll's Island, which is just a small bit of land. 



We were able to spot these guys leisurely moving down the river.



As well as this guy.



We got back on the road and connected with Route 84. To the left of us rose tall bluffs covered in dense, green foliage. It wasn't long before we spotted a sign that said, "Mississippi Palisades State Park" so we stopped. We drove up to the top where a viewing platform was conveniently located.



It was a great spot as we got a long-range, unobstructed view of the Mighty Mississippi.






After we left the Park, we passed through the tiny town of Hanover, IL. I couldn't help but take a picture of this old bar because of the ancient Old Style beer sign hanging over the door.



The high point in Illinois is called Charles Mound and sits on private property. The owners only allow visitors to the highpoint the first weekends of June, July, August, and September. This fact is what led me to take my vacation when I did. The top of the hill where it all leads up to is the high point. This makes my high point count sit at 9. 


Here I have highlighted it so you can see it better. To go up to it, you have to take a different route on a back road to the right of this vantage point. I left my phone in the car charging as it was dead so I didn't get any photos of the actual spot, but I had enough charge in the phone to snap these photos afterward.



Charles Mound is just a couple of miles south of the Wisconsin border. Since my kids have never been to Wisconsin, I thought it would be fun to take Highway W back to Iowa. My plan was to stop in the first interesting town so the kids could say they'd been to Wisconsin. That town happened to be Hazel Green. Clean and bucolic, it has this cute little Opera House.



It also had True Vine Antiques and Finds, an antique/vintage shop. We did not go in.



After our brief foray into Wisconsin, we continued West until we again crossed the Mississippi into Dubuque.



Dubuque is so named for its first permanent settler, Julien Dubuque. He made an agreement with the local native tribe - the Meskwaki - to mine their land for lead. He was also allowed to mine for lead on Spanish-owned land which is how the Mines of Spain SRA got its name.






The defining feature of this SRA is the tower overlooking the River, which is actually a monument to Julien Dubuque.










The SRA is in a gorgeous area on the River. This is a smaller river inside the park.



After visiting the monument, we headed into the downtown area. Many murals grace the area, so I snapped photos of a few.






My main objective was to ride the Fenelon Place Elevator Co.'s funicular. It has an interesting history that you can read about here. It's $4 for a round-trip or $2 if you want to go one way.



View from inside as we rode up.



A view from the top overlooking Dubuque. 



After the funicular, we drove over to the Shot Tower Historic Landmark. It was used once upon a time to make lead shot.



The sign at the base shows the process.



Our main reason for coming to this area was to check out the Dubuque Star Brewery Complex. 



It's a neat museum of the brewing history of the area.






As well as a place to get a meal, a Dubuque Star beer, or some wine. My son and I tried both.



After our refresher, we walked down the block to the riverfront park.



And got a nice view of the Julien Dubuque Bridge. Like usual, after the day ended, we headed back to camp where we cooked food over the fire, enjoyed a bonfire, and played games by lantern.
I have a few more posts about summer 2023 vacation, and I'll be getting those out within the next two weeks. Until then, have a great week.



 

Motivation and Momentum, a Short Tale

Here I am, for the first time in forever, writing a blog post on the weekend! While this might not seem like a big deal, trust me...it is. My lack of blog posts and new writing (such as short stories and books) has been a source of much frustration, contemplation, and plain old giving up. As you know, life had been difficult for a few years and much of my life had reverted to a past H.A. Larson era where I didn't do much with my life. As I talked about recently, though, life has become good again.
This has prompted me to reevaluate certain aspects of my life that were lacking - and were sorely missed - such as health, hiking, and writing. While I've proffered up many possible explanations, I've finally discovered what the real issue is: motivation.
Losing motivation is a sneaky circumstance that silently robs you of things you love or love to do. This is where I was, at least until recently. Once I realized that lack of motivation was my problem, I've been working hard to get it back. Yes, this means getting out of my comfort zone and forcing myself to stop being so fucking lazy.
I won't go into all the details, but suffice it to say, I've found my motivation again. Of course, it's not easy to go from no motivation to full motivation, so the momentum is slowly building up. Today will be the second weekend in a row that I've gone hiking, and I took a fun day trip yesterday. I've been walking a few times a week on my lunch hour and this weekend, I dusted off my home computer and started editing the tons of photos I have for a list of blog posts that haven't happened yet.
Tomorrow, I'm going to put up one of two final posts from Summer Vacation 2023 and will be posting regularly on the blog again - for the first time in a very long time. I have so many fun things that need to be shared and I'm ready to write again.

Hope your weekend has been as awesome as mine has. Tune in tomorrow for a mega vacation post!

H.A. is back. It's about damn time.





 

Ramblings of an overstressed Mom

 

Last week, in true Midwest fashion, I walked out of the building after work one sunny afternoon to a balmy 80 degrees. The next evening, the temps dropped and by the time I left for work the following morning, it was breezy and 10 degrees.
This hot and cold game that Mother Nature plays with us Midwesterners is nothing new. We've been dealing with it forever, but this time, it felt a bit personal. My life has also run the gamut between hot and cold at times, and lately has been no different.
I've been homeschooling my daughter for the past year and a half and I will be holding her graduation ceremony in June. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with her old public school per se, it's just that they couldn't really help her. Her struggles have been so deep that I lost my own self in the process. I mean, you're only as happy as your saddest kid, right?
At any rate, I took it upon myself when all else had failed to school her myself. She was adamant about not going to college, so we spent our time doing only what was necessary to get her to high school graduation. Then, things changed.
A little over a year ago, the various things I had been doing to help her started to work. She was happier, started taking care of herself, started cleaning her room, got a really nice boyfriend, and smiled more. It was amazing.
Then, this past Fall, she was like, "Mom, I want to go to college." I almost fell over. I mean, I didn't want to dash her dreams so I didn't say anything, but I thought, "Damnit, kid, we didn't prepare you for that."
What has followed then has been a mad dash to study for the ACTs, applying for college, getting old high school transcripts, writing up my own high school transcript - who knew calculating GPA was so damn difficult - and filling out the application for Federal Aid. 
My lovely, kind, and beautiful daughter has been a wreck for three solid months and dragging me down with her. After the billionth day of coming home ragged from work to listen to her have yet another meltdown, I had to tell her the truth. I only have so much of my own mental bandwidth in a day to deal with things. I have my own stress, I work all day, and I need some downtime after work. She and her feelings are important to me, but I can't help her if I am not right myself. She went to her room for a while, then came back out to apologize. We talked about things and I'm so amazed by her ability to be self-aware. 
By the time the cold spell hit last week, I was ready for some peace and relaxation. So, I plugged in my "wood stove", poured a glass of wine, ate a legal gummy, and relaxed. My mind wandered to thoughts of my upcoming return to Europe and felt better than I had in a few months.
Before I know it, she will be out on her own.
Until then, though....time for us to college prep. Wish me luck and, hey, have a drink for me would you?
Cheers.

Gift Giving

I typically only buy gifts for my kids. As a single mom living on a strict budget, it can be difficult to find gifts they'll like, although I try my best. Still, after Christmas this past year, I started thinking about how the money I spent on them for gifts might be better used for something else. 
Over the holidays, I had quietly noticed something about both my children. My son, who works as a server in a restaurant, typically has a smaller income over the holidays and struggled to buy gifts for us over Christmas. My daughter, who is 17 and doesn't work, had no money to buy gifts so spent a good amount of time making homemade gifts for everyone this year - which were wonderful, by the way.
Bearing all this in mind, I talked to both kids and said, "Hey, I've been thinking. Instead of buying gifts for birthdays and Christmas, why don't I take you out for fun experiences?" Without hesitation, they both said yes. I then added, "Don't get me anything either. Save it to use for our experiences." 
With the a-ok from the kids, I started thinking about another fun trip we could do next summer (on a budget and fairly local). Then, I noticed that an obscure band I love is coming to town this Spring. I got into this band when my son was a toddler and I bought their CD. Over the years, I have played the shit out of it on my car stereo so both my kids really like them and when the three of us get together, more often than not, we play the album. I told the kids the band was coming to town and they immediately thought we should go. I bought our tickets and that's going to be one of the fun experiences.
I think providing experiences for my kids will be a lot more fun than gifts. Only time will tell.

(Also, if you're wondering if this fits into my "No Buy Year" - the answer is yes. I have a sinking fund for Gifts and I will use it for these kinds of things instead of physical gifts.)





 

Enjoying the Finer Things in Life

 

Wine, Cheese, and Fruit: 1857. John F. Francis, American. On display at the Art Institute of Chicago.

If it weren't evident by the numerous posts about wine and charcuterie that have started to be a major player here over the past few years, I enjoy the finer things in life. Don't be fooled, you'll still find me near the pit at a metal show or throwing down at a redneck party, but as I get older, I'm sliding a bit more into the slower and more refined things in life that I enjoy. 
Delving deep into the wine passports of Nebraska and Iowa has given me a taste for wine outside of the cheap, terrible wines that can be found at any corner gas station or grocery store and mostly drunk by girls in their early twenties who are trying to be posh. My love for cheese has blossomed in the city over the years as I've learned that there's more to life than American cheddar, Colby, and Mozzarella. And, my appreciation for the Blues has ignited a new love for Jazz and a reintroduction to Classical and Theater.
I believe there's a place in life for all of your passions, mine included. There's nothing wrong with enjoying things that fall on different ends of the spectrum. To that end, I have a wine club membership to a local winery. My best friend, Rebecca, and I split the membership to save costs. For this, we get four bottles of local wine at a discount every quarter. The winery has a special event for the quarterly pickups where they provide entertainment, free food, and one free drink. We've done three events now and it's incredibly fun.
Last year, I attended to a blues/jazz show at a fancy-ish jazz club downtown (where I saw JoyAnn Parker) and saw the Tina Turner musical at the Orpheum Theater downtown - a place I've always wanted to go to. 
Recently, I started another membership to a local wine merchant here in town. Once a month, I get a carefully curated bottle of wine, a nice cheese, and a small loaf of French bread. As a wine (and cheese) enthusiast, this allows me to expand my palette and learn about wines (and cheeses) that I have sometimes never heard of. 
I've been to the symphony and have eaten at a few fine dining establishments. The only thing I haven't done yet is see an Opera. I'm going to see about getting to a production of one this year.
                        

Cheers!

The Long-Awaited Return to Europe

Ever since I traveled to Ireland in 2014, I've been aching to return to Europe. My love affair with the continent began as a child so my visit to the Emerald Isle was a dream come true. I planned to return but didn't think it would take a full decade for that to happen. Alas, it did, but that's not going to stop me from relishing each and every single moment of my return. In October, I'll spend 10 days in (mostly) England, and saying, "I can't wait!" is truly an understatement.
This time, I'm older, wiser, and have made an art form out of credit card churning - a skill that has allowed me to travel for nearly free. Two years ago, I realized that I could build up the points and miles I would need to travel abroad every other year, which means that this is the year to travel abroad. 
So, what made me choose England? Well, I firmly believe, as an English-speaking citizen, that one should start traveling to foreign countries by going to ones that speak the same language. This allows you to learn how to travel internationally without the language barrier. This is precisely why I started with Ireland. But, since it's been a decade since my last trip out of the States, I figured I should start again with another English-speaking country. That, and I have always wanted to go to London.
When I returned from Ireland and started posting about it, I said the following:
When I took this trip, I thought to myself, "This might be your only chance to go to Europe." I might be right, but I hate to think so. I fully intend on seeing as much of the rest of the world as I possibly can one day, and experiencing a bounty of other cultures, foods, people, and history. I'll be back for you Europe...one day.

     I am finally coming back, Europe. See you soon!

A No-Buy Year

In the few months leading up to the holidays (and during the holidays themselves), I spent more money than I had planned and had saved up for. This is why I recalculated my sinking fund for gifts and realized that I needed to make some adjustments. A great idea, to be sure, but I still need to solve the immediate issue of the overspending I did. 
I have to take care of the additional expenses I've incurred. So, I decided this year is going to be a no-buy year. What does a no-buy year entail? Well, it's where you only spend money on necessities, and nothing else. Necessities are things like rent/mortgage, groceries, utilities, gas for the car, household supplies (like toilet paper & shampoo), etc. 
Now, granted, I know how difficult this might be, even if the only money I wouldn't be spending is my meager "Fun Money" category. Still, I want to give it a go because it's not just holiday overspending on my mind. So, if I don't have any fun money to spend, won't I be bored this year? 
Not exactly:
1. I can, and will, utilize all my skills of taking day trips, indulging in free activities, and getting together with friends only using booze/food I already have. 
2. I purchased a concert ticket in 2023 for a show in May, so I have that to look forward to. My change jar has a good $40 in it, so I will hold on to that to buy a few drinks there.
3. My son lives a mere 45 minutes away so getting away for a weekend there won't go out of my fuel budget.
4. In October, I'm taking a trip overseas for 10 days. It was bought and paid for in 2023 (story on that later this year). The spending money will come from my Travel sinking fund which is a normal monthly expense that is part of my budget.
5. My budget is already calculated to include my two wine memberships: A quarterly wine club with a winery over in Iowa, and a monthly wine & cheese membership with a local wine merchant.


So, this whole exercise shouldn't be too difficult. Every few months I will update you on my progress!