H.A. Larson's Blog, page 6

2023: The Year in Review

Can you believe that it's 2024? Me neither. 2023 was a great year for me. In fact, it was the best year I've had since 2019. So what made it so great? Lots of things.
* I started the Iowa Wine and Beer Passports at the beginning of the year and spent time working on them, including a fun overnight trip to Des Moines.
* I had a two-week vacation where I: got to take a boat ride on the Mississippi River, visited the stunning Maquoketa Caves, had gin from Iceland, and spent time with good friends.
* I went to the Nebraska and Kansas City Renaissance Faires like I do every year.
* I (slowly) got back on the low-carb diet and hiking bandwagons.
* I joined a Wine Club at a winery in Iowa.
* I took a day trip to see the Bridges of Madison County.
* I spent a fun day at the Missouri River Expo, something I've wanted to do for years.
* Had a blast at not one, but two redneck parties.
* Spent many Friday evenings on the porch of Soaring Wings, my happy place, listening to live music, drinking wine & small-batch beer, and eating charcuterie.
* Spent the night on a riverboat hotel and took a dinner cruise - both on the Missouri River.
* Became debt-free.
* Took a fun charcuterie class with a great friend.
* Finally got to see the annual Sandhill Crane migration.
* Celebrated living in Omaha for 20 years.
* Made it back to my all-time favorite restaurant.
* Booked a flight for next year so I can finally return to Europe.
* I hit menopause. 
* Had many other fun weekend adventures doing a lot of fun things.

More than all the fun things I did, my kids and I came back together as a powerful family unit. I became closer with my friends and made another good friend. I made it a year and a half in my new (and third) position at my job where I continue to grow and improve my skills. Last, but certainly not least, I tweaked my finances to the right mix and balance. 
I hope you had a great 2023 and that 2024 will be even better...the best year yet!
Until next time, friends.
-H.A.






 

The Month of November

Here's what my November looked like this year. 


My daughter spent a week with her brother in Lincoln at the tail end of October, so in early November, we met up halfway so she could come back home. Halfway is Schramm State Recreation Area - another place mentioned here many 'o times.


I walked around the hatching ponds while I waited for the kids to show up.


A lovely fall shot of the old hatchery that's now a museum. I've taken many shots of this building before, just from a different area like here, here, and here. It's always beautiful, no matter what.








After the kids showed up, we walked into the trail for a little way before it got dark. We've hiked this trail hundreds of times, and this was the tree we'd always have to stop at so the kids could climb all over it. It was nostalgic to see them on it again - it's been far too long.








The waning light in the distance as the leaves crunched under our feet just brought me joy. It's my happy place.




My bestie, Rebecca, and I share a wine club membership at a local vineyard in Iowa. We get a 15% discount on four bottles of wine that we pick up once a quarter at the vineyard. They always have a special members event on the quarterly pickup that includes food, a free glass of wine, and some kind of entertainment. 
Rebecca couldn't go to the November pickup, so my other bestie Libby went with me.


Member events are usually when they debut new and special edition items. They had a slew of new ciders, all delicious! Since the weather was gorgeous, we sat outside with a flight. Mine had a red wine, a port wine, and three ciders. Yum!


One day, I made it out to Neale Woods for my first long hike in quite some time. 


Absolutely a stunner, like always.




Sometimes the clouds would come out and hide the sun a little bit.




Fall was starting to wind down at this point, but there was enough color around me to fill my nature heart.






Just look at it.


I could just sit here and watch this forever.


You can just barely make out the Omaha skyline in the distance, off to the left.


There, that's better.


Rebecca's birthday was mid-November and since she can't have dairy, Libby and I took her out to Modern Love. When I was vegan, I would eat here about once a year. Anyway, we started with their fried cashew mozzarella. OMG, yum.


My cocktail, adorned with star anise.


Similar to the prix fix meal I had here on NYE 2019, I got the fried chik'n (except it was made with mushrooms instead of tofu) with mashed potatoes, smothered in mushroom gravy, and served with homemade slaw.


Two of my favorite people in the world!


My dad really, really loves the Trans Siberian Orchestra, so my daughter and I attended their annual inaugural show in Council Bluffs with him the next week. The day after the concert, I showed him some interesting landmarks over in CB. First, we took him to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum and the Black Angel statue. Just down the street from the statue is the Lincoln Monument, which was new to me as well. 


The sign on the monument explains its purpose.




From the bluffs, you can see the Omaha skyline. Afterward, we went to Lewis and Clark Park just a few miles away. Not new for me, but new for my dad.


I picked up an Aldi wine advent calendar this year. It's the neatest thing. You scan a QR code on the box or one of the wine bottles and it takes you to a website to tell you about the wines. Number one was Ortuga Cabernet Sauvignon from Portugal. 


Aldi also happened to have this delicious stout so I picked up a six-pack of that as well.


The following Friday night at Rebecca's, we enjoyed two more of the wines along with a monta more and gruyere I also picked from Aldi for a charcuterie board.


I made it out to Neale Woods for a second time the next day.


The trees were definitely more bare this time around.




Still gorgeous.


Advent wine of the day: Paper Dreams, a white blend from Hungary.

On Sunday, I trekked out back to Schramm just to climb the hill and make some coffee in the woods. 


It was quiet, it was peaceful, and it was beautiful.


I had something sweet with my coffee that day....it reminded me of my grandma.


After coffee, it started to sprinkle a bit, but I went across the road to take in the Platte River in all her glory.




Advent wine #5, baby!


My mom surprised me by coming for Thanksgiving! We enjoyed advent calendar wine (hehe) and let my kids do all the cooking.


My son gave my mom, myself, and my daughter an electric throw blanket. Man, is this going to save me come January.



Whew! That was quite the photo essay, huh? It was a great month, honestly.

Until next time, friends. 














 

A Financial Tune Up

Recently, I decided that I needed to sit down and do an annual financial tune-up. Sure, I go through and manage my finances roughly one hour per week, but that's to evaluate my day-to-day and monthly financial situation. What I realized I needed to do was start looking at the bigger picture - beyond my monthly bills and my retirement funding. So, I did just that.
First, I sat down and worked out my next five years, or my Five Year Plan. This is where you decide what you want to achieve in the next five years and set a date for when you want to accomplish these goals. I wasn't sure where to start so I began by printing off a yearly calendar for the next five years. Then, I made a list of things I'd like to accomplish then inserted them in the calendars where they made the most sense to me. While most of these goals are financial in nature, some of them aren't.
Next in my financial tune-up was to calculate the numbers for the big financial items that need to be completed in the 10 years that remain before I retire. I plan to buy land, put a small, off-grid home on it, and have it paid off by the time I retire. But, what does that mean in numbers? How much do I want to pay for the land, the home, for how many years, and how much will that cost per month? These were all things I needed to work out.
I also needed to calculate how much my retirement investments would be worth by the time I retire so I know about how much money I can take from them each month. I also figured out my estimated social security so I have a good idea of what my monthly income will be in retirement. 
I admit, I felt a bit overwhelmed at first but I understood how important it was to do these things. It's hard to have goals, let alone reach them if you don't have a game plan for them. If you don't have that plan in place, it's easy for those goals to just become something that will happen in the future but never actually materialize.
Knowing what I want for my retirement helped me lay out my five-year plan. Obviously, for my finances to be where I want them in retirement means I need to know when certain things need to take place. Like how much and when I should have my down payment saved up; which in turn dictates when I need to find property; which in turn dictates when I need to move out of my current housing situation. It also gives me an end-point for when I should have it all paid off and how much I need to pay each month - and if I can afford to do so.
Doing this financial tune-up was eye-opening and made me feel accomplished. It gives me a sense of relief and excitement because now I know the whats and whens of my goals. I will definitely do this tune-up at least once a year so I can keep my plan on track, adjust anything, and add new goals as they pop up. Until then, I can rest easy.








 

It's a Matter of Time

Patience has never been a strong suit of mine. I've always been in a hurry to get things done, get the work day done, make supper, get back home from an outing, for bills to clear my bank account, for this, that, and the other thing.
A few years ago, however, (most of) this changed. Out of necessity, I had to learn and exercise patience. From this, I started to see the positive impacts it had on my life. I applied patience to other areas of my world and found that I was less anxious, less stressed, and generally felt happier. I quit being in a hurry, quit rushing trying to do everything, and started to appreciate the slower pace of my life.
This has also been the catalyst for embracing more in my life. More meaningful relationships and more experiences. After all, life is short. The finite aspect of life is absolute and there's nothing we can do about that. What we can have control over, however, is how we want to relegate the time that we have left in this world. 
With such a fleeting and ultra-important commodity, do we really want to spend it racing around in traffic trying to get somewhere a minute or two earlier than the slower people around us? Do we want to spend our time angry over insignificant things? Do we want to avoid doing things or going to places because we just don't feel like it, which leads to many days of simply sitting at home investing time in things like TV shows? 
What I'm getting at here, is that you can choose what you want with and how you want to spend your time. Choose wisely. You only have so much of it.

Breaking up with my Crap

Over the past few months, I've been on a mission to go through my belongings and dispense with things I don't need or use. I started with my closet. As I looked through it, I decided that anything I hadn't worn since I moved into my apartment had to go. I mean, if an item has sat in there for two and a half years without being touched, why keep it?
The other day, I got down on my knees to look behind my muffin tins that sit on the bottom shelf of a deep cupboard. I knew there were things behind it, but I couldn't remember what. I found two deviled egg trays that hold 24 each...what on earth was I doing with these? I've made deviled eggs exactly once since moving into my place and they were for me and me alone. I also found a large plastic serving tray that I obviously haven't used in 2.5 years along with a cool charcuterie-type nesting tray that I love and would have come in handy many times over the past few years. I got rid of the deviled egg containers and the serving tray, but I moved the charcuterie-type tray to a place where I can access it (and won't forget about it).
This great purge didn't just start recently, though. Rather, it began when I was moving out of the old rental house in early 2021. After twelve years of accumulating so much stuff that the walls were closing in on us, a month of reckoning fell upon my ex-husband and me. As we waded through this daunting sea of accumulation, I was flabbergasted at the things I didn't remember owning. There were postcards that I collected in a large pile at the bottom of a storage cube - the reason long forgotten. I had amassed a treasure trove of makeup, jewelry, perfumes, and hair care items that I bought to use for special occasions that never happened - either because I forgot about them when I got ready for special occasions or because I used the stuff I normally used to get ready with. Oh, but there was so much more.
I spent a few months sending those postcards to friends and family, and I made cute gift bags with the makeup, jewelry, etc for Christmas for my girlfriends (using the Ipsy bags I had also collected over the years, of course - gah!). We had a big garage sale, listed things online, let our friends & neighbors pick through things, and, finally, put whatever was left on the curb in a free-for-all attempt to be rid of the junk.
I made a vow, after that, to never put myself in that situation again. I didn't want to be burdened by stuff anymore, so unless it's a consumable (or incredibly useful item), I won't buy it. I ordered my loved ones to never, ever, gift me any kind of home decor again - with the exception of candles because I like those, and are technically consumable.
I've kept that vow. Logically, then, it makes sense that I have decided to go through the things I kept from the old house. After all, in a few years, I'll be moving again and I want the process to be easy, quick, and painlessly free of cumbersome crap. I want to own my things, not be owned by my things.
As for my charcuterie-type nesting tray? It's sure going to come in handy at my annual holiday party next month.





 

A Perfect Autumn Weekend

In mid-October, my son turned 24 on a lovely weekend with near-perfect weather. My friend Audrey drove up that Friday evening and, after a gut-busting big breakfast the next morning, she, my daughter, and I headed an hour west to Lincoln to spend the day with the birthday boy. 
As if to harken back to a time when my kids were little, I took them to a pumpkin patch where we rode some rides, played "spooky" mini-golf, and had a hard cider made just for the pumpkin patch by one of my favorite cideries: Glacial Till.



After pumpkin patch shenanigans, we headed to a winery east of Lincoln called Deer Springs. For the past few years, it has been the place where my son and I stopped for a glass of celebratory wine on his birthday - although I first discovered it with my friend Libby. This year, as a surprise, I also got tickets for their Fall weekend hayrack rides. We sat around a bonfire beforehand, where we enjoyed a glass of wine. The hayrack ride was not only fun but informative; the owner gave us a history of the place before taking us to the edge of the property where another bonfire and s'mores-making awaited.

It was a nostalgically fun day, and after dropping off my daughter who decided to stay for a few days, Audrey and I headed back to Omaha. We arrived late, but happy. 
We visited for a few hours the next morning over another gut-buster before she left to return home. Since it was another beautiful, yet slightly drizzly day, I thought it would be the perfect time to combine an autumn drive in the Loess Hills with a mini-hike. It struck me then that when I had talked to my dad earlier in the week he mentioned that he and my stepmom were taking a Loess Hills drive that very day.
I called him up and asked if he was headed North or South - an important distinction as he lives north of me. He said they were heading south so I offered to drive north where we could meet later in the day for supper at a mid-way point.
Plan in hand, I set off. The first stop was a perennial favorite - Hitchcock Nature Center. I decided to leisurely walk the boardwalk, soak in the brilliance of autumn colors, and snap a few photos.


















No matter what time of the year, but particularly in the Fall, there's something so transformative about being surrounded by nature. Seeing the trees frame an impossibly majestic background that seems to stretch for miles, with a gentle breeze blowing through your hair and rustling the leaves, while a bird chirps off in the distance; provides an experience that cannot be properly encapsulated in words.
The sky was sprinkling down intermittently by the time I got back to the car, which was fine by me as I was headed up the road.



I stopped along the way to take this photo. It's actually a shot I've wanted to take every time I've driven by it so I felt accomplished in my success. 
My second destination was the Harrison County Historical Village, another favorite place that I've talked about here several times over the years. Today my goal was to walk on the trail they have up in the Loess Hills behind the Village.



Pluviophile that I am, nothing makes me happier than an overcast, misty day.



As I weaved my way along the trail toward the top, I turned a corner and was treated to a full rainbow! I can't even remember the last time I saw one of these beauties.






As I moved along, I could see a hint of a double rainbow at one end. 






The sun would peek out occasionally from the clouds, the rain cleared up (for a bit), and the rainbow began to fade away.



A view from the top provided expansive views across my beloved Iowa Mountains.












The Sun, briefly.

After my little hike here, I drove into Missouri Valley and met my folks for supper at a local bar and grill there. We lingered over a shared meal and conversation before going our separate ways. It was a perfect autumn weekend.








 

An Perfect Autumn Weekend

In mid-October, my son turned 24 on a lovely weekend with near-perfect weather. My friend Audrey drove up that Friday evening and, after a gut-busting big breakfast the next morning, she, my daughter, and I headed an hour west to Lincoln to spend the day with the birthday boy. 
As if to harken back to a time when my kids were little, I took them to a pumpkin patch where we rode some rides, played "spooky" mini-golf, and had a hard cider made just for the pumpkin patch by one of my favorite cideries: Glacial Till.



After pumpkin patch shenanigans, we headed to a winery east of Lincoln called Deer Springs. For the past few years, it has been the place where my son and I stopped for a glass of celebratory wine on his birthday - although I first discovered it with my friend Libby. This year, as a surprise, I also got tickets for their Fall weekend hayrack rides. We sat around a bonfire beforehand, where we enjoyed a glass of wine. The hayrack ride was not only fun but informative; the owner gave us a history of the place before taking us to the edge of the property where another bonfire and s'mores-making awaited.

It was a nostalgically fun day, and after dropping off my daughter who decided to stay for a few days, Audrey and I headed back to Omaha. We arrived late, but happy. 
We visited for a few hours the next morning over another gut-buster before she left to return home. Since it was another beautiful, yet slightly drizzly day, I thought it would be the perfect time to combine an autumn drive in the Loess Hills with a mini-hike. It struck me then that when I had talked to my dad earlier in the week he mentioned that he and my stepmom were taking a Loess Hills drive that very day.
I called him up and asked if he was headed North or South - an important distinction as he lives north of me. He said they were heading south so I offered to drive north where we could meet later in the day for supper at a mid-way point.
Plan in hand, I set off. The first stop was a perennial favorite - Hitchcock Nature Center. I decided to leisurely walk the boardwalk, soak in the brilliance of autumn colors, and snap a few photos.


















No matter what time of the year, but particularly in the Fall, there's something so transformative about being surrounded by nature. Seeing the trees frame an impossibly majestic background that seems to stretch for miles, with a gentle breeze blowing through your hair and rustling the leaves, while a bird chirps off in the distance; provides an experience that cannot be properly encapsulated in words.
The sky was sprinkling down intermittently by the time I got back to the car, which was fine by me as I was headed up the road.



I stopped along the way to take this photo. It's actually a shot I've wanted to take every time I've driven by it so I felt accomplished in my success. 
My second destination was the Harrison County Historical Village, another favorite place that I've talked about here several times over the years. Today my goal was to walk on the trail they have up in the Loess Hills behind the Village.



Pluviophile that I am, nothing makes me happier than an overcast, misty day.



As I weaved my way along the trail toward the top, I turned a corner and was treated to a full rainbow! I can't even remember the last time I saw one of these beauties.






As I moved along, I could see a hint of a double rainbow at one end. 






The sun would peek out occasionally from the clouds, the rain cleared up (for a bit), and the rainbow began to fade away.



A view from the top provided expansive views across my beloved Iowa Mountains.












The Sun, briefly.

After my little hike here, I drove into Missouri Valley and met my folks for supper at a local bar and grill there. We lingered over a shared meal and conversation before going our separate ways. It was a perfect autumn weekend.








 

A Busy Calendar

 

Two years ago, I wrote a post about saying, "Yes," to everything. It was a period in my life where I hibernated in my house and avoided doing pretty much anything. It was a hard spot to be as before that rough period, I was incredibly active and trying to live life to the fullest. Getting out of my new comfort zone (at the time) was a way for me to try and force myself to get back out in the world. Unfortunately, the whole idea didn't stick and I spent another year, essentially, doing pretty much the same thing. Oh sure, I did get out and do things, but not at the level that I preferred. 
Then, very early this year, things changed...for the better. It was like - metaphorically - the rain stopped, the sun came out from behind the clouds, and the birds started up their sing-song chatter. Gone was the feeling that I *should* be getting out and doing things; replaced with an actual drive to get out and do things. 
This year, then, has been my reawakening. I've filled up my calendar, quite literally, with things that constitute a life. Once again, my time is filled with fun, laughter, adventure, and a sense of wholeness. In fact, my calendar gets filled up faster than I can whip out a pen to write in it with, and it makes me so very happy.
I've done everything and anything that comes across my path that sounds fun and interesting. I've taken several weekend trips away to visit friends, gone on day trip adventures many a Saturday, gone to a handful of events that I heard about through different e-newsletters that arrive in my inbox, spent days doing my favorite annual events, hiked up and down hills that I hadn't tread on much in a long time, went to gatherings and parties, hit up my favorite wineries, and simply spent unadulterated time with my favorite people.
To say it's been wonderful doesn't really do it justice. Wonderful doesn't get to the heart of how I feel like a renewed person or how I feel more connected with places, people, and things that I hold dear. It's also created a desire in me again, one that's been gone so long, to be in good health...to be active and grab life by the horns.
It's a time to savor. 

Summer Vacation 2023: Weekend on the Missouri River

On the second weekend of my vacation this summer, my best friend Rebecca and I drove down Highway 75. Our destination? Brownville, NE, to spend the night on an old riverboat turned into a small floating hotel. Union Orchard is on the route so, of course, we had to stop for a wine tasting.



I've posted about Union Orchard on this blog a handful of times so I won't go into great detail. Still, it's a family farm store that sells their produce (in particular, apple-related products) and the wine they make as well as wine from other Nebraska vintners.



Rebecca is getting ready to sit down with her glass of wine and a slice of homemade rhubarb pie.



After our pleasant stop at the orchard, we headed into Brownville. The town is one of the oldest in the state and has many historic buildings. We stopped at the Lyceum which was a public hall in it's prime but is now a restaurant known for breakfast.



Just down the street away sits the historic Carson House. Built in 1860 by Richard Brown, the founder of Brownville, it was sold in 1864 to John Carson, a prominent early banker in Nebraska.



An Italianate-style home, an addition was added by Carson who furnished the home with exquisite pieces.



A view into the basement kitchen. Kitchens were typically built as separate buildings or in cooler places like basements. Before the days of air conditioning, this was how people kept the heat from cooking from entering their living spaces.



After our visit to the Carson home, we made a brief pit stop at The Trading Post. It's a small shop that sells things like dream catchers, incense, soap, homemade jewelry, mystical books, et al. 



The next stop was the Flatwater Folk Art Museum. Confession: I took this picture on my last day trip to Brownville when most everything was closed for the day/season. This old church was bought and moved to this location by George and Eva Neubert. George was a director of several prominent art museums, and he lovingly restored this building to showcase American Folk Art.










Everything we visited that day was located on the same street, so why not conclude at the end of the street at Whiskey Run Creek Winery? This gave us something to do while we waited for check-in time at the hotel.



And here she is, the River Inn Resort. Once an operational riverboat, she now sits permanently docked on the banks of the Missouri River. Containing only 18 staterooms, it's a small hotel. On the right, you can see a smaller riverboat, the Spirit of Brownville docked behind the Inn. While the River Inn Resort doesn't move, the Spirit of Brownville has a nightly dinner cruise. 



Of course, we purchased tickets for the dinner cruise when we reserved the room because who wouldn't want to take a dinner cruise down the mighty Missouri River? You could choose to sit inside or outside on the second floor. There was a bar so we got some adult refreshments while we waited for food and for the cruise to start.



A view out the window from our table. That large bridge in the background spans the river and connects Nebraska to Iowa. Dinner was served buffet style and included dessert.



After we ate, we walked around the outside to take in the views and check out the boat. We started at the stern, and it was cool to see the paddles of this old paddleboat churning the dirty water of the river.



We then made our way to the second floor and to the bow. Look at that view!



Here's where we would have had dinner had we chosen to sit up top. Since it was in the 90s that day, sitting inside the air conditioning sounded nicer.



We saw some interesting sights during the hour-and-a-half cruise, including the old Captain Meriwether Lewis Dredge. I stopped here with my family several years ago on one of our day trips, where we ate a picnic lunch on the grounds.



A view of the River Inn as we conclude the dinner cruise.



We were unable to get a room that faced the river (rather we had to face the banks) but there are Adirondack chairs all along the river-facing side, so we spent a bit of time sitting in the shade and having a cold drink.






We wandered up to the top deck where they have it covered with old astroturf from Memorial Stadium. Interesting.






From the stern, you can look down at the Spirit of Brownville for a better look at it in its entirety.
The rooms are nice and clean, albeit small, the food was decent, and the hosts/owners are amazing people but this place is run-down and dirty on the outside. So visibly so, that I think it wouldn't hurt for them to hose down the decks and sweep off the cobwebs that cover every bit of the outside. Other than that, it was a pleasant and enjoyable stay.



The next morning, after we checked out, we drove the 16 miles to Indian Caves State Park. While I've been here many times, Rebecca never had so we stopped at the scenic overlook to get that expansive river valley view.



They finally rebuilt the old, worn-down boardwalk platform that led up to the caves. They built the new one far back from the caves as years of people touching the old Native American cave drawings (as well as graffiti) have rendered the ancient drawings unable to be seen. Unfortunate, but that's what happens when people just don't care.
In true me fashion, I packed picnic food for the trip, so we stopped at a shady picnic table after this to eat lunch before heading home.



This was a fun overnight trip with my bestie. Over the 20 years I've lived here, I've really gotten to know my adopted state through exploration. It's good to get out and explore and try something different - which is exactly what I did on this leg of my vacation.
Until next time, friends.



 

Free to Be, Free to Do

 

Lately, I've been feeling a sense of freedom that I haven't felt in, well, forever. I feel the most free I've ever felt in my whole life and it's nothing short of amazing.


I'm physically free.
Everyday, I wake up and go to sleep in a home that is mine and mine alone. It looks the way I want it to look and I can do whatever I want within its walls. 
I can do whatever I freaking want to do whenever I want to do it. I go out and do whatever I feel like doing and there's no one I have to tell or ask permission from.
I wear what I want, eat what I want, watch what I want, and listen to the music I want.

I'm mentally free.
My kids are grown and doing great, relieving me from the day-to-day tasks of mothering and relieving me of worry.
I feel fulfilled in my work and my life. 
I'm older so the worries and stresses of my younger years are a thing of the past.

I'm financially free.
I have no debt, I have money saved up for emergencies, a growing retirement nest egg, and an excellent grasp on my finances, overall. 
I can't spend money with abandon, but I don't live paycheck to paycheck and I don't have any money woes.



As I head into the last half of my life, my future is mine. I am truly free, my friends, and it feels incredible.