April 24th through May 20th, 2023
After everything we'd been through recently, we were both looking forward to getting back on our schedule and taking time to relax and unwind. We had finally caught up to our original schedule for 2023, and we had a few places to stay in the Midwest. We were going to start with a couple spots in the Ozarks and wander around a bit before spending a few weeks at mom's house in Iowa. Things were looking good.
Unfortunately, mom had an emergency room scare (she is doing very well now!). We were only a few hours from her house, so we decided to rearrange our plans a bit so we could go stay with her for a little while. We ended up staying there for a few weeks, and it was lovely.
The Mississippi River was flooding all over, but where mom lives was especially bad. We rode our bikes out to the levee to check on things, and the water was really high. We rode down the sidewalk as much as we could, but the path end up under water after a point. The statue that was normally on dry ground was surrounded by water, and someone had put a life jacket on it. At least the town was used to the flooding.
We took the time to do some tasks, including installing a bidet in the back bathroom. We'd never lived with one, and it is a great addition to our home. Once you use a bidet you just get it.
Monica was going to celebrate her birthday there, but there was a big "surf and turf" buffet nearby on Mother's Day, a week after her birthday. So, we decided to go out on the 14th instead. On her actual birthday (the 7th), we were grocery shopping when the tornado sirens went off and the city went into lockdown. We were halfway through with checking out when we had to join the staff and the other customers in the back storeroom for a while. It was an adventure.
Monica's phone battery was in the process of a slow explosion (if that's a thing), so she got rid of it and upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 before her other phone went belly up. So far, the new phone has been a great upgrade.
We had held off on a Christmas present for mom, choosing to help with patio furniture when we got there, instead. The comfy furniture and fire pit on the screen porch was lovely for all of us, and we hung out there a little while every day.
Monica managed to get food poisoning, so we ended up staying an extra week before finally heading off to do the rest of our little tour of the Midwest. It was a relaxing and wonderful time just staying in one place for a bit. But, we have more of the country to see!
