River rat

I've been so busy traveling for work and to visit family that I haven't spent much time on my homemaking projects this past week. But it did give me the rare opportunity to see both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in one week. Unfortunately, it was rainy and snowy on both of my trips, so I didn't get a good chance to enjoy the scenery. The photo above is from the shore of the Mississippi River, overlooking a bridge leading to Wisconsin. Yes, it was rainy and very cold when I took this photo.

Lansing has many beautiful old sandstone buildings dating back to the mid-to-late 1800s.

The trees are just starting to turn color on the bluffs (if you can see through the drizzle).

A must-do on any trip to Lansing is a stop at the Horsfall's general store on Main Street. The store advertises itself as having over 1 million items, and when you walk inside, you'll see exactly why. It's a combination hardware/grocery/homeware/gift/toy store. The owner goes to consignment sales all over the Midwest to find unique, inexpensive items to carry in his store. The aisles are super narrow, and I had to walk like a stealth ninja to avoid knocking over anything with my giant purse.

I snapped a few pictures as discreetly as I could inside the store.

There were aisles upon aisles of useful and useless items.

I actually saw an employee trip over one of the boxes on the floor.

I'd love to go back sometime to buy some quirky tableware for my kitchen.

Forgot to mention, Lansing is in the far northeast corner of Iowa. It took me 4-1/2 hours, in the rain, to drive up there. But I always love an opportunity to go up to northeast Iowa. It's truly the most beautiful region in the state.