Baker's heartbeat

This is the Village Inn that used to be open in downtown Bettendorf.        It just does not make sense: Why on earth do Village Inn restaurants in the Quad-Cities close?     Drive by the Village Inn near St. Ambrose University in Davenport and it is almost always packed. That's the same at the Village Inn near Target, in northern Davenport.     But the one in downtown Bettendorf, where I used to regularly go? Nope, it closed a few years ago.     Let's talk about the Bettendorf downtown location:  It was an easy place to meet friends, many of whom worked downtown in either Bettendorf or Davenport.     It was also simple to meet with Illinois-side folks, who could simply cross Mississippi River and be on site in minutes.     There were long-term waitresses at this location and they were very good at the job. It also could accommodate groups of people easily.     Combine the service, with great breakfast and lunch food, and you've got a winning restaurant idea.     Now let

Todd Gehrls of Donahue, Iowa, was the general  contractor on our recent home improvement project.        The process of renovating several baths while you live in a home can be tricky. It also provides a challenge and is fun, not to mention rewarding.      The most important step is to hire a  nice, talented general  contractor. The person we found was Todd Gehrls. Gehrls is a busy guy but once he got to our house he was Johnny-on-the-spot,  arriving at the appointed hour and working hard throughout the days involved.     The rural Donahue, Iowa, resident works steadily in this part of Iowa. We are happy he agreed to tackle small projects like three dated baths in our house.       He is one valuable contractor.     We started the renovation process in December, 2021, with a visit from one of the subcontractors. The KBD designer measured cabinets and took notes.     The project got going in September 2022 when Gehrls arrived early one morning to pull out the shower in the master bath. T

This is the mobile music set-up I use, almost daily!      The  computer company, Apple, sadly phased out the iPod last May.     I've had a small iPod for many years and it's a consistent source of joy.     This music enthusiast loaded the iPod about seven or eight years ago. In those days I made several playlists to organize the downloaded music. These include: Beach mix, dcbBroadway,  dcbMix, dcbBlues, dcbParty, dcbWorkout, NewdcbSongs and a country music playlist that my daughter made for her Dad.     I have loved music -- as well as live music -- ever since I can remember.       A famous moment in life was in the early 1960's when I was four years old. My parents took the Cox family to a live performance of the Minnesota Orchestra performing along Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. I was so interested in the stage, I ditched my family and made my way up to the conductor!    "Who's little girl are you?" the conductor asked me, speaking into the microphone. "I