coffee break image

I began the day in Urbandale, iowa, at my hotel room. as usual, I like it when not much is planned for my last day out of state. get breakfast, check out of the hotel, and get on the road. I got a muffin, granola bar, and hot cocoa near the front desk. it was wet in the des moines area when I started my drive, not a big deal, better than snow. the rental car gave me messages at times, one of them had an image of a cup of coffee, saying 'consider taking a break'. I would often see it after about an hour of driving, but wanted to go farther before stopping. I made my first stop in clear lake, iowa, about halfway home. I had just enough gas to get that far, and the 'low fuel' message popped on just before then. it was just before midday, and I got a can of dr. pepper and a slice of pizza. I stopped again at a rest area just south of Northfield, Minnesota, to use the bathroom.
   once I made it back to the twin cities there was still some things I wanted to get done right away. one of those was going to the library to print some things. another was getting a TV dinner at cub foods. it was about time to return the rental car by then, so I made my way to the agency after stopping at a gas station to return it with a full tank. after I get home again I made it over to the grocery store for my full order for the week. I watched 'the simpsons', about a visit to costa rica. I did some online surveys but deleted half of them, figuring I did not have enough time for all of them. I caught some of the bears-rams football game on the radio, bears lost 17-7.