TheMcKeeSpot is a blog by Steven McKee. The purpose of this blog is for me to explore things that interest me as I plan for my next 50-plus years on this planet. Starting out, I am writing about my family and activities, but as time progresses, it will be about anything. Stay tuned, check in often and enjoy the ride.
This marked a return to normalcy after the winter break. My daughter departed Saturday for the spring semester of her sophomore in college. Due the of breakfast on weekends we decided to visit Viola’s on Friday morning for a father-daughter. She left Roman in Colorado for the winter break. Remarkably, she managed to ride other horses over the break. She took a few lessons and earned a few dollars by taking care of other horses at the stables. I believe she would be happy if she could make a career out of that type of work.
My son returned to school earlier in the week and has already managed a week of high school classes. Now that his sister has left, he must hope for good weather in the afternoon. He cannot take the bus home. Therefore, he has to walk. Alternatively, he hopes that one of his parents can pick him up. His junior year is progressing better, but he is just doing the minimum to get through. For, breaks consist of playing computer games and spending a significant amount of time watching various videos on YouTube. He should have figured out a niche and become some type of YouTube influencer. I suppose there is still time.
I worry and wonder about their futures. I am concerned about how they will secure employment and what fields or careers they will pursue. I also wonder how they will take care of themselves, given the current state of this country. Will they have the opportunity to continue to enjoy the activities they do now in the future? Have I adequately prepared them for life after I am no longer around? It is evident that their lives today are vastly different from mine at their age.
A quiet dinner at an Olive Garden, sometime in 2017.
I can only hope and pray that I have prepared them for tomorrow.
As for me, I have returned to work, and I am thinking very hard as to when I will retire. I need to think about myself. I must consider my next 30+ years I believe I have left on this planet.
Today is a very cold Sunday in Los Alamos. I write this post on a very quiet day while contemplating taking the dog for a walk. The recent news is about the fires in southern California. Having twice evacuated over the past thirty years because of forest fires, I understand how those people feel. If you have the time to pack, you might wonder what will happen. Will you return to a pile of ashes? Fortunately for me, that was not the case. Sadly, there is much destruction in California over the past week.
I previously wrote about the fires in Los Alamos in May 2022. I also wrote about them in April 2022 and in May 2020. This post isn’t a further reflection of these types of disasters or the empathy that they trigger. Droughts, poor forest management and other contributors add to the lessons learned from these events. So far this winter, we have had very little snow in Northern New Mexico. What kind of weather will the spring, summer, and fall bring? Will our once a decade fire cycle be different?
Equally unmentioned until now was the return of the McRib after Thanksgiving. But it was a tasty reminder of several previous posts on this blog. But I didn’t mention it until now, nor did I critique the culinary experience.
The result the fires will be higher homeowners insurance rates in the coming year. I have already experienced increases in my automobile insurance. Given my current stage in life, I have added more coverage through an umbrella policy. This helps protect my family.
With the arrival of spring, I must downsize as part of my retirement strategy. Although I no plans to sell the house, I do need to focus on the backyard. My retirement planning also includes more hiking, more camping, and more travel. And perhaps, this will be the year I finally finish reading Atlas Shrugged!
Today is the 4th of July. A federal holiday that is to signify the birthday of our nation. Jewel and I have been up now for several hours. We went to get some coffee but ended up at the stables to feed the horses. Roman and Ruby were up and hungry. They let me know just how hungry they were.
I have the day off. Unfortunately, some people do not. I thank them for brewing a most excellent cup of coffee that a gas station can produce. It is dark, It is hot and full of deep flavor that is making my start of this day better than I could have predicted.
Of course, daughter slept in but eventually showed up. Note that I too slept in, if you call sleeping until 6 am sleeping in…
We managed to get some new hay delivered yesterday and so I needed her to help to guide me through the feed. We needed to mix the old hay with the new hay. Horses are very finicky as far diet is concerned. The new hay was the same as the old hay, an Orchard/Timothy Grass mix that we purchased late last fall. This new hay just appears to have more brome grass hay than usual. Gladly, there is no alfalfa in it. We worry about alfalfa in the diet for both horses since they have coliced on it in the past.
Hay has been difficult to get recently, in part because of the dry conditions here in the west. However, there has been much rain and lots of snow still in the mountains of Colorado. There is hope that the drought has decreased and the forest fire season this summer will not be as bad as last year.
In my last post, I wrote about the fence project that I embarked on. So, an update is in order. The posts were put in place, and I have been slowly placing the cross pieces of the fence. For Roman’s portion of the new fence, I am putting three boards across to make it sturdier. After all, he is a big and very strong animal. I have finally purchased everything necessary to finish the fence. I just need time to work on it.
As I said, I am not finished. Still much to do. But it is very hot, and the sun above can drain the body of energy quickly. Water, and suntan lotion only go so far. I realize that I am no longer a spry youngster. After all, at age 62, I still have about 31 years left to live.
My daughter and Roman just returned from the Coconinio Horse Trials even in Flagstaff. She was very happy with their performance with this being his second event. To quote Madison, she at least finished. That means she stayed on the horse for all three events and placed a respectable 12th. If she is happy, then I am happy.
I, of course stayed home and fed Ruby, who also was very helpful when I was working on the fence. And of course, son helped some and was justly rewarded with more ROBUX to fill his video game appetite. It is July and he has not started on any of the summer projects that I dreamed up for him.
Today is the 4th of July. I noticed this year that there are many more flags being displayed than in years past. Some of this, I believe is that there have been many people moving in and out of Los Alamos. More and more of them served in the military. People becoming more patriotic? People becoming prouder to be American’s? To show their love of country? I recently read a new poll suggesting that this was NOT the case. I believe that seeing all of the insanity on TV indicates that we are more bifurcated than in years past. I blame it on the educational system in this country that is in decline. We need to fix it before it is too late.
Our country is having problems, but we have risen to the challenges in the past. To overcome, to move forward. Our better days are and will be ahead of us. I strongly believe that the other options out there are JUST PLAIN WRONG. I hope that sanity, sensibility and law and order will return soon. Sadly, too many people today just want everything handed to them. They were mistreated in the past and deserve everything for free. Hard work, is, has been and always will be what is required to advance in this world.
Today is the 4th of July. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.”
Lots of noise from the left about the rulings from the Supreme Court earlier this week. They are entitled to their opinions even though I do not agree with them. I am glad that one of the branches of government can still read and understand the words in the Constitution. If you borrow money, then pay it back. Don’t like the terms of the loan, then don’t borrow the money.
Race should not be used to decide who gets into college. Reward diversity based on the merits of the person and not the color of their skin. Often you will find that will truly provide greater diversity. And letting a person have their own opinions that do not agree with a prevailing attitude and allowing that person to exercise their own free speech is not a blow to LGBTQ rights. It reinforces one of the rights of all Americans in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As such, the meaning of today, this national holiday, lives on for another year, outside the decay of the moral fabric that is destroying our society, our way of life.
Pictures of the Declaration of Independence – Stone Engraving
This is a picture of the original Declaration of Independence. You can view it today in person in the Rotunda of the National Archives building in Washington D.C. Notice that the original Declaration is very worn and faded.
Just because the words of the original document are faded does not mean that their meanings are faded in any way. What was true over 200 years ago, still holds true today.
Well, that covers the view of my world since my last posting. With that, another week, maybe two (or three) have passed. I will return to work tomorrow, more frustrated than ever in terms of trying to do what I am paid to do. Until then, have a safe and happy 4th of July. Hope that there are lots of fireworks tonight, hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad, and that people are mindful of and respectful towards others. If we could just start with the simple things in this world. Until next time.
Well last week I wrote about the start of fire season and the fact that we were engulfed with the smoke from the Cerro Pelado fire, which started and was burning about 20 miles from us. As I left the house this morning to go to the monthly Cowboy Breakfast, the air was full of smoke and the ability to see the mountains was difficult because of the haze created by the smoke.
The smell of burnt wood was all around.
It was certainly smoky outside. After breakfast I returned home and started to prepare this weeks ramblings. Upon reviewing what I posted last week, there it was in front of me. I used the word smokey, spelled with an E, to describe what I just wrote above, which I wrote without the E. And so I wondered, what is the correct spelling or word usage? What is the correct term that I should be using?
Know I know that I am not the greatest linguist in the world. I will sometimes read my postings, especially those early on, and wonder who is the illiterate writing this. Should I go back and correct my bad English and spelling? I am constantly telling my children how it is important to learn to spell words correctly, to use words correctly in a sentence, and to be able to speak coherently. For them it is a work in progress. But for me, if I have problems, I just say that it is the CF in me. CF stands for Country Fu$&. Trying to use humor to correct my inability to speak correctly!
And so I scoured the internet in search of the correct spelling, the correct use for the word smoky, or smokey. I guess that I am not the only one who has opined about this difference in word spelling in the English language.
commented on this very matter. In last weeks post I used the wrong spelling, which I corrected above for this weeks posting. I will have to check back to the website denoted above because it looks like there are lots of great words that have different spellings that people use interchangeably, and probably use them incorrectly, just as I did.
But this wasn’t the only place that wrote about the musings of smoky versus smokey. I also cam across https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/smokey-or-smoky. The Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty) also wrote about the difference as fall fell into the western United States in September 2019. Looks like she offers lots of tips on how to write better and to project the proper use of English in speaking. I bookmarked her pages for a future visit since I find myself trying to improve my knowledge, skills and abilities. Finally, not to be outdone and not to add to the confusion, but Smokey the Bear (https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/smokey-bear) is where the proper noun comes from.
Where was I, Aah yes…It is very smoky outside at this moment because of shifting winds and warming temperatures. The Cerro Pelado fire has doubled in size in a week but is still about 15 to 20 miles from Los Alamos. They have several crews working on it and the other dozen or so fires that are burning in the state at present. A concise update of several of the fires can be found at https://www.npr.org/2022/05/01/1095812382/new-mexico-wildfire-updates
Sadly, just think of all of the air pollution that could have been not created if our government did a much better job at prevention of the fires in the first place. Granted, we are in a drought , and have been that way for a number of seasons in the southwest. Water, that which is very important to humans, has been slowly becoming less and less in the southwest over the past couple of decades. Less snow in the winter. Less rain in the summer. Monsoon season has clearly dried up over the past number of years as I have lived in New Mexico.
New Mexico and other areas across the Southwest U.S. are affected by the North American Monsoon System, as the “Monsoon Season” is designated by the period lasting from June 15th through September 30th. With the onset of the Monsoon, New Mexico is typically impacted by a variety of weather hazards that can often put the population at risk for serious injury or death. Thunderstorm frequency increases during this period, while exceptionally hot days are common as well. See the pages https://www.weather.gov/abq/prepawaremonsoonhome to become aware of the life-threatening weather hazards that affect New Mexico during the Summer Monsoon.
Not much else to comment on under the category “the week in review”. Kids are still in school. My daughter went to the prom this weekend. Gosh I feel old! Jewel is lying on the sofa next to me while I writ this post. Yesterday was the first day in weeks that I took her for a walk. We went to the vet a few weeks ago after she started limping and favoring her hind leg. And after a few week of rest, she still favors it but doesn’t appear to be in pain. I am guessing that we will have to make a return trip so as to get some x-rays to see what is really troubling her.
As for me, aside from work, I had to fix a broken fence at the stables yesterday. Ruby decided to kick the wood and essentially broke the 2 x 6 rail (photo below on the left). I was able to replace the lower rail after an hour (photo below on the right). As I get older, I notice that it gets harder to move, and as I try to do work such as this, the body aches more and more.
Needless to say, Ruby and Roman enjoyed my company, as I was able to give them horse cookies while I was there.
Ruby and Roman watching me clean up after fixing the fence. I am pretty sure that they are just looking for more cookies.
Much going on in the news over the past week. I found it very disturbing that Russia is still bombing the Ukraine. China appears to be taking their side, and yet is forging new ties with Iran. The world continues to drift towards two sides, separated by different ideologies. A separation which will only result in a death and destruction. The world remains an evil place, and I am afraid that the dogs of war are howling as time marches onward. I hope that I am wrong but I believe that I am not. The Russian leadership use the n-word, as in nuclear war and use of nuclear weapons, as if we are to shutter in fear at the mere mentioning of them. We should because neither side will gain from such an exchange. Since Russia and the United States have about 7,000 weapons pointed at each other, I think that the global annihilation of mankind is assured. And yes, China, England, France and a few other countries have about 1000 weapons as will certainly add to the destruction of planet earth.
Closer to home, the American economy if drifting towards recession, caused by inflation and supply chain issues. Yet our government fails to see the problem and relies on printing more money to solve our economic ills. I think that it is the inflation factor that still keeps me working. I was a teenager in the 70’s, when the misery index exceeded 18%. I saw my parents loose their jobs and the ills that inflation reeks on the family.
I have noticed of late that when I go out to eat, or go to the store, that I have to wait longer for service. And while the wait is longer, the service is not as good and the cost of goods and services is increasing without any restraint. Depending on where I go, a 20 oz cup of coffee is around 3 dollars, the breakfast burrito is about 7 dollars. And my splurge purchase, a Jack and Ginger was 12 dollars. Gasoline is holding at $4.29 a gallon but milk is almost 3 dollars a gallon. I went to get stamps last weekend and a roll of stamps was 58 dollars.
Yes, I still write checks to pay my bills. While you can do everything over the internet these days, you get hacked and then it is weeks, if not longer, to recover from the hack. I log onto the computer and they are always trying to save my passwords. Save my passwords on the computer. What happens when that website or that service gets hacked. No thanks, I still do it the old fashioned way. I write it down on a piece of paper that goes into a notebook.
Clearly, if I have to evacuate because of a raging fire, that notebook is at the top of my list of things to take with me. Until next time.
The air in New Mexico this past week was cloudy and smokey. There was a large forest fire burning in Arizona. We have experienced that before with the fire in one state, even as far west as California, causing poor air quality hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.
And there were fires burning in New Mexico. Last weeks post mentioned a couple of the fires burning in the state. We have fires to the east of us. Fires to the South of us. And now, a fire close to us. About 20 miles away. This one started on Earth Day…April 22, 2022. They named it Cerro Pelado. Daughter pointed it out to me when she texted this photo from the stables, where she was feeding Ruby and Roman.
Daughter texted me this photo about 4:30 looking towards the southwest. It was about that time that a alert went out stating that route 4 into the Jemez Mountains had been closed.
In 24 hours, it has grown from 50+ acres to over 4600 acres. We haven’t had rain in the area for months. We have been in a drought for years now. And the snow pack is far less than desired, as the hot weather over the past few weeks has melted most of what had collected at the higher elevations. To make things worse, it has been very windy, with daily winds above 20, sometimes gusting to 30, 40, 50 miles per hour for the past few weeks.
At this moment, there are almost a dozen fires burning across New Mexico. For all, the cause of the fire is under investigation. The prognosis is that it will be a hot, and dry, and dangerous summer.
Both kids were much younger when we had to evacuate Los Alamos due to the Las Conchas Fire in 2011. What I remember from that fire was tying my daughter’s riding horse “Spirit” onto the roof of the car because we had to save all of the animals. That fire burned over 150,000 acres. The family had evacuated for about a week to Albuquerque.
With the onset of this latest forest fire, one begins to look around the house and think about what stays and what goes if the order to evacuate is received. Lots of stuff. Lots of junk. Lots of memories. Lots of pictures taken in case the house is burned down and you file a claim with your homeowners insurance.
One hopes that sufficient notice is provided should a mandatory evacuation order be given.
Of course, its an added complication when one has to evacuate the animals. No longer can I tie the horse to the roof of the car. Now room for these two…
Checking on Roman and Ruby on April 22, 2022. This photo was taken several hours before the photo above of the latest fire. It was a very windy day and so I was concerned about the barns and the horses as the winds gusted from 20 to 30 miles per hour.
So arrangements have been made that if the evacuation order is given, we will load the horses up and take them to stables south of Santa Fe. That means hitching up the trailer, loading the horses, grabbing some bales of hay and riding stuff. In addition, the dogs, and prized possessions of the kids, valuables and other stuff. So long as there is room.
Sadly, I do not know what I would do about the fish. Fill a smaller aquarium and throw it in the back of the car?
Welcome to the start of summer 2022. It has only been spring for about a month. Should be another interesting time.
Greetings to everyone from cloudy and cold Los Alamos New Mexico. It is a cold Sunday. Earlier this week we managed to see single digit temperatures and over 8 inches of snow. The winter weather caused me to work from home for two days while road crews, work crews and whomever else had to do whatever they do in order to make roads and parking lots usable.
When I awoke last Wednesday morning at my usual time, work was on a delay and it was snowing outside. Only about 4 inches had fallen by 3 am, but it was windy and the temperature was below zero with the wind chill. Needless to say, Jewel and I had to venture out to check on the weather.
Jewel and I venture out in the cold and blowing snow
Often what I do is post pictures from these walks on Facebook so friends and coworkers who are driving from afar to work can gauge the travel conditions. Didn’t see any snow plows on our walk but there were cars. Because it was very cold, and the snow was very fine, Jewel and I were unable to finish our normal loop, as it was freezing and bothering her paws.
Looking west down Trinity Drive during the snowstorm of February 2, 2022 at 5 am.
By 6 am, it was still snowing and the wind was still blowing and the temperature was still below zero. The powers that be canceled work, or at least closed the lab for the day. Ditto with school. However, if one could telework, one should telework. The fact is that COVID has ended the snow day. If you can work from home, one can telework. If you cannot access work or do work via computer, then it is report pay. This is what we would historically call a snow day. BUT, if you could telework but didn’t want to telework, well then, that is called vacation! The kids don’t teleschool and so they just do homework on their computers, if they are not watching YouTube or playing computer video games.
I have previously mentioned that I do not like to work from home. I need to keep that separation. Well I managed to telework for about half of the day and then took the other half as vacation. Telework cuts into my productivity significantly. If it isn’t the fact that the computer connection is bad, I typically do not have certain files available, or data printed out and at my fingertips. Between the cell phone and the internet, one can work from just about anywhere.
Anyway, the snow continued to fall. I think that I posted numerous updates on my Facebook page as the snow kept falling and the wind kept blowing. Had to shovel the walk three, maybe four times throughout the day. By the evening, it was announced that school was cancelled for the second day, and the same was true with work. Yet I had too much to do and so on Thursday, February 3rd, I was working from home the entire day.
Thursday morning rolled around and after several hours of working from home, I ventured out to survey the damage. You see, if you get up early, work starts early. One doesn’t have to shower, or for that matter, get dressed. All you need is the internet, your computer, and of course, coffee. By that time I ventured out, the sun was just starting to come up. The wind was still blowing and it had stopped snowing. I measured 8 inches on the back porch. So Jewel and I took a drive to get a breakfast burrito.
Looking east driving down Trinity
Looking west driving down Trinity
In general, the roads were snow packed and icy in some spots. Side streets and many parking lots were covered in snow. Some traffic, especially at the McDonald’s drive thru was out and about as well. Chile Works, where I typically get my burrito, was not very busy. Nonetheless, my burrito certainly hit the spot. And since I typically get mine with green chile, Jewel just has to sit and watch me eat.
And the kids had no school for a second day. Of course, daughter had to go to the stables to feed Roman and Ruby. As it was still single digits outside and the wind was still blowing, one had to check and make sure that they were fine. Daughter let me know that I needed to buy our stable neighbor a bottle of whiskey. He had managed to plow the stable roads long before the county ventured out to do the same.
Daughter letting Ruby try on her winter wolf hat.
Of course, daughter needs to see if Roman likes the hat as well.
We finally received our first real snowfall of the year. We can certainly use the snow. I hope that we get more so as to reduce the drought conditions in the state, and for much of the Southwest. In my 31 years here, we have seen snow as early as October and as later as June.
I am sure that the ski hill was very popular as it was able to open. It is only 10 minutes from town. Of course Jewel does not like the deep snow and so she leaves me presents on the deck. No photographs here.
And so, by Friday, life returned to normal. The roads were plowed completely, and parking lots could accommodate both vehicles and massive piles of snow. I went to work at my usual time. Jewel was glad to rest while I was at work. The sun was out, and the snow was beginning to melt. As I get older, I find myself enjoying the cold and wind and snow less and less.
Good morning everyone. I cannot believe that it is already the final few days of January. February is just around the corner. I have been awake for several hours now. Did some light reading than rose from bed to put a load of laundry into the washing machine. This has often been my typical routine of late as I try to figure out how to spend the day and the week.
Last week I found myself on travel. Work related, having to travel back east to Savannah River for a number of meetings. As with all travel that I have done of late, it completely disrupts my routine, resulting in the addition of unnecessary pounds for myself. Found full planes and no issues, delays, COVID or weather impacts. Masks required for planes, airports and some other locations. Largely not required for eating and drinking establishments in the state of South Carolina. Yes, the source of my extra pounds. Refreshing to see this, and old colleagues, and to think that we may be returning to normal.
Kids are back to school after their bout of COVID. Daughter resumed the daily care and feeding of the horses. I worry about son and how the past two years have taken much away from him. The whole on-line learning has not been good. How are we, as parents, to reduce his screen time from video games when school is now on-line? And it is not as if they are watching a video feed of the teacher in the classroom.
As for me, I remain lucky, knowing that it is just a matter of time before I too will become sick. We are told to follow the science but it has become more about politics and less about science. As with so many things about science in the mainstream anymore. Testing appears to be difficult to find. As a nation, I think we find ourselves weary of the pandemic. In talking with people, they are ready to return to a normal life.
I have to wonder how we can talk about normal in an environment where inflation is around and is impacting the cost of everything. People will want to travel but everything costs more, or is difficult to find, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. I know that I have cut back on my spending, trying to pay my bills, pay down debt, and save more. As I prepare for retirement, I watch the daily declines in the market. I see that my children’s college fund has also taken a hit. All of that makes me think that I need to work just a little longer.
But how much longer? This weekend I said bon voyage to a coworker and friend, who has left for a change of station. We had dinner and drinks Friday night and he dropped off a few things yesterday that he would have thrown out but didn’t want to waste. A couple of fishing rods, some laundry detergent, Kleenex, coffee, green chile vodka. His plans are to endure a year, maybe two in Washington and then to retire. As for me, its 31 years 1 month and 13 days. But who is keeping track? Sadly, I will miss our Sunday morning coffee cabals, or the occasional trips to the brew pub. They were great in that it got me out of the house, if only for a few hours.
Well it is a cold and cloudy 24 in Los Alamos as I write this. Jewel hasn’t had a walk in a week. While the kids did a great job of taking care of her with the feeding twice a day and letting her out for awhile, I am sure that she too could use a stretch of the legs. And so with that in mind, I will end this post and walk the dog. Until next time, stay safe, happy reading and be kind to everyone you meet. I have some Sunday reading to wrap up, some work related work to do and yes, begin that effort in which Americans refer to as tax time.
Greetings from New Mexico. It is Sunday January 16, 2022. It is cold outside. It is early in the morning. I am trying to get into the trend of getting up early on Sunday to post. Certainly no mutant messages are being heard here. But the mutants did pay a visit.
It has been a wild week since my last post. Last week focused on the continuing COVID pandemic. I wonder if it was foreshadowing for this weeks events? Well, this week it managed to hit home. Daughter was notified about contact tracing at the high school and started feeling bad last Sunday. Everyone who I know that has been flagged by contact tracing has turned out to be positive within a few days. If you are lucky enough to get a test!
By Monday, daughter tested positive. Son tested negative but stayed home awaiting for the inevitable. By Wednesday, daughter was starting to feel no worse, son tested positive. And since they were with their mother, she too was hit with the symptoms. In all cased, it was the equivalent of a bad cold, with congestion, cough and a low grade fever. Of course, not to be outdone, their aunt in Louisiana was working through her second bout of the Chinese virus.
In all cases, everyone was fully vaccinated. The adults had the booster. What is obvious is that the vaccine, nor having the earlier mutations, does not protect you from getting the virus. However, it appears that it reduces (thus far) your symptoms and complications.
Needless to say, by the middle of the week, I was taking care of the horses, making food deliveries and keeping track of my kids from a distance. Elements of work were moving to working at home. Aside from hating it, aspects of my job simply cannot be performed at home. By the end of the week, I was still in the office every day but the Los Alamos High School and the Los Alamos Middle School returned to remote learning, and both kids had already missed almost a week of in-class education.
At this juncture, I need to pause my thoughts and go feed the horses…
Roman (on the left) and Ruby (on the right) at morning feeding.
As it has been getting in the low 20’s here at night, the horses need to have blankets. Roman is still confined to a smaller paddock area months after his surgery. Daughter was riding him on the Saturday before she fell ill. Ruby, who spends her days starring at the neighboring stables and horses, and goats, and donkeys, likes it when I feed her because I always have cookies to greet her.
As you can see, there remains some snow in the background of the photos. We had some several weeks ago but it is slowly melting. We clearly need more, much more in order to recover from the drought that has hit the state, and much of the southwest over the past few years.
…What I thought was going to be a brief pause for feeding turned out to be almost 12 hours. I went and fed the horses. Then I went for my usual Sunday morning coffee at Starbucks. My friend and coworker managed to return from Florida late last week. Almost a week later than he normally planned, but air travel experienced a number of flight cancellations over Christmas, New Years, and into early January. After coffee, I managed to run a few errands and returned to the stables to move some hay.
It turned out to be a beautiful day with temperatures in the middle 40’s. Moved hay and took Ruby for a walk. Her, and my first real exercise outside in months. Fed the horses dinner and then tended to myself.
Ruby was all excited when I grabbed her halter to take her for a walk.
So we managed to walk the outer loop at the stables, which is over a mile. She was thirsty when we returned, as she started to eat the snow. I have never seen a horse eat snow.
Ruby eating snow after our walk.
We also managed to see Roman, who was outside on such a great day. We caught him lying down, sunning himself and taking a nap. As I said, he is still taking it easy after his surgery. And with his rider out with COVID, not much for him to do. He finally got up and we were able to snap a good picture of him.
Up close with Roman.
So the end of the week was very different than normal. I spent it outside with the horses, doing a bit more than just feeding them. While I do not ride, maybe someday I could learn. At least I had fun spending time with them. Here is to the kids getting better, me keeping from getting sick, and to the horses. Until next time. Much to be done.
Here it is, January 2022. Another year older as I approach my 61st year on Planet Earth. I didn’t make any New Years resolutions. In the past, I would make resolutions in the new year but always found that it didn’t help and I didn’t keep any of them after a few weeks anyway. And when I would make a resolution, it was always the same. Lose weight. Exercise more. Strive to be better, or to be more outgoing. Relax and smell the roses, or whatever else I think might work to change my being.
I don’t think this year will be any different…
Winter snow…January 1, 2022
We started the new year with several inches of snow. I can remember years where we have had more and I can remember years where we have had less. This morning, I awoke to a tad more snow and single degree temperatures outside. It certainly has been a few years since I can last remember it being that cold outside.
It has been a very relaxing week off. I didn’t do a thing related with work. I completely unplugged. Didn’t think about it very much. Didn’t log in to check e-mail. Didn’t check my phone for messages as I pretty much turned it off for the week.
And now tomorrow, the rat race resumes. It will be 2022. A new year that will be more of the same.
Spent the past week watching football games, reading, caught an occasional new show on Netflix. Managed to pound out a few more pages in Atlas Shrugged. Managed to review my investments and planned for the next week, month, year, decade and century. More of the same. Steady as she goes.
The other day I found myself listening to some old Bob Dylan tunes. By old, I mean the stuff that constitutes his first five albums. I was inspired to do that because I had just finished watching the Martin Scorsese picture “No Direction Home”. I always try to understand the lyrics. What do they mean? I even dusted off my copy of “Bob Dylan. The Story Behind Every Track. All the Songs”. A rather heavy book, comprising over 700 pages, hardbound, that I bought myself as a Christmas present an number of years ago for my coffee table. It now sits on the bookcase.
I guess I do things like that to keep the mind active. Didn’t come up with any new revelations but it was an interesting way to spend an afternoon.
I just left Jewel out. It’s 15 degrees outside and there is snow on the ground, including the back deck. What does this mean…she will quickly go outside and do her business on the deck and immediately want in. Doesn’t like the snow and the cold weather. I cannot blame her. Texted daughter to check in and see how Roman and Ruby are this cold morning. Last night was cold and windy. No wind now and the sun is out.
Haven’t seen much of the kids since Christmas eve. For them, school resumes January 5. Just checked and thus far, the spike in COVID cases hasn’t changed the resumption of in school learning. That said, I am troubled by the bold statement “…it is more important than ever to keep your children home if they are sick, have a fever, or show any symptoms of COVID…All absences will be excused…” Odd since we followed that requirement last semester and received a letter from the school district regarding son and him being out with unexcused absences. In today’s world, you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
I really hope that this year we downgrade the pandemic of COVID to something that allows us to return to normal. Unfortunately, it has become too politicized and another talking point that divides us as a country.
I am saddened by the fires in Colorado. Parts of places that I visited 10 to 20 years ago have been burned. A small fire by today’s standard (< 10,000 acres), but almost 1000 homes destroyed in urban areas. Between the high winds and how dry it was in Colorado, in December. But with winds in excess of 90 mph, glowing embers will spread and I guess anything can catch fire under those forces of Mother Nature. I have twice evacuated my home because of wildfires. I have seen the destruction, but have never experienced it. I was glad to see that the fire was miles away from the Rocky Flats site.
Most of the Christmas decorations have been taken down and put away. The ones that remain are outside. Buried in the snow. Looks like the wind is picking up. I will get to those soon. The dining room table is still clear of clutter. As for the rest of the house, not so much. Guess that is something that I can work on this year.
I noticed that for calendar year 2021 that I posted only 15 times, down from 20 in 2020. and that I had 184 visitors in 2021. So I guess that I can strive to do better. The trend over the last three years has been to the downside, both in terms of posts, visits and visitors. So maybe that can be my resolution for the new year, strive to post more often. Maybe I need to work on the content. More pictures? Write around a theme?
Happy Holidays everyone. I trust you all had a warm and Merry Christmas. And now your thoughts turn ahead to the new year. I certainly hope for COVID to be gone in the new year. I found myself up at my usual time today and practiced my same routine: shower, get dressed, make coffee, and take the dog for a walk.
Outside it is cold and windy. There is some snow on the mountains above Los Alamos and Santa Fe. And there is snow in the forecast for today. As I sit writing this post, I noticed that the sun is shining outside.
For me it was a very uneventful Christmas. I believe that this was the first time that I had the kids stay over on Christmas eve. It has been a short 9 years (give or take) since the divorce. My first Christmas in awhile that I did not awake alone in this quiet house.
And so we awoke Christmas day to open presents and then feed the horses. As I have in past years, son and I put the tree up about 14 days before Christmas. For the past 5 years we have always put the tree in the same place. Unfortunately, this causes us to displace the dogs bed, which causes confusion with Jewel. She thinks that she is somehow in trouble and it clearly upsets her visibly.
The tree…and the stockings. Christmas 2021.
I certainly go for the minimalist look at Christmas time in terms of lights and decorations. Especially outside where this year I think that it was bells, a wreath, some canes with lights and an inflatable Grinch (my personal favorite). Of course, nothing brings yuletide greetings better than a visit to the local Starbucks for some coffee…
A lazy Sunday before Christmas.
Christmas is always another time for me to practice Chemistry. This year was Herb-Garlic crusted prime rib, a roasted Honey-root vegetable medley, baked potatoes, fruit cocktail and ice cream. The kids enjoyed the food, as did I, in terms of the preparing as well as the consuming.
Prime Rib on Christmas Eve 2021.
On Christmas day, we awoke to a cold and windy day, with some kids sleeping in until 7 am. Presents were opened, and I find it interesting to note that the kids actually had a theme for this year in terms of the gifts that they got me…
They try to get me to tell them which one is my favorite!
Hopefully it will be a quiet week. Had thought long and hard about going somewhere but looking at the inability to get travel arrangements on airplanes and the spike in COVID made that an easy decision.
Thinking that maybe I’ll spend the week cleaning up around the house, and do some reading. Not feeling too inspired or wanting to get out.
Looked at the postings over the year. Yes my son has changed clothes and although he is wearing the same shirt at Christmas Ever dinner as he did at Thanksgiving dinner, I can say he was delighted that school was out for a couple of weeks. Daughter is finally able to ride Roman and they both are starting a conditioning regime. So that has her smiling of late.
As for me…another year is winding down. I am still reading Atlas Shrugged, but I might work on that this week. I survived another year at work, but I am pretty sure that this will be my last. Managed to purchase some additional Made in the USA blue jeans, and now I am looking to get some shoes and dress shirts.
Oh how I wish that I posted more this year. Alas, I did not. Clear that as I ponder the postings, I see that my life revolves around work, horses, kids and the dog. I certainly think about a great many thing, but few of those thoughts actually get posted here. Most of my political rants get posted on Facebook, often after reading about things on a variety of web sites.
It’s Monday and so I’ll spend some time looking for investment ideas for the new year. Themes to put my savings so that they may grow at a rate greater than the inflation that the year had brought upon us. It is now over $50 to fill the gas tank, which is up 20% since this time last year.
I can feel it in the air. The morning air has a bit of a chill. The leaves already have a tinge of orange color in them. College football occupies the weekends. It isn’t getting into the mid 80’s in the afternoon like it did just a few weeks ago. And friends on Facebook have already posted photos of snow in the mountains of Colorado.
As for me, it has been 43 days since my last posting. Much has happened with myself and the clan since the last positing.
As a nation, we remembered the tragedy of September 11. My son turned another year older. My daughter got another horse. The horse went down with colic, had surgery and is on the slow road to recovery. Stall rest for at least 3 months.
Welcome Roman…aka License to Thrill.
For me, it was long hours at work. Work continues to just be bad. I no longer want to be there. I was going crazy and needed a break.
In some ways, we were still being locked out of normal because of COVID. That also was taking its toll on my mental and physical psyche.
The positive happening during these past 43 days was that I had enough and took a much needed vacation. I was obviously going crazy. The stress was just getting to me and I needed to get away. Thinking back, except for short excursions over a weekend, a few days here and there, I really had not had a true vacation in years.
It was long overdue.
So I left. I hoped on an airplane and went for a trip. Went back east to the garden state of New Jersey. I enjoyed some of the best food New Jersey has to offer…
Something that just is not available in New Mexico.
I got to see some old friends…
Yes it is a Friday night high school football game. My college roommates son was playing.
Odd that I flew to New Jersey, only to drive to Pennsylvania to watch a high school football game. Priceless!
And I got to listen to some great music…
Yes. I was able to catch Pearl Jam after three years (along with 35000 other people), and spend an evening with The Smashing Pumpkins. Outstanding performances by both. Not to mention other performances spanning several musical genre. It was great music…in a great location…
on the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
It was a good substitute for the Telluride Brews and Blues Festival. Beer, music, food. What more could I ask for? I was able to get out, see the ocean, see the beach, and relax.
I also managed to visit some other interesting places in New Jersey as I drove along the ocean…
I have always had a thing about lighthouses.
Sun, good food, a good book and relaxation. Yes I am still trying to finish reading Atlas Shrugged after all these years. It was a memorable trip, one that I will have to make again. It was great to reconnect with some old friends, whom I thank for taking the time out of their busy schedules to enjoy food and conversation, even if it was a brief moment.
And if this trip served as a prelude for retirement, then I am there.
TheMcKeeSpot. 