Tag: daughter

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life the week in review

Early January 2025. What will the new year bring?

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!

Until next time.

Categories
Family life

Another end of the year is upon us

I can’t believe that 2024 will soon be over and 2025 will be upon us. I will soon be another year older. I will be 64. I am entering what I often refer to as my third act on this planet. Sadly, I am still working. But, I am pretty sure that this will be my last. As I no longer enjoy it, I am finding getting up every day a difficult task. The reasons that I worked so hard are gone. The enjoyment I once felt is just no longer there.

Wow! Thanksgiving came and went. And in typical fashion, I spent the day doing chemistry, creating yet another tasty meal. One thing that I have

learned over the years is that cooking might be easier if I have the proper tools. Must have been the wine that got me through the day. So for Christmas, I splurged and bought myself all new pots and pans for cooking. That certainly came in handy when I cooked the Christmas day meal. Over the years, I have found that I certainly let food dictate elements

of my life. Certainly a possibility for when I retire is to combine food with travel, besides other themes.

I also found myself more in the Christmas spirit this year. I do not know why! I decorated both inside and outside the house compared to other

years. Pretty sure that I was not dreaming of a White Christmas. After all, how many people celebrate Christmas with a display that includes an inflatable Grinch. Added a few new nutcrackers to the collection and the kids got me a new ornament for the tree.

I sit here this Sunday morning. I am enjoying my first cup of coffee. The mug was made by my daughter. I am also savoring a Nonna Randazzo’s King Cake from New Orleans. This delicious treat is a Christmas gift from my sister. Son got me a coffee roaster and beans that I will soon have to

try. And I have always wondered if one can grow coffee beans in New Mexico? An entrepreneurial twist to retirement? If anything, I certainly need to get to Mardi Gras sometime.

Having wrapped up a weeks vacation over Christmas. Getting ready for a second weeks vacation over New Years. Not much planned with the kids off from school and home. Roman stayed behind in Colorado for daughter’s Christmas break from college. The weather has been great. It is getting into the upper 40’s during the day. There is no sight of snow on the horizon. I have found myself sleeping in until 6am instead of my normal 3am start of the day. Soon the sun will be up, expected to reach the low 50’s today. Will take Jewel out for her morning walk shortly. As the year ends, trust all is well with everyone. Soon 2025 will be upon us. Let’s hope that it is a better year than the last.

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ramblings of a madman

Embracing Change: Autumn Reflections, Family Updates, and Thoughts on the Future

Glancing at the clock, I noticed it’s already 11 am Mountain Standard Time. This morning, I had the luxury of sleeping in, waking up to the delightful prospect of having a day entirely to myself. It’s been some time since I last experienced a day like this, although the thought has crossed my mind more often lately.

In the past, this weekend would have marked the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival. It’s been quite some time since I last attended—sixteen years, if I recall correctly. Nevertheless, I’ve visited Telluride twice since then, the most recent being in 2016 for a special two-night performance by Neil Young. It remains one of my favorite destinations, and I’m due for a return visit.

The reason I mention this is that autumn is upon us. The days and nights have grown cooler recently. There’s a distinct scent in the air, and the trees are starting to display their autumnal hues. There’s still a lot I need to accomplish before the cold sets in. I’m eager to go camping before the end of the year.

Recently, I had a conversation with my daughter about the significance of reading and writing. She was completing an assignment for her class, and I took the opportunity to review it and provide some feedback. It was refreshing to see her write about a topic beyond horses. Her horse, Roman, has accompanied her back to college, which means my routine visits to the stables for feeding are paused. The stables require some repairs, but there’s nothing on the agenda for this weekend. My son celebrated his birthday recently, and the week-long festivities wrapped up with a dinner at his favorite steakhouse in Santa Fe. I wish I had more opportunities to interact with them.

Yesterday, I enjoyed a long morning walk with Jewel, but not today. However, I did manage to step out this morning for a Starbucks coffee. Afterwards, I made my rounds in town, dropping off mail at the post office and paying the county utility bill by placing my envelope in the free drop-off box. With October approaching, my gas, electric, water, and sewage bills are set to increase by several dollars each month. I still adhere to writing checks and mailing payments. Yes, this means occasionally visiting the Post Office for stamps. Society has undergone significant changes with modern technology. Yet, it remains crucial, even for a hermit like myself, to venture out and engage with people. I believe the diminishing of face-to-face interactions is one of the factors driving our division in this nation.

And here is another thing that is clearly dividing us. Thinking about the next election as my phone sounds regarding yet another text message asking for donations. I have been donating this year to numerous House, Senate and the Presidential race this year. This election is just too important for the future of our country. Kamala and the Communists must be removed from power. It is that simple. If you want a nation that has a chance to provide a better future for our children. The decision is simple Yes, I am thinking about my son and daughter. It is this important.

How I long for the days of Ronald Reagan. BTW, great movie if you haven’t seen it yet.

And I do not expect it to be a clean and fair election. The democrats, with their supporters in the media, unions, and government, will be pulling out all of the stops. They aim to cheat and steal this election. Please tell me why voting has to start in some places tomorrow, a full month BEFORE election day. What checks are there in mailing a ballot? It does not require proof regarding who sent it. It also does not require proof of who filled it out. This is just wrong! Our nation is based upon one person, one vote. And before you speak, illegals do not qualify.

And the illegals are lining up. And the cemeteries are emptying their dead. They are choosing to use mail in ballots. The ballots will be sent to drop boxes. No signature or date or proof of citizenship required. alive or dead. And let us be clear. The illegals need to be rounded up, arrested and deported.

For myself, this election is simple. It is based upon my beliefs surrounding rugged individualism. You will not be taking my guns. You will not be weaponizing the government. You will not be relying on endless wars to feed your plans to destroy this republic. You will not be taking my hard-earned monies from my current and future employment. You will not be taking my hard-earned monies from my current and future investments. You will not be taking my hard-earned monies from my children! Your sick policies have increased the deficit, and you cannot solve this problem through inflation. And damn, please follow the science. We the people, are going to triumph this November and return the government BACK TO THE PEOPLE.

Closer to home, I have noticed a change in myself. Actually, I have been noticing it very much of late. And it is a change for the better. I am spending more time on myself, less time for work and other things. I think it is clear that I am getting close to a retirement date. I am only working my defined hours, and not working longer for nothing. The laboratory had an opportunity to correct its past injustices towards me but chose to not to do so. I am done giving. I am thinking about what comes next for myself.

To that end, I am reading more in the evenings. I now actually spend more time in the morning reading my online subscription to the Wall Street Journal. I have subscribed to Substack. I have found some very interesting reading there. I’m nearly prepared to sever the cable TV connection and exclusively stream the content I wish to view. It’s all about saving money and advancing things that I want and need. Many books go unread from my travels. I am enjoying music once again. I dusted off that old acoustic guitar and bought a how to play the guitar book. And I have been working on more posts for this blog. Let’s hope that I can follow through and post.

Well, I think I’ll end it here for this post. I should have posted this about an hour ago, but I have been playing with the AI features available. I have some housecleaning to do, stuff to read. Preparations for the week ahead, etc, etc, etc. Until next time. God bless.

Categories
Family

well its almost Labor Day

I find myself up early this morning, Sunday, September 1. Tomorrow is Labor Day and it still remains one of the holiday’s that we actually still get as a paid day off.

I personally wish that they would make the election day a holiday so people would vote. Democracy can be fragile without participation by the people who it is supposed to represent. And while this election is probably the most important to a long while, I fear for our fragile republic and its future. The world remains and evil place. Lawlessness is up in our country and there is clearly one choice if we want America to continue.

On most days I get up early, usually around 3am to get ready for work. It’s a routine that includes some morning reading and taking Jewel for a walk. She likes the ritual of about a 1000 steps around the block. But by the weekend, I find myself awake at 3, if not earlier but tend to lie in bed until 4, maybe 5, and sometimes 6am before I get up to start the day.

Religiously, I am in bed by 9pm. However, there are times when I find myself falling asleep on the sofa before that time…

But this isn’t a post of my daily sleep habits. It is probably more that I found myself on the computer and needed to swage my guilt for not writing much this year. And if you check, it has been many months since I last posted here. It was May 5th to be exact. I have thought that I’d find some time, just about every weekend, to post something. Alas, I have not. In my last post, I wrote that my daughter and her horse were returning from college. Well they returned for the summer, and have returned to college for her sophomore year. And not to be outdone, my son has been about a month into his junior year in high school.

Oh to be young and carefree again…

As for I, well I am now 63 and wrapping up my 34th year of employment. I certainly don’t believe that I will continue working past December but still, I wonder if I actually will pull the trigger and retire.

It’s not that I have a complete picture as to the future, but I am sure that I cannot continue working very much longer. Management sucks and therefore work sucks. The small victories that keep me moving along are few and far between. I need to feel progress. I need to see progress. Putting in the long hours, only to see very little in return is very damaging to my psyche. I mentally cannot take much more of it.

Sadly, I still work more hours than I am paid. How foolish is that!

I describe my mental base at work as a sort of PTSD because it is actually debilitating in many ways…

It’s not like I have detailed plans for after the daily work effort ends. I have some ideas about things to do to keep my mind and my body active. I’m just not sure if it will keep me active seven days a week. After all, one can only read so much, walk so far, work at the stables so long, plan for and invest in the future.

In planning space for retirement, I have planned for at least another 30 years…

And then I think about travel, I think about where I would go, camping, fishing, hiking. Places to go. People to see. I believe that I still have much to offer, and much more to do. And then I think about my kids and the fact remains, their future will probably NOT be better than the future my parents left for me. It is those thoughts that make me think about working longer, making more money, investing for their future.

But I’ll figure it out…

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life Uncategorized

A Return from the Unknown

When I logged in this morning, I was shocked to see that my last post was on October 15, 2023. There I said that there has been change in my life. But as I start typing this post, it has been about eight months since I last updated the world on my comings and goings.

It was the Rush drummer Neil Peart who said that “the more things change, the more they remain the same”. However, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The More Things Change may refer to:

The internet cannot even provide a clear answer as I was able to find many articles on the phrase, whether it is in English, or in French. I still attribute my introduction to the phrase from the song “Circumstances” by Rush, since they sang the words in both English and French.

Today is early May. I have been up for awhile and went to the stables early to get ready for the return of Roman. After a semester at college with my daughter, he , and she, is coming home for the summer. I think the horse has been goof for my daughter to help her navigate the emotional ups and downs of college but we will see how she handled the coursework.

Son has about another month of high school. This year has been better with less absences, less bullying, but also less focus on the work. I am concerned as to what summer will bring for him. We shall see, but I hope that we can spend more time outdoors than in years past.

As for I, I continue to work but contemplate retirement multiple times a day. After all, it has been over 33 years, and I recently celebrated the 34th anniversary of turning 29 years old. That which was great about working at Los Alamos is no more. And it has been broken for a number of years. It has, in my opinion, become poorly managed in so many ways. It is not sustainable.

As summer comes, I see two planned outings in which I will cross paths with Pearl Jam. Vacation travel is planned as part of these outings and perhaps represent a view of my post retirement gig. Aside from some weekend hiking and car camping, working to rebuild the stables will be much of my effort.

Perhaps a few other trips are in the offing, as I see how the year will round itself out. And I see that we have an election in the fall. Our nation cannot stand another 4 weeks, let alone, another four years of Joe Biden. He and the rest of the democrats in government should be impeached, imprisoned and tried for treason against the constitution. The left are destroying our nation that so many have fought and died for, and that others continue to see as a better place.

However, I am not sure who I can vote for as the other side of the equation is not much better. And the other parties offer more of the old. Lock and load as the nation is falling apart. Looks like we will have another summer of lawlessness and protests that lack a proper moral direction.

Until next time, and lets hope that it isn’t as long as this time.

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Family Uncategorized

Change

Yes, it has been several months since my last post. I admit that I am lazy. It isn’t the thought that I don’t have ideas to expound upon, or that I don’t have time. I am lazy, or at least that is what I said in a recent survey as I logged into to write this post.

Much of my life has changed since that last post. I still work but think more and more about retirement. Since that last post, I have taken two weeklong vacations, in what has been about three months. Oddly enough, both were trips back east. No procrastination there. Planned weeks, even months in advance, budgeted and paid for.

Daughter has been off to college now for a little over two months. That was some time away from work. Of course, we had to make some fun time for son so that he wasn’t left out of this life changing event for all of us. To accommodate this change, I assumed the morning duties for feeding the horses (soon to be only the horse, but more about that change in a moment). This didn’t cause a significant change in my schedule, as I was always awake early. Just less time to procrastinate getting ready for work.

Of course, son is now 16 and the fact that his older sister is not around, introduces change in his life and how he handles school, work around the house, etc.

My first trip was planned for late August through early September as a return trip to New Jersey. The purpose was to catch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band playing at the Meadowlands. And while I was there, connected with my friend from college and visited places that I checked out when I was there two years ago for Pearl Jam and the Sea Hear Now concert festival.

So here it is. I offer you Change, in pictures…

I originally planned to see the September 3 show, but, as fate had it, and luck on the part of my friend, managed to see the September 1 show as well. Some overlap in the song selection, but well worth the added expense of the extra ticket.

All I can say is that when I am 73, which is over a decade away, I hope that I look that great and can move that well. Outstanding performance. Played all of the old stuff, some newer things, and after 3 hours for each performance, I was happy to have been there.

And in typical nerd fashion, I also went to the beach, if only for a little while. No swimming, but sand and surf. No shorts. No tan. Just some quiet, barefoot in the sand and water. Water was warm but there were no lifeguards and so there was no swimming. Some people just relaxing in chairs.

The second trip, which just concluded a few days ago, was for Fall break. The local school has changed the calendar here and now has more breaks as they take longer to complete the school year. In this case, we took son to New York City for the week.

Ate too much food, visited the 9 11 Monument and Museum (right when they had their first pool jumper) and the MET, to name a few places (besides shopping). All illustrated in the photos below…..

Yes, I left New Mexico to see Native American Pottery in addition to the silver pottery from the middle 1700’s from America.

LEGO Steve from the New York City trip. One of the few souvenirs that I purchased. The other was a replica of the Wall Street Bull, and some books from a real bookstore.

Along the way, there were a few smaller trips. Took daughter to college, went to Amarillo (for work) but had a field trip to the Cadillac Ranch. All captured in pictures…

The picture above is the family, walking to our cars to say goodbye after we dropped daughter off at college. She is in Colorado so it’s only a seven-hour drive.

I painted the Zia on the car at the Cadillac Ranch. Found it interesting that there is so much paint on each car. Doubt that it is there should I return after a few months.

And finally, we said goodbye to Ruby, who left for a retirement ranch in southern Colorado, only 6 hours from here. I end this post with some photos of packing Ruby up for the trip.

And just like that…she was gone. Roman misses her very much and so we have had to spend some time consoling him. Our last report indicates that she has made friends and loves the open fields of the ranch.

Until next time.

Categories
Family life

Is it May already?

I cannot believe that we have entered the month of May. Allergies are bothering me to the point where I need to take the usual drugs in order to get through the day. The first several months of this year have just flown on by. We have already passed Cinco De Mayo. I have had another birthday, 62, and find myself still working. March flew by like a lion. The weather is starting to improve, yet a couple of weeks ago we had snow. Soon it will be summer, and the kids will be out of school for the summer.

Tis a typical Sunday that I find myself up somewhat early. Having tea and breakfast. Laundry is done. The dog is fed. Need to take some items to the recycling bins (glass and cardboard boxes). Vacuum cleaner needs to be run; a general spring cleaning is necessary. Yard needs to be cleaned up, especially since Jewel uses it a lot. Virginia creeper runs amuck along the once fence. If I don’t thin it out, it grows across the canopy of trees and slowly kills them. My backyard is a mess that is in need of some revitalization. I think about it every year but never really get any backyard project started. Yet it is time to plant the tomatoes in the deck box.

Ditto with the projects at the stables. Some of the wood in the buildings needs to be replaced. The wind can blow quite excessively, causing damage. The fence needs replaced in areas; a good coat of paint would improve the aesthetics of the place. Alas, soon it will be time to cut the grass, bail hay for the horses, and in general, try to keep up with the chores.

Soon I will find myself at the high school graduation. I cannot believe my little girl is 18 and a senior. Seems like it was just yesterday when she was doing little girl things. Where did the time fly? Soon it will be off to college and then taking care of the horses while she is away. Son will have wrapped up a very difficult freshman year. What will we have him do this summer?

This summer, I have taken a vow of sorts to do things that I want to do. Camping and other weekend getaways. Get to the gun range and target practice. Hiking and yes, some fishing. I want to sit under a tree and read books, to go to fancy restaurants, waste hours in bookstores, drink wine and visit microbreweries. Long weekend trips to visit friends, museums, art galleries.

Some of the planning is coming together for summer concerts. Robert Plant and Alison Kraus in Taos, Bruce Spingsteen and The E Street Band, and perhaps even Pearl Jam.

Yet I need a new iPhone, put the car into the garage, what else?

Well it’s a nice day and so I might as well see what I can accomplish. Until next time.

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Uncategorized whatever

In the aftermath of COVID

I submit that we have returned to near normal after the past three years of COVID. That does not mean that it is gone. It is still out there, lurking in the shadows of everyday life as another virus that can interfere with us. I am hopeful that we have learned something as a society in the aftermath of COVID, but I am afraid not.

I was on travel the other week for work. Airplanes and airports are very busy. I am afraid that this is a simple fact that we have more people than our country can support, as much as it is of a return to near normal. Anyway, when I got to my work travel location, I was informed that a coworker had tested positive for COVID and was home. Of course, I, sitting in an office across the country, heard this and had to wonder if I too was going to test positive, get sick, or contribute to a new outbreak. As you see, as I was being told this, I wasn’t really feeling 100%. But I was on travel, and I always feel bad for a couple days after being locked up for hours in an airplane. It goes without saying but I always get ill after air travel. They claim that they have micropore filters and that they clean after every flight and that all is well. Doesn’t matter, I still get sick.

However, in my case, it turned out to not be COVID. The pollen count was up from the pine trees. Some loratadine and Flonase and I was back to my old self. And to be safe, a few COVID tests confirmed that I was not a walking typhoid Mary.

Conversely, my son missed most of February due to a sinus infection. It lingered for about four weeks after first not getting any antibiotics, to getting the wrong antibiotics, to just missing so much school and homework that he was suffering. Yet he didn’t have COVID either, although we had to test him multiple times for strep, RSV, COVID and the flu.

But it is still around. It will be with us forever they say. Biden still has all of the emergency aspects in place that were around with COVID. Pretty sure that he would try to spend billions more in COVID emergency aid if he could. The truth is now the subject of hearings, as to its origins. Perhaps they will have hearings as to how drugs were brought to market so fast, as the real complications of the vaccines emerge.

In my annual physical with my primary doctor, he had asked if I had all my COVID boosters. I said no. I had the original two shots, the 3rd shoot (the booster after the fact) but that I did not have the new COVID vaccine cocktail. I asked why since I managed to get COVID anyway. His response was that it probably wasn’t as severe, as I have a couple of health matters that would put me at higher risk, it would be advantageous. I argued natural immunity. In the end, we agreed to disagree. I keep looking for the data just to see how well things are since we have had inoculated millions, including myself. What health effects will we see down the road?

I’m guessing that the concept of masks will be with us forever. Every time I go to the hospital, I am required to wear a mask. The COVID aftermath created new litter that I see along the road, in the parking lots, all over. The mask! Whether it is cloth, KN95, something else, it now represents additional trash produced by our society and discarded without abandoned.

As we had mask, antibiotic, food and other shortages for basic good as they are no longer manufactured in this country, I would hope that we invest in returning the basic manufacturing needs for everyday life in this country. I’m not saying that we should make toasters, but there are things that we still experience shortages because of the supply chain.We go for the cheap but fail to understand the costs when we are without. They can be significant. Antibiotics is a key one. How many people would stay ill, or get worse, or die if we didn’t have access to antibiotics? I understand that we don’t make many of these drugs today here. We have drug shortages for many drugs important to our daily lives. The only drug that appears to be in unlimited supply and has Chinese origins is Fentanyl. We can thank Joe Biden for that!

As for now, both my son and I want to lose that extra weight that I attribute to COVID. The inability to go out and about, the daily sitting, has contributed to our individual BMI’s. As daughter got out every day to feed the horses, she didn’t suffer as much as we did.

However, the consequences of the COVID aftermath are all around us. Closed restaurants and other businesses that we enjoyed and shopped at; long lines in those places that remained open as there are fewer people to support the business. Lines are longer, waits are more. Shortages still exist as some of the isles in the grocery store remain baren. Small business is critical to towns and society. Sadly, our society continues to rot away. A frayed moral fabric continues to show our decline. Less civility has been replaced with more senility.

The tear of our social fabric is long and deep and will be with us longer than the mutations of COVID. I really do not care where it came from, although I believe more in the lab-leak theory. One of the lingering issues from the COVID years is that many conspiracy theories have turned out to be closer to the truth than the fake media wants you to believe! I do care as to whether it was natural or created by man and accidentally released. More to the point, what are we going to do to keep that from happening in the future.

The world is comprised of evil despots who want to destroy us. It would be nice if we could live together.

The whole inflation situation that we find ourselves in today, I am afraid, will be with us for a long while. I believe that the two separate issues of inflation and the COVID support are tied together. Free money allowed people the opportunity not to work. Yet, now that there is no more free money, where are all of the workers? They all did not retire. They all did not die or develop a health condition that keeps them from working. Did the free money allow people to unleash their rugged individualism? Allow them to develop self-sustaining farms? Unleash millions in investments so that work was no longer required? In all cases, the free ride that America has taken, since before COVID and continues to this day, is a bill that will soon be coming due. I am afraid that it will get worse before it gets better.

Sadly, our children suffered. They suffered way too much. Issues associated with their mental health are increasing. They lost critical educational years of school but will probably not be noticed given how bad the American educational system has become. Sadly, yet another indicator of our declining society. Yet another aspect of the simple truth that we are not leaving our country and our world, in a better place than what we inherited. I wonder, and I worry how bad things will become for my children.

Categories
life

The Return

Hello Everyone. It has been over six months since my last post. It wasn’t that I lost interest. It was due to the death of my computer. My desktop, and all of those files were rendered unretrievable because of a failure of the disc drive. All my pictures. All my tax returns. All my things in the electronic age were lost. My son and daughter lost years of games. Yes, I know better and should have had backup. Live and learn…or maybe it is fate telling me that it is necessary to start over. Let’s go with that!

Earlier this week I recovered from the problem. Partially. I bought myself an early Christmas present in that I got a new computer. I was excited when it arrived. Now I struggle because I need to figure out how to set it up with what I want. I hope that I can take the old hard drive somewhere, somehow, and recover the files, but we will save that for another time.

Much has transpired since last I commented on TheMcKeeSpot. Let’s spend a few minutes and get everyone up to speed. Can’t you see how excited Jewel is…

My last post was the latest update of the Cerro Pelado fire. It was pressing close to town, and we were in the early stages of preparation to evacuate. Well that never happened. The fire crews were able to stem the tide and the fire was soon contained and a return to normal happened. I actually traveled through the fire area near Jemez Springs a few weeks ago on the back road to Los Alamos. Many trees scarred and lands burned. A beautiful fall day in the mountains of Northern New Mexico.

Late June brought travel and the subsequent return to another sense of normalcy…travel. And so, I traveled for work. And so, I returned, then spent three weeks recovering from COVID. Yes, despite getting the original vaccine, its follow-up, and then a booster, I entered the ranks of over half of the country and got COVID. It was three days of pure hell, between the 103-degree fever and massive headache, followed by three weeks of testing positive, lethargic and brain fog. And then it was done, and I returned to normal.

During the whole time, my evening taste test of bourbon did not fail me. I could taste it every night. So, I did not lose my taste, or smell. As summer turns into fall and soon winter will be upon us, one has to wonder if the return of COVID, the flue, or something else will transcend life as I know it?

The summer months were spent between work, and the occasional visit with the kids. Daughter turned 18 in July and her brother 15 in September.

They are both in high school. Where did the time go? Daughter is looking for college possibilities and has already been accepted into a couple. And they only accepted her and not the horses. She is still riding, but not as much as in the past. Both Roman and Ruby are doing well. Son continues to play video games, gripe about schoolwork, and has limited extra curricula activities.

September also found me travelling again, both for work and a trip to Bourbon and Beyond. Now who could not enjoy four days of food, drink and music. I had a great time getting away from here.

Outside work, nothing to really to report. I am still working. Jewel and I spend quiet evenings after work, reading or whatever needs to get done, as illustrated in the photo above. Soon I will be wrapping up my 32nd year. I am ready for retirement but with the Biden economy in the toilet, my kid’s college funds have lost over half their value. As a country, we had an election which failed to result in a change since over 70%, myself included, felt that the country was heading in the wrong direction. Our country is in decline. Our world is gravitating closer to war. I am afraid for what tomorrow will bring.

Sadly, I believe that this generation will inherit a country, a world, that is not better off than the previous generation.

More to come.

Categories
the week in review

It’s seven o’clock on a Sunday Morning.

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.