A Year of Change

Due to the rain, the kids make shift Prom is tonight. While that’s going on I’ll be headed to James for some MMA fight, grilled rabbit that Luca is making and some fun with 7 other guys. I’ll make sure to social distance! I was going down to Denver today but am getting a clear bra put on Lori’s car Tuesday so I’ll wait until then. No point in going twice.

I cleaned out the cupboards yesterday and have a bunch of food boxed by the front door and a few bags for the Salvation Army. I’ll try to drop those today. I’ve also been working on the garage and I’m also getting down in the basement today. No way I’ll finish but I’m starting.

It’s nice this morning and going to get warmer over the next few days. Things are getting green up here which is nice. Both boys are starting on their rooms today too. That’s it, kind of a nothing else to say day. Be well and God Bless.

Tonight Chloe and Zoe are staging some sort of Prom outside of school for a small group of friends. I don’t know much about it but do know that Ty has to have all his school work in before he can go. Jag I think can kind of float for the next week.

Yesterday I headed to Denver to pick up some storage containers so we can pack up some more stuff. I need to tackle the garage first. I also have a management call this morning to determine what pay cuts to put in for June for our people. They’ll be a lot smaller than the first round of cuts but still won’t be fun. I’m looking at somewhere around 5%. Hopefully I’ll be off that call in about two hours.

I need to order the bbq for the house today. It’ll be just the grill part with no bottom cabinet as our builder says he can build something to hold it. Probably going to have to pass on the hot tub. We’re super bummed but just don’t have the $12K in the budget. What a drag. We also changed up some furniture so we’re spending less there. With Lori not working and me giving up about $50K a year of salary, we just can’t do what we wanted to do. Thanks China, nice of you to infect the World. Who would have ever thought something like this could happen that would change so many peoples livcs.

To top things off, Jag’s right rear tire has some sort of cut in it so we need a new tire today which is about $250. Throw in Mojo’s $600 bill yesterday from the vet and it’s been a fun week. Hard to get a break these days.

Time to stop felling sorry for myself and get going and cowboy up! I have a whole day and weekend ahead of me and need to get moving. I joked with one of my Partners and told him, “let’s go buy Porsches”. That’d put the pressure on us to perform for sure. Be well, God Bless.

Do the days seem to run together for you? They do for me. I often think Tuesday is Sunday or Friday is Sunday or something of that sort. I think it’s because of the stay at home routine we’re in that makes it all run together.

Yesterday Jag presented his Senior Project and he was great. He has this quality few possess that’s a mix or maturity, vision and confidence he somehow cultivated over the years. There were about 40 people that watched from other teachers and students to even some parents of students. We were very proud parents.

Ty worked away getting in a bunch of work. Later in the day Ty, Jag and Madi played video games lounging on the couch.

At 5:30 I went to James house for our weekly guy get together and cigar night around the fire. Four of us which are good friends, James, Marty, Luca and me, hang out for 90 minutes talking about life, our families, challenges we face and what we’re thankful for. It’s an amazingly open dialogue where we get things off our chest and is sort of our weekly release. We all know each other well so it’s pretty easy to do. The virus is creating even a stronger bond between us.

Now to the virus. I’ve come to the conclusion that its prudent to now prepare for this to be around for the long haul. I don’t see this ending anytime soon and am sure we’ll be dealing with this for at least another year minimum. Hope I’m wrong but I wouldn’t bet against me. Think about your finances, your potential loss of income, no matter what you do, and the interruption of supplies such as food. Again, hoping I’m wrong but the inability to get a handle on the most basic facts of what were facing is a huge issue. We still don’t know what all is involved with this thing. Tests are now proving to be negative when really positive and vice versa, new forms of transmissions are discovered daily and unknown medical consequences are turning up in patients considered otherwise healthy. All this uncertainty means it’s going to take a while to figure things out. I say a year as by then I think we’ll reach an infection rate of 70% or so nationwide, (even if the tests and govt. don’t know it) which will result in a herd immunity. This means we as a population will have built up a resistance to the virus much like the flu. Anyhow just my take.

Back to the day. Not sure what’s going on today. I might run down to Denver to buy 10 more storage bins for packing stuff up. Today is Thursday and I didn’t even need to look, ha. Be well, safe and God Bless.

Today at noon Jagger has his Senior Project presentation. Then his year is pretty much over. He’s worked super hard and had to adjust the entire project midstream due to the virus. You might recall he was going to intern at the top restaurant in Vail but then that abruptly ended when the virus showed up. I think he ended up writing a cookbook on his own. We’ll see as his presentation is at noon. Can’t wait, super proud of him.

Ty is working away trying to get everything in as after today the boys have 7 school days left in the year. The school awarded us a small grant for next year but for Ty it’d still cost about $20,000. With the scientists coming out yesterday and saying there probably won’t be any school in the Fall, we need to make a decision on this one.

Work is a battle. Everything is a battle. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Lori is thinking of starting her own ice cream company. That’d be fun and probably profitable as people are embracing as many small comforts in their lives as they can and ice cream is a big one. Not sure how she came up with that but I think it’s a great idea. We’ll see.

They poured concrete yesterday down at the house for the back patio. Maybe we’ll run down there today to see what’s going on. Sunny and warm today. That’ll be nice. Guess I’ll go. It’s 7:30 and Tom is probably wondering where the blog is. Be well, be safe and God Bless.

Today at noon Jag has his AP exam in calculus. I’m sure he’ll do well as that’s what he does. Ty worked all day yesterday on some math too. I had a bunch of calls and did my best playing coach, salesman and boss for most of the day. Lori did some work around the house. That was the day. Oh, we did go to the gym around 4 as we discovered we have our doctor appointment in Denver this morning instead of tomorrow.

Looks like baseball is coming back in July. That’s great news as we need something and baseball could just be the ticket. It rained yesterday which was nice. Today they say 70 degrees are in store. More tomorrow. That’s it for the day so we can get moving and get on the road. Be well and make it a great day. God Bless

2 weeks left in school. Jag has his only test in AP Calculus tomorrow and then has his Senior Project presentation Wednesday. Ty has ten days to finalize all his work and get it all in. Lori needs to make a few quick decisions as things are starting to happen a bit faster at the house now that we’re getting close to the end. I have about 14 days to get in around $750K of orders. With all that going on the big question is still, what now? Are we getting back to normal? I personally think that’s a misleading question as I don’t think we’ll ever be back to normal as we once knew it.

Things are different and sadly will be different going forward so what is the new normal? First up is to figure out what these changes will do to our jobs and incomes. Then it’ll be our food supply, health care, doctors and dentists, and on and on. Then next we’ll worry about the kids and school. Entertainment like going to the movies, out to dinner or concerts are way down the line. As you can see almost everything we do is going to be impacted in some way or another. Is their a chance all this is unnecessary and in a couple months we will be back to normal? Sure there is as there’s so much unknown. The problem is most of what we know or can piece together really doesn’t tell us much more than we knew a month or so ago. Think about it, we’re still not sure all the ways you can contract the virus. We don’t know how long it’ll stay with you or if you can get it again if you had it. No one even knows if you can get it by drinking from the same drinking fountain. Kids in New York are coming down with some mystery disease and no one is sure if it’s related. I could go on and on but you get the picture. Lot’s of unknowns.

For us, we’re venturing out where needed but keeping our distance and sort of sitting on the sidelines watching and waiting to see what the loosening of restrictions will do. Some of our friends haven’t left their homes for two months! Others are out daily as if all is normal. For us, we’re somewhere in between. Camper and trailer sales are skyrocketing. Summer vacations have pivoted to camping and exploring our own Country while overseas trips and vacations have plummeted. Just about any place where you have to fly to get to is off most people’s list.

Then we have the impending food shortages. Most people ignore this but I think we’re currently at the stage with potential food shortages as we were with masks in January. In other words you could buy masks off Amazon in January but 8 weeks later they were nowhere to be found. Hope it’s not the same with food as it was with masks, but we’re not chancing it. Crime is way up, especially in the larger cities. So are infections in those same places due to high populations of homeless people.

So what now? What can and should you do? For us, food and tangible supplies are at the top of the list. We’re topping off over the counter medications like aspirin and cold medicine when we can. Food is a big item but personally I’m in a holding pattern until we move as I have no place to store anymore and don’t want to buy it to move it in 4 to 6 weeks. We do constantly stay on top of things like shampoo, coffee, soap, make up, hair gel and things we go through fast. Personal protection is a big one for everyone but we’ve got that covered. For those of you that don’t, even if you’re not comfortable with firearms or have no training, there are things you can do. Go buy some wasp spray from Home Depot. This works well in a pinch. Make sure your doors have secure locks on them and if they don’t, call a locksmith now. Make sure you have a few good flashlights and spare batteries. If you have sliding doors, get a piece of wood and put it the track. Last, be the grey man. This means be low key. Don’t look like you have a ton of supplies or more than your neighbor. In short, try to blend in with everyone else. You don’t want to look like the only guy with water in the middle of a desert. You get the idea. That’s a short version of what now. Tweak this to fit your wants and needs. Some of you may want to stock up on chocolate as you can’t live without it. Other required items are water, vitamins, the always mentioned toilet paper and more. If you’re not sure, write down everything you use on a daily basis for a couple days. Then you’ll know what you use daily and need to stock up on. It’s only 143 days until October 1st! Hard to believe.

Time to go as Lori just came down. I have a Zoom call at 9 and then will start packing more stuff. We have large black and yellow storage tubs stacked in the living room full of stuff ready for the move. They have them for $9 each at Office Depot. I need to go buy 10 more! Make it a great day and try to get into a groove. The one thing you shouldn’t do is just sit around doing nothing waiting for everything to go back to normal. It’s just not going to happen. God Bless.

Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers out there. Hope it is an enjoyable relaxing day for you as you deserve it. Being a mom is only second to being a dad, ha ha ha, just kidding. As a dad I actually would say being a mom is a tougher job. Mom’s seem to get the crap jobs most of the time and have a different type of connection with their children that I think requires more patience, understanding, work and attention. So, thank you to you all for doing what you do.

We have a good one here in Lori. She’s selfless and always, and I mean always puts the kids first. Whether it’s getting up at 1 am to talk with one of the boys who can’t sleep or making countless meals daily on demand, she’s always there. She’d do anything for the boys and they know it. She is everything to the boys. I’m sure we all feel the same way about our mom’s as that what all mom’s seem to do. It’s a bond you can’t explain unless you’ve lived the part. You all certainly deserve more than one day so enjoy.

Yesterday we headed down for haircuts and some shopping. To our surprise the mall was closed. We thought everything was going to be open but no. Restoration Hardware was open though which was one of our designated stops. We decided to go with the couch, table and dining room chairs we’ve been researching and shopping for months. They’re the cheapest and best value for the money we’ve found. We chose a brown couch as it is in stock and we all like brown but Lori initially wanted a pewter color. Before we made it home, she was second guessing brown. We’ll see what she thinks today as she needs to love it or we’re not getting it!

Jag and Lori drove down to Edwards and picked up some dinner while Ty went with Sonny to Preston’s to spend the night. Our virus cases here have stopped for the past week or so. Looks like we have had no new cases for a bit. Let’s hope this continues.

Today we’re taking some swatches of fabric down to the house to see how they look so Lori can get a better feel for what things will look like. It’s hard to design a whole house and then decorate it but I’m sure when it’s all done, everyone will love it. Lori seems to have an eye for this sort of thing and everything looks amazing.

That’s it, we’re slowly packing things up around here. It’s sunny outside right now but they say rain is coming tomorrow. We’ll take it, rain is ok compared to snow. Enjoy your day and may God Bless all you Moms.

Time to make a few decisions. We’ve cut down the cost on a bunch of things for the house by about 50%. You do what you have to do, right? Thought I’d say that in honor of Mom with it being Mother’s Day weekend and all.

Yesterday I packed up five large tubs of winter coats, ski gear and boots. Office Depot had them on sale for $9 a piece. I’d like to get ten more of them. Last night after Ty’s mountain bike practice down in Eagle, we went over to Marty and Melanie’s for a visit. We had a fun visit as they’re our closest friends. The girls split a bottle of Rose which they needed. Melanie said Marty’s sister calls daily from Texas, (she’s a banker and her name is Robin!) wanting to know what Doug, (me) said today. I said “what” and she explained how they tell her everything I’ve said over the past few months and how I’ve always been right so Robin wants to know what Doug thinks and what is going to happen next. To be fair, I did predict or tell them when Melanie was getting sent home from her traveling job for work a few months ago, when the school would shut down, the shortage of masks, wipes and stuff, James tours getting cancelled, and more. So the running joke is I’m always right about things and Marty always says ” yea and I’m getting a little sick of it”. Ha.

Today Ty is getting a haircut and we’re hitting a clothes store or two along with two stops at furniture stores. With things opening back up a bit now is the time to get a few things we take for granted and get ready in case there is a second wave and things get shut down for an even longer time. For us it’s a few summer clothes like shorts and shirts, maybe some socks and underwear and a few sets of sheets. We’ll also pick up about six months worth of hair gel and shampoo as we’re close to running out. A couple new pair of tennis shoes for the gym would be nice too. Other than that we’re pretty well set.

The Bronco’s say football will proceed as normal. Hope they’re right but we’ll know more in 90 days. Not sure I believe them just yet. Time to get moving so we can go to the gym before heading to Denver. Rain is coming Monday. We’re fine with that but are pouring concrete Tuesday down at the house. Hope everyone is well. Lot’s going on these days. Be well and God Bless.

We need a good weekend and thankfully it’s here. Ty has mountain biking today and Jag is getting ready for his AP tests next week. Stores in Denver are opening tomorrow with social distancing. So things are starting to reopen a bit. Australia is almost all reopened with only 100 deaths for the entire continent. They stopped all foreigners from coming in around the first of March yet Trump is getting crap for stopping the Chinese in late January and other measures he took around then. Also it now has come out that the whole Russia collusion thing that led to impeachment was all a hoax and made up by Adam Schiff and the Democrats. Hold on as the shit’s about to hit the fan.

Lori might be back to work soon meaning maybe by June. We’ll see. I think we’re going to the gym in a bit. Hope you all are well. Lots of people unemployed out there. Hope they’re doing well. We have to get people back to work. Time to go, make it a fun day and God Bless.

It’s looking more and more like the kids will be having some sort of on line learning in about 100 days when school starts. Funny to talk about school starting when it’s not even over yet. Anyhow it looks like college will be in person in some fashion but schools like Ty’s could be in for a much tougher go of it. We’re anticipating distance or at home learning for him as of now. Knowing this, us and other parents are questioning paying such huge tuition for an at home experience here in Vail. We called our good friends Rick and Devon Smith whose son Cooper has been doing on line school for years. Rick is the Head of HR for Vail Health and Devon is a mortgage broker. Coop has been going or learning through Colorado Connections Academy which is a Colorado accredited school that has schools nationwide and has had kids go to colleges from Yale to UCLA to Stanford. Best of all, it’s free! The kids have face to face classes with each teacher once a week and then work on their own the rest of the time. With all going on, Ty is looking at this as an option. We told him it might be smarter for us to put the money we’d spend on tuition money in a savings account for him instead of paying our school for on line learning when CCA has been doing, and more importantly knows how to do on line learning already. If we’d been in on line learning all along the kids would have over $300,000 plus whatever it earned right now in a savings account! Of course it wouldn’t have replaced what they learned or their experience but the point is it’s now a different time. More to come soon.

I’m getting some work done on the truck today, just regular maintenance. Work is crazy with lots going on. The house is coming along and we made some decisions yesterday on a few things that saved some money. Jag is doing well even though his and every kids World has been turned upside down. We feel so bad for the kids as it shouldn’t be this way, especially for those graduating.

Lori’s head might be getting a little better. We’re keeping our fingers crossed. We’re racking our brains to come up with the new business idea in these new times to adapt to the new normal. We have a couple thoughts in mind and will keep you posted. I’m picking up some bone in steaks today at Edwards Meats in Wheat Ridge for our neighbor and us tonight. I also need to order the bbq for the house and decide which 65″ tv we’re getting. Last thing is a hot tub for outside but we might need to wait on that depending on the cost.

That’s it, Mothers Day is Sunday. Send flowers and candy now! Here’s a call to action for the day, think of a comment to write this weekend about your mother, no matter how old you are! Be well, be safe and God Bless.