A Year of Change

So yesterday I got the car back but last night our clothes dryer stopped working. It still spins but doesn’t heat up. Are you kidding me? I can either try to repair it today or just replace it. Looks like I can buy a basic one for $350 after rebates and since the one we have is about 13 years old, I’ll probably go that route. Just another pain in my ass. In our new house the laundry room is easy to get to right off the garage so no going up and down stairs like I’ll have to do later today!

Tomorrow is the school Gala. It should be fun. Today Ty has a big mid-term in Science. Not sure what all Jag has going on. They finally finished our roof and gutters yesterday. I swept the entire driveway to make sure there were no nails or anything that could puncture a tire.

I went to the appliance store yesterday and also the fireplace store. We had to switch a fireplace in my office. Things are moving fast, thankfully. That’s about it, time to get moving. I was going to Aspen today but now with the dryer debacle that’ll have to wait.

Have a great day, God Bless.

We’re dropping the car off at 8 am as hopefully the tire (tyre is English) arrives today. Yesterday was spent sorting through samples of tile and floors at a shop for the house. We also spent a good hour with our builder tweaking things in the house. This involved adding a window or two, moving a wall, adding a wall, moving the shower and changing its size. I’m sure there was more but I can’t remember right now. The roof and protective layer is going on and it’s getting more and more exciting every day.

Today Ty has a makeup test this morning. Not sure what all Jag has going on. Lori has clinic and I have a few problems to handle. I also have a call with an estate in Italy at 8:30. Harley has been home all week long saving us money. My knee is surprisingly better considering it’s only been about 36 hours since my shot. It was warm up here yesterday, 65, when I guess it was kind of crappy and trying to snow in Denver. Blue skies are outside right now.

Time to go so have a good day and God Bless. Here’s a few pics of the house! Closest is our bedroom waiting on the roof, next up is a view from the dinning room up the stairs and last is Ty’s room and his great views! Enjoy!

The day started out with us all getting ready for work and school. Lori had clinic so I said I’d drive her. As soon as we pulled down the driveway a sensor on the dash of the Range Rover came on saying check tyre pressure. That’s how they spell tire in England where Range Rover’s are built. Lori said it’s just because it’s cold out but I didn’t think so. I scrolled through the menu which is as complicated as a 777 airplane and found that the right rear tire only had 3 pounds of pressure. I stopped and jumped out to see as I thought, a flat tire.

I pulled the car back up by the house and went to get the keys to the truck to take Lori to work. As soon as I made it home I had to change the tire and find a place to hopefully fix it. I just bought new tires 2 weeks ago and thankfully bought the Road Hazard Warranty. I called them, gave them my zip code and they found a tire shop a few miles away. So back to changing the tire. 15 minutes later I had it switched and had Trent our neighbor follow me to the tire shop. Before we left I found the nail in the tire and we pulled it out with a pair of vice grips. We started to pull out the nail and it kept coming and coming. Turns out it wasn’t a nail at all but a Jule vape pen that somehow punctured the tire. Anyhow I dropped the car at the tire shop and headed home.

My knee had been bugging me since last Thursday when I worked out apparently too hard. I slipped a bit on some ice which I think aggravated it a bit more. Later in the day I told Lori who said “give me a few minutes” and then texted me to come right over. I walked right in bypassing all the patients who had been waiting for months for their appointment. A few minutes later Dr. Hackett came in and pulled up my MRI from a little over a year ago. He bent my knee left and right and finally said I just have some arthritis and am missing most of the cartilage between my bones in my right knee meaning I pretty much have bone on bone. He said he tries to save joints but down the road, maybe, I might need to see Dr. Kim for a knee replacement! Now this isn’t what it sounds like, they don’t replace your knee. They just shave off a bit here and there and then add some material. Dr. Hackett said not to worry as he thinks a shot in my knee will calm things down. You see when I work out legs in particular, I do lunges that apparently are not good at all for me or specifically for my knee. So no more lunges. Can’t wait to tell my trainer as I hate lunges! Tom (Dr. Hackett) said they could give me a shot right away while I was there so I said go for it. 10 minutes later and a big syringe full of lidocaine and steroids was in my knee. The lidocaine numbs it and over the next 7 days the steroids will hopefully heal it. So I was in and out within 30 minutes without filling out any paperwork or anything, what a perk.

Meanwhile the tire shop called and the hole in the tire was too big to fix so they had to order a new tire from Denver which won’t be here until Thursday, ugh. That means we’re driving the truck for the next 48 hours.

We were supposed to go to a benefit for Ski Club Vail last night but decided to skip it. My knee is a little sore but I’ll be ok. Lori and I are headed to the gym where I’ll just workout my upper body which I prefer anyhow. Then it’s to the tile shop and the house to keep working on things. Boys are well, they have a half day today. It’s warmer than it’s been for a week which is nice. It was 57 yesterday. So not the best day but you do what you have to do. Pop Quiz! Who always said that?

Have a great day and God Bless.

Today we’re voting on some local issues but one year from today it’s the big one. As a person who just lives their life, it’s hard to know what or who to vote for as they lie left and right on tv. One example here is there’s tons of ads running to vote for a proposition called CC. They have grandmother type looking women saying “isn’t it time we start fixing things around here” when what the actual bill does is overturns a bill we passed a few years ago called the Taxpayers Bill of Rights. It forces the govt. to give back money they don’t spend which happens when voters don’t approve specific expenditures. But the govt. is making it sound like it’s for the children, schools and roads when in reality if it passes our Governor can spend our extra tax money on anything he wants like the recent program that has transvestites’ putting on fashion shows for kindergarten classes, I kid you not. So the point is you have to read the bill yourself! Stop believing everything you see on tv!

Today we all have more of the same. Harley’s doggie daycare texted yesterday wondering if she was ok as we didn’t bring her in. I texted back she’s fine. We’ve just decided to save some money by keeping her home more. With them being closed for three weeks we’ve all sort of gotten into a routine that works. She’s getting lots of exercise and is doing well and Mojo likes having her home.

We’re also cutting back on other expenses trying to save money as school is so expensive and we have college coming up next year.

We’re hoping they put on our new gutters today as snow melts all day and then freezes at night creating an ice rink outside every morning. I should sue. Time to take the dogs up the hill so that’s it. Hope all’s well, take care, be safe and God Bless.

The Bronco’s won! Whoo hoo! We had a blast enjoying the game at Jeff and Tina’s hanging out and eating homemade steak fajita’s. When the game was over it was off to home. We arrived by 7 pm.

Before I forget, Ali asked if she could buy tickets to Denver Fashion Week where Jag is modeling and the answer is yes. It’s the 17th at 4 pm, more to come as we’ll be there!

Today I need to get some license plates, clean the boys rooms, do a ton of laundry, go down to the house, stop by a tile store, meet Ty and his tutor, and shop for dinner. Oh wait, 2 or 3 times up the hill with the dogs too!

Sorry I’m late today, thanks to Tom for the reminder, take care and God Bless.

It seems to be warming up! We have a 50/50 chance of having a mild winter with less than normal precipitation. Let’s hope so. October was one of the coldest and snowiest on record they say. We’ll see. So hard to believe it but I was wrong, Tom doesn’t put his tree up for another week. It’s always the week before Thanksgiving he told me. Sure seems like everything is early this year.

Jag and Lori stopped by Tom and Ali’s to visit on the way back up from Denver yesterday. Jag was being fitted for his outfit for the big fashion show in 2 weeks in Denver. The theme is pretty out there and is sort of a futuristic theme. We get 3 tickets. On the way home they stopped at Whole Foods and spent $400 on food and stuff! You have to watch Jag when you take him shopping with you as he throws all kinds of crap in the cart from toiletries to specialty foods and sauces, ouch.

Today we’re off to Denver for the game. We’re not actually going to the stadium but going to Jeff and Tina’s to grill hamburgers after we hit a few tile and hardware stores for the house as we’re running out of time. Even if it’s April when we move in, that’s less than 150 days away! Eric, one of Lori’s PA’s is going to the game in our place. The boys have theater practice from 12 to 4 and then will head home as Ty needs to study some more for a history test tomorrow. Not sure what all Jag has going as we pretty much just let him do his thing.

Daylight Savings time is over. Hope you set your clocks back. That means it’ll start getting dark between 4:30 and 5 pm. That is it for today. Take care, be safe (can’t emphasize that enough!) and God Bless.

Today we have blah and then more blah and this afternoon some more blah and blah before blah blah blah this evening. Get it? Is that how your day seems? Are you on an endless treadmill of daily tasks that seem the same? Most of us probably are. Sure there are certain things we do each and every day like shower, feed our dogs, make our beds unless you’re a teenager, but what are you doing with the rest of your time.

Anyone read a good book lately? How about a vacation, anyone go anywhere lately? I know Robi and Robert went to Vegas for Lady Gaga, great job! How about trying something new that’s out of your comfort zone, ever think of learning a new language, or learning to play a new instrument? Sometimes we get in that funk where we think, there has to be more. Well let’s all do something. I’m open to suggestions. Maybe we should all take a trip together. It could be as simple as Yellowstone or new York or we could all go to Fiji or Thailand. Anyone got the guts? I’m sure we can all come up with reasons why not to go but let’s try to find some reasons TO go! Let’s see what we can come up with.

Today we’re making a trip to Denver for Jag’s final fitting for the Denver Fashion Show later this month. I was going to go but maybe just Jag and Lori will go. Ty went to a party last night. We’re so proud of him as just about every kid is drinking or smoking pot but not Ty or Jag. They’re at that age where everyone is experimenting. Whatever you say about our boys, they aren’t getting drunk or stoned and falling into walls. In fact Ty had Mom drive home a little girl who was drunk! Jag turned in three college applications yesterday and has CU to get in by the 15th. There’s still snow on the ground but it’s slowly melting. Lori and I are going to the gym but I’m taking it easy as my right knee is a bit swollen as I overused it a bit. So much of what I’m doing is related to balance and my core that I’m doing a lot of leg exercises. I’ve also stepped up the amount of weight I’m lifting which is putting more stress on my joints.

Ty has to study for a test Monday and both boys have theater practice tomorrow from noon until 4. I think Lori and I are going to the game unless we decide to give the tickets away. Our season is lost and our QB is done for the year. Hopefully we don’t screw things up and start winning so we get a high draft pick!

That’s it, time to learn Russian, start playing the dulcimer and planning our trip to the dark side of the moon! God Bless.

Here it is, turkey month, Tom will be getting his tree out and probably up by the weekend. Lot’s going on.

Here’s a comment from Robi from yesterday,

Robi says: October 31, 2019 at 4:33 pm

Yep there was a poll to see if Halloween should be scheduled for the last Saturday in the month! Are you kidding, I’m with you Doug, I remember mom dressing us up and setting us loose trudging thru the snow out till 11:00 on a school night – oh my!

So true, now how about this one? Ty dressed up as a cowboy yesterday and I took him one of my western gun belts around noon with a lasso for pictures. Outside the lunch room when I was giving it to him a kid who was probably 8 or 9 came up to us and said, “that references a gun, do you have a permit for that?”. Now I felt like saying get out of here you little shit, or something fun like wanna buy some weed but I just looked at him and said “yes I do”. He then so “oh” and walked away. What in the World are we doing to our kids? I told Tom and he said imagine things in 30 years, wow!

It’s still cold in the mornings but no more snow right now. Things are slowly melting. I made a few changes at the house like taking out a closet and adding one, moving the kitchen pantry, eliminating a window and adding a window. Tom our builder says things will be getting dried in meaning to roof is going on soon. It looks really cool, our views are spectacular.

Lori broke a tooth yesterday and has to go to the dentist today. Jag is staying home to finish his college applications. He asked if he could apply to Columbia in New York Early Decision meaning he’d be ;locked in if they accepted him to which we said no! That’s over $70K a year. Not sure who he thinks we are, ha. His teachers and the school directors are still talking about his conference which made its way through all the teachers as he was so profound and visionary. All his teachers could say after he spoke was “wow”. The Upper School Director found him yesterday and said she heard it was the conference of all conferences. He just said thank you.

Time to take Harley up the hill and warm up the car so I can drive Ty and Lori to work. Hope everyone is well, it’s crazy out there, watch your back and God Bless.

The news just had a poll as to whether Halloween should be rescheduled due to bad weather. What the hell is wrong with this Country? How soft have we become? When I was a kid there was always bad weather on Halloween! Mom would bundle us up in homemade costumes that were layers of clothes to keep us warm as we trudged through what was usually feet of snow. I can remember Mr. Rossi serving hot chocolate and coffee in the snow while Mrs. Rossi handed out homemade candied apples. She would make cinnamon or caramel every year. She passed away probably 5 or 10 years ago now and was always a smiling face that made us cookies and candies from the time I was 10 years old until she died.

Jag is wearing some 70’s outfit and Ty is going as a cowboy (atta boy) while Lori and her team and the docs are going as a baseball team. One of the PA’s is dressing up as a hotdog. I’ll try to get pictures this morning. I’ll be working around the house and on the phone most of the day.

No new snow but cool this morning. It looks like Denver received more snow than we did up here at the house. It’s going to warm up today and things will melt even more. Tomorrow is November 1st! Then it’s a quick 60 days until 2020 with Thanksgiving and Christmas and a bunch of birthdays thrown in. Have a great day, God Bless.

Just got back from taking Lori to work and before that the gym. The boys are off today as we have their conferences which Lori and I will go to this afternoon. It’s cold and clear with temperatures around 7 degrees. Tomorrow it’s going to warm up and be in the 40’s and 50’s for the next 10 days at least. This is good news as the builders can get the roof on.

I need to get Ty some kind of costume today as he still doesn’t have anything. Jag is doing some sort of 70’s thing. Not sure if I’m going to Denver tomorrow. I think I’m in Aspen Friday. Hard to believe that’s it’s almost November, soon it’ll be 2020.

Have a great day, take care, be safe and God Bless.