A Year of Change

What a day, busy busy. After the gym we stopped to see Dixie who was doing fine. We sat with her while she had breakfast which she ordered and had delivered. She says she loves her place! Lori went back later in the day to bring her some medication and other things. All was good until we were driving to dinner when Lori called her as Lori brought her new phones with large numbers. Dixie snapped at her saying “I came all this way to see you and I haven’t seen you”. Lori tried to explain that she had been living with us the past 19 days and that Lori was with her 9 days before that but Dixie wasn’t buying it and eventually hung up on Lori! We were told there would be an adjustment period that could last up to a month. Dixie, in her mind, was just upset that Lori didn’t come visit her even though Lori had just left 45 minutes earlier. She also thinks she’s in Fresno California although that changes multiple times each day. Tough situation.

We made it to Elway’s in Vail to meet Gerry and Marcie for dinner at 5:30. We then jumped in their car and headed over to the Ford Amphitheater for the Vail International Dance Festival. It runs 11 days and is run by a former top New York Ballet dancer who is now the CEO of Julliard. The best in the World are picked to come here for 11 days to dance and be part of the festival. I guess people and dancers from all over the World want to come here to see it. Of course we were in the sixth row and everyone knew Gerry and Marcie. We enjoyed most of it and were glad we went but it’s not the sort of thing we’d pay hundreds of dollars on our own to go see, if we could even get tickets. Good experience though.

Today at 11 we’re headed to Frisco to meet Jagger’s roommate Lexi and her parents for lunch. Should be back by 2 as Lexi works in Denver at 3:30. We have a lot to do to move him in next Friday. Ty will hang out here at home with the dogs.

We need to go see Dix and probably take her to dinner tonight. We’ve been told it’s best not to bring her back up to our house right now as it’ll just confuse her. Hope she settles in. Well keep going down daily and spending time with her but it’s clear that it’s a good thing that she made it here when she did. Being 90 is tough. Lori has been remarkable and unquestionably did the right thing in bringing her here when she did. It’s been as tough on Lori as Dixie, maybe even tougher. I think Lori is going down to see her for breakfast right now.

It’s smoky here from all the fires in California. Hasn’t been this bad in a month or so. We could use a good rain storm but I think it’s going to be dry for a bit. That’s it, time to get moving. Think we’ll skip the gym today. God Bless.

We rushed out the door this morning for the gym so I’m a little late. After the gym we stopped by Dixie’s new place to drop off her newspaper and make sure her first night was good. Happy to report even though she’s a little confused (no more than normal) she had a good first day and night.

Yesterday I was in Denver getting Lori’s car serviced while she, Jag and Katie moved Dixie and her stuff in. Lori did a lot! Not only yesterday but over the past month. Don’t underestimate the amount of work it takes to take care of an elderly parent. I had the car scheduled for Tuesday but Lori had me move it to yesterday and then Dixie’s move in day switched. Lucky me, poor Lori.

Biden’s a fucking idiot, there, I said it. Good God. Whenever he speaks on his own and doesn’t read a teleprompter, he is, as the tv said, Ron Burgundy at best. If you don’t know that was the character Will Ferrell played in a couple movies. Moving on, tonight we’re going to the Ford Amphitheater to the International Dance performance. Gerry and Marcy are taking us to dinner at Elway’s and then to the show. Should be incredible.

Tomorrow we’re going to Denver to meet Jagger’s roommate Lexi and her parents. We also need to buy another bed for his apartment. He moves in a week from today and a week from Monday Ty starts school, arrrggh.

Last night a bunch of us hung out at James’s as his birthday was the 3rd. We’re headed out hunting at the end of the month. His son who is going with us is bummed Ty is hurt but I’m trying to pull out a miracle and get him to be able to go. We have a doctor appointment this week so we’ll see.

Time to go. Hope all’s well. Stock up on staples. Been to a store lately? Lot’s of stuff out of stock. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, God Bless.

Today Dixie moves into her apartment. I’m sure it’s a little scary for her but she’s anxious to go when she remembers that’s where she’s going. Other moments she’s not quite sure what’s going on. Yesterday she was confused and asked where Lori lived. I told her here with me and she didn’t know we were married. I told her it’s normal to be confused at 90.

I’m off to Denver at 6, it’s 5:09 am now. Lori will go down to her place at 9:45 this morning with Dixie and finish getting the last final touches on the new place in place. Jag and Katie will drive the truck down with the bed and Dixie’s suitcases. We want her to be there for lunch as she’ll then be with all the other ladies to get settled in. It’s been about 17 or 18 days here with us which has been a challenge but good. Dixie is not a bad houseguest but at the same time, a houseguest. As I said, she says she’s excited for her own place which is good.

I should be back by 2 or so after Lori’s car gets serviced. We’re having a small get together at James’s house at 5 tonight for his son’s birthday. His son, Castor, is going hunting with us. Ty was going until he broke his knee cap.

Time to get moving, 5:13 now. Nice and cool at night which is great for sleeping. Chapter Two of Dixie in Colorado begins today. More to come. God Bless.

Must have been in the 50’s last night as we sleep with the window open and it was nice and cool. It’s a fact you sleep better if the temperature is around 60 degrees. Today Lori works in Vail and Ty has registration at school around 10am. Jag went to Émile’s last night and needs to be home at 9:30 to watch Dixie. Tomorrow she moves in.

Already August 4th, Fall is fast approaching. I’m fine with it but summer went fast. I’m off to the gym this morning before taking Ty to school. Hopefully Dixie will sleep in.

Time to go, hang in there. All things will pass, God Bless.

Time. that’s the answer. It never stops, doesn’t care what’s going on and if you really think about it, is complicated. Many theorists have different opinions but to give you a taste, here’s Einstein’s thoughts.

Einstein’s belief in an undivided solid reality was clear to him, so much so that he completely rejected the separation we experience as the moment of now. He believed there is no true division between past and future, there is rather a single existence. His most descriptive testimony to this faith came when his lifelong friend Besso died. Einstein wrote a letter to Besso’s family, saying that although Besso had preceded him in death it was of no consequence, “…for us physicists believe the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.”

Now, think about that. Confusing at best, all theories lead you down a path to question the reality of now. For us, all we can do is live in the moment right? Anyhow the point is, don’t waste it.

Yesterday’s past, present and future was busy. Ty went to lunch with a buddy, Dixie and Lori went down to her apartment after Lori went to work and I did some work around the house. She’s actually excited to get in there, so she says. Today more of the same. Dixie will now move in Thursday as Lori works too late today and tomorrow. I’ll be in Denver getting her car serviced that day and hopefully will be back by 2 or so. The canyon is still closed and could be for weeks due to the mudslides.

It almost seems like Fall outside today. Nice and cool with a bit of a cloud cover. Love this time of year but never fear, the heat will be back this weekend. Time to move. Use it or lose it, think for yourself and may God Bless and watch over you.

Ponder on this and enjoy the simple things from your past, or present or future!

“In a world dominated by soulless, mass-produced and disposable goods, objects that are made by artisanal hands retain a soul and warmth that connects us with our humanity, past and present.”

Two weeks ago today Grandma arrived. We think she’s had fun so far and tomorrow the journey continues with her moving into her apartment. One moment she’s excited and telling people on the phone how cute it is and then the next she says she’s not sure what she’s doing yet. Not sure how things will work out but we’re giving it a try as we have it for a month. It’s actually pretty cool. She asked if she could do this and that and they told her she can do anything she wants as it’s her apartment and they are just there to provide 3 meals a day and assistance if she needs it. Otherwise she can do what she wants and come and go as she pleases. No checking in or out or anything. Lori has done a great job of fixing it up. Pictures to come.

Last night Marty and Melanie came over for dinner and Dixie enjoyed them. Harley and Melanie and Marty are now best friends as we had steak and they decided to share theirs with her. Jag made it home around 4 and Ty is putting more weight on his leg each day.

Lori has been remarkable throughout this whole adventure. It’s a stressful thing and she’s handled it better than anyone I could imagine. I’ve tried and done ok but it’s still hard having someone move in that needs constant attention. You don’t snap or lose your cool with your guest but rather with each other. In the end though, you do what you have to do.

On covid, check this out as they’re manipulating the numbers. This is from the paper in London.

Chaos over true daily COVID deaths figure: Florida and Delaware skew Johns Hopkins’ stats with massive data dump taking total up by 300% – but true figure is significantly lower

• The daily death toll trebled in 24 hours from 321 Thursday to 891 Friday, according to Johns Hopkins data 
• Florida only reports its COVID-19 figures once a week on a Friday, so all 409 deaths were added in a lump sum 
• On Saturday, Florida reported 108 deaths – just eight days after it reported 148 deaths 
• Delaware also sent total deaths skyrocketing, as officials added 130 deaths Friday following a state review  
• These deaths were between mid-May 2020 and late June 2021 with zero deaths recorded in the last 24 hours
• Michigan also reported 23 deaths, up from zero Thursday, as it posts COVID-19 data just twice a week  
• Taking out these three anomalies, daily deaths instead climbed 2.5 percent from 321 Thursday to 329

Don’t know about you but sadly I believe the newspaper and media in the U.K. more than ours. Throw in the fact that the test not only cannot tell the difference between any kind of covid but apparently also can’t tell the difference between the flu and common cold so ANY case AND death is called covid, wtf?

So you can see how these figures present a different story yet the news and worse, our government picks and chooses what they want it to look like to frame their story. The devil is always in the details, right? Again, think for yourself, enough said, God Bless.

Five months to go in 2021, Wow. Not much sleep last night. Dixie came in at 3 am and again at 7:20 this morning. She wasn’t wearing her oxygen or using her walker which are both no no’s. If she doesn’t wear oxygen, she can easily get confused. Without her walker she could fall and as Lori calls it, she also wall walks, meaning uses the walls to walk. She went right back to bed.

Yesterday we fixed up her place and took her over in the afternoon. She likes it a lot and will move in Tuesday. Lori shipped in things like her dishes, her favorite painting, a large picture of Don, a bunch of smaller knick knacks that mean a lot to her , and more. We also stocked it with her favorite snacks and protein drinks and a big bottle of scotch. It looks pretty good and everyone is super nice and thrilled to have Dixie moving in. There are only 18 people there so when anyone new comes, it’s a big deal. We think she’ll like it too but of course it’ll take a few days or weeks to get adjusted but she’s going to have to make sure to wear her oxygen.

Lori made homemade chicken soup last night which her mom loved. We watched a movie last night instead of going out to the bbq. Jag is home today and Ty is now putting some weight on his leg. Lot’s going on this month. Jag goes to school and moves in on the 13th, Ty starts school about 10 days later, Lori needs to go to California and get some stuff moved out from the house and then needs to decide what to do with the house and I’m going hunting on the 30th. It’s only the 1st and it seems like we’re already running out of days in August. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it. Tom is probably getting his tree out this weekend, ha. If not, he’s at least started shopping! This year we said we should just do gift cards for each other. It was nice and cool yesterday with big rain all around us but just a few normal light showers here. It looks like Denver was hit pretty hard around dinner time.

That is it! Time to get going. Not sure if we’re going to the gym today, we’ll see. Take care and God Bless.

Whoops, July has 31 days SO today is the last day of July, ha. That’s fine with me as I can always use an extra day. Let’s see, Jag’s last day of work was yesterday, we finalized Dixie’s new apartment and Ty is still healing. We had two big boxes arrive UPS yesterday for Dixie’s new place and made a Costco run to buy a bunch of household things for her new place. She was tired yesterday and slept a lot but to be fair, she did have oatmeal with cinnamon and sugar, peaches and cream, a bunch of ice cream, a cookie or two and other assorted surgery foods throughout the day. That’d make anyone tired. Today we’ll try to watch what she eats a bit more.

Lori and I are headed to the gym, Jag went to Denver last night and hopefully Dix will sleep until 8:30. We know Ty will. We had a great month at work, five months left in the year. Rain coming today and tomorrow, heavy at times they say. We might have Marty and Melanie over for dinner or we also have an invite to Gerry and Marci’s for a bbq.

Lots of crap going on in the Country. Apparently the vaccine’s don’t really work as the majority of people who had the shot are supposedly getting covid. Now they want us all to wear masks again yet in the UK where they had a spike, they had no lockdowns or new mask rules and the spike quickly dissipated. Our IIC’s (idiots in charge) don’t have a clue. They stumble and bumble their way through each day and press conference getting tripped up by the simplest of questions. No one I know believes them anymore. Why would they? Just be smart and think for yourself. Eat well, get good sleep, wash your hands and take a daily vitamin. That’s as good advice or better than anything coming out of Washington these days. Oh brother, what a mess. Oh, one more thing, Nancy Pelosi who ordered staffers of Congressmen and women to be arrested if the Congressmen and women don’t wear masks, took hers off for the camera and some photo op with some family! Good God. Let me get this straight, if a Congressperson doesn’t wear a mask, they’ll arrest their staffer and Nancy and crew can take their masks off anytime they decide it’s for a good photo. See any hypocrisy yet? I could go on and on with contradictions but have to go to the gym. If you believe these fools then you too are a fool.

August 1st tomorrow! Whoo hoo, God Bless.

Last day of July. Here we go. Five months left in the year as we’re well into the backside of 2021. It’s 6 am as Mojo woke us early once again. Then Jag was up which then woke up Dixie. It’s like a chain reaction around here.

Yesterday was a busy day and today will be more of the same. Dixie and Lori went to lunch at Dixie’s new apartment, my buddy Matt came over and Ty went to Amanda’s going away party for a couple hours last night. Not sure where she was going but I guess somewhere. Today I need to go to the DMV which thankfully is not a big deal up here.

We need to make a Costco run today too for Dixie. I made her ribs and sauerkraut yesterday which she wanted and ate a bunch of. She can have more of that today. We had lots of lightening around us last night but nothing here. Guess that’s it, time to get moving GB.

The days are going fast. Hard to believe it’s almost August. Each day we seem to run out of time to get everything done. Same with the nights. We usually somehow wake up during the night from a dog or Dixie or a kid. Sometimes we just wake up on our own!

Ty had his MRI, should know more today. Dixie had a good day, Jag made it back from Katie’s and Lori and I worked. Not sure if you notice but food is becoming short in supply in most places. Every time you go to the store, something you’re looking for is unavailable. Gas stations are periodically out of gas too. It’s usually half the pumps that have gas. Moral of the story is to make sure you have food and always, I mean always, fill your tank before it gets below half a tank. Throw in that they want everyone to start wearing masks again, even if you’ve been vaccinated and the impending heat wave, and things are pretty messed up. Of course the Dems say none of this has anything to do with them, ha ha ha. Here’s hoping they lose in a landslide in November 2022. Not sure how any sane person could vote for them. Hell, we’re just hoping we survive as a Country until then!

Dixie is moving in to her new apartment on Monday! She can’t remember her house in California but does remember the house from when Lori was a little girl. When you get older you can remember things from decades ago but have a hard time remembering things from yesterday.

Time to get moving, Lori and I are headed to the gym. Time to prepare, take note of the above and don’t brush it off. Even if you can find what you want, prices are going up daily! Anyone bought coffee lately? Wow, God Bless.