A Year of Change

Good Morning.  It is 5:00 a.m. and very dark outside.  Giant flakes of snow are falling and melting on impact with the pavement. The snow is sticking on the grass and flowers so far….we aerated the lawn yesterday so, the moisture will do wonders for our yard.

I have my first “Storewide” meeting this morning at 5:45 and my friend just called to carpool. Hurray, her car will be warm and toasty.

The boys worked on some missed homework yesterday and we had giant, long stemmed artichokes for dinner. Yum!!

Mom just left so I’m taking over. Hope she gets back from her meeting before the boys go to school. More talking heads on TV this morning following the Presidents speech yesterday. Depending on which channel you watch, either Obama is nuts or it’s all the Republicans fault. I didn’t see the speech but did listen as I was working and happened to be in my car. No need to tell you what I thought as if you’re a regular reader, you know where I stand. What I did see was VP Joe Biden nodding off and falling asleep during part of the speech as it was all over the boob tube last night, too funny. Here’s the deal, Washington continues to spend more money than they take in. We can’t do this as a family, it just doesn’t work. I don’t understand why the people in Washington don’t understand this cannot work for the Country either. All I can say is sooner or later, someone is going to have to pick up the check and pay the bill, and we’re really worried about our children and their children. The government just needs to butt out and let innovation and people do what they do best. Think back to the 50’s and 60’s before our every move was regulated or taxed, I think things were much better. Maybe I’m wrong as I was young but I don’t remember such intrusion into our family’s life. Here’s a quote from a book I just read. The quote is from a few years ago, 220 years to be exact. Funny how over 200 years ago, even then the founders of our Country knew the government was a parasite and hindrance on the working man, some things never change.

“If, from the more wretched parts of the old world, we look at those which are in an advanced stage of improvement, we still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised, to furnish new pretenses for revenues and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without tribute.” – Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, 1791

Ok ok, I know I said I’d stop, sorry but it’s just gets me going that all these people in Washington who are supposed to be there to serve us, seem to lose their grasp on what the people outside of Washington are going through once they get elected. Read the paper, all the Dems support the President and all the Republicans don’t. Doesn’t anyone have an opinion of their own? Why does everyone just follow party lines? Can someone please stand up and think for themselves. It’s no wonder most people (25% approval rating of Washington) have little to no trust in the government. That’s all the politics for today, promise.

It’s almost 6am and I did make some progress on the basement yesterday but still have more work to do. The school started its annual book fair yesterday and all the kids head straight to the library when the bell rings to buy books and related items like giant pencils. (that’s what we got) You have to get them out of there pretty quick or it’ll cost you $50 or more! I managed to get away for $13. It’s for a good cause, the school, but way over priced. Today is Mom’s last day at work until Sunday (I was wrong the other day as she has 2 days off!) and I think we’re running up to Vail tomorrow am for a quick meeting.

I hear the boys stirring upstairs so I’ve got to run and get breakfast going so time to go. Hang in there and be safe, hope everyone is doing well and God bless you.

Hard to believe it’s already mid April. I turned the sprinklers on yesterday as the grass is a bit dry. This morning it’s already much greener than yesterday although it’s hard to tell as it’s still dark at 4am. Our oldest finally got his long awaited new pair of Zig tennis shoes yesterday after school. He’s wanted these for months and he finally wore out (and grew out) of his current pair so I took him to the store for his new shoes. They were about $15 more in cost than other shoes but I know what it’s like when EVERY kid in school has the new thing and you don’t. I did make him work (do some extra chores) and understand that they were $15 more than other shoes we could have bought. So after he did his extra work for a few days, the shoes came home with him. His new prize possession I think slept on the end of his bed last night. If not they were neatly placed by the front door (where I suggested shoes belong as the bed is no place for dirty tennis shoe soles). Anyhow he deserved them and I’m glad he got them. The youngest of course wanted a pair also but just got new shoes a month ago so he’ll have to wait. He understood why and was ok with the whole thing when his older brother offered up his current/now older pair, to him. They’re both really good boys. A good nights sleep and everyone was back to normal.

The Denver Post is reporting that radiation is now in the drinking water in Denver. Of course they say it’s safe but it makes one wonder. This thing in Japan is still very much out of control and yet everyone now seems comfortable with radiation leaking for over a month now. As most of you know, I don’t really trust the government (any government, just look at their track records!) to tell us the truth about much, including any potential health risk from this horrific disaster. Imagine if you lived in Japan! It seems they’re having a stream of endless earthquakes and yesterday they government told 5 more towns they need to evacuate within 30 days. Boy if I was told that, I’d leave asap. (actually I would have gathered up my family and left a long time ago)

Mom was so tired she went right to sleep about 8pm. She works today at 8:30 this morning and again tomorrow and the next day. I think she’s off Saturday and then back on Sunday. She’s a real trooper trying to do whatever she can to help out although I know she doesn’t like it much. I’m supposed to go to Vail today for an event but am sending the guy who works for me here in Colorado instead. Not sure how much wine we’ll sell but it’s for a good friend at Wells Fargo. The economy is really causing a lot of problems for a lot of people right now. I think the most challenging thing is all the price increases on everything from gas to food to power bills to clothing, etc. (we just put a price increase nationwide of $3 per case April 1st on all our wine) In addition, all big companies, if they don’t raise their prices, are trying to fool (or scam) the buying public now by shrinking the size of their products and leaving the prices the same. (i.e. notice how cereal boxes are now about a 1/4 size smaller???, the wife sure has noticed that the ice cream containers are much smaller!) While all little increases in their own right, when you add them all up as a family over a period of a month, you now have hundreds of dollars of extra expenses each month. It’s really taking a toll on lots of people. Cutting out discretionary spending just doesn’t solve the problem anymore. Ok, I’ll stop the economic musings for the day as I’m sure most people would rather not hear it, but it’s out there and it’s real.

L.O.L. goes to the doctor today to find out what’s wrong with her. The misses is really worried about her as they wanted to do surgery the other day but wouldn’t tell her why??? Sounds fishy to me. It’s almost 6am now and I need to get going. Today I need to reorganize the basement and put up some shelving as stuff is still everywhere from when the pipes broke New Years eve. I just haven’t had the time to get to this, kind of like not getting to see True Grit yet. I’m determined to get it done today no matter what!

Easter is a week from this Sunday and my Mom will be home from Arizona by then. It’ll be good to have her back. Then a week later it’ll be May and before we know it, the kids will be out of school. We really haven’t figured out what to do with them when Mom and I are working and they’re out of school. Need to get a plan there pretty darn quick.

I’m tired of listening to the news (which is what I do when writing these posts as it’s all that’s on at 5am) so I’m going to sign off now. It’s supposed to rain this afternoon which is much needed. Also need to get the dogs some exercise sometime today. I almost forgot, the wife’s Aunt Myrna (who’s great) has a big ranch in Oklahoma and is turning 70 sometime in August and we’re going to try to go! The boys will have a blast and she’s a lot of fun. She’s still in California at Grandma Dixie’s until the 19th. Horses, tractors and all that fun stuff will  be loads of fun for them. They really want (and enjoy) horses. We’d sell a car if we could and replace it with a horse or two, it’d be much cheaper (maybe not),but take a bit longer (not much) to get to school, and we keep looking but haven’t seen any hitching posts at the grocery stores yet. Oh well, maybe someday. They way things are going (drifting back into economic /political musings) we might all be riding horses someday soon so get your boots ready!

God bless all of you and stay safe and healthy,

Here we go settling back into our routine. Mom works at 8:15, kids school starts at 8:10 and my day has already begun. I tried to get the misses to do the blog this morning but she says she doesn’t have time. The boys obviously had a rough afternoon yesterday since we had to get them up way too early for the flight home.

Hopefully by this afternoon everyone will be back in normal shape. Both dogs are in and sleeping beside me on the floor right now. The boys and Mom took them both up to Grandmas to throw the ball for a while yesterday while I watered the flowers and grass.

Big changes coming in the wind. The misses and I are continuing the plan to launch several additional businesses. We’ve decided earlier this year that we can no longer wait to diversify. We’re going to have to go into hyper drive here in the next few months to get where we want to be. Today we’re back to the endless struggle to pay the bills, one day at a time. I’m not sure the economy or government has a real clue as to what’s going on for most people in the Country. Sometimes it seems we might all be better off if we just kicked all the political figures (GOP and Dems) out, and started over. Do any of these guys really get it? I don’t think so. Check out this quote I found yesterday,

“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.” – Thomas Jefferson

Pretty profound (back into politics) huh? I could go on with examples of ridiculous over regulation like the school in Chicago that yesterday said kids cannot bring their own lunches anymore, to the State of Missouri where it’s now illegal to drive a car with an uncaged bear, what??? Everyone in Washington only cares about getting re-elected, not doing what’s best for future generations and yet the public is too apathetic or unorganized to do anything about it. Anyhow, time to shower so Mom’s taking over, remember smaller government is better, they just need to get out of the way.

The kids had so much fun at the 2nd party.  They played, ran around, had a red berry war with the 12 and 13 year old girls.  The youngest told me that one of his cousins…an un-named boy…peed in Grandma’s front bushes…surprise Grandma.  They played with their Auntie Serena and Uncle Matt to no end..Uncle Matt and Grandma both got in the jumpy castle….Uncle Matt was released after an hour or so.  The boys were given very special pirate ship tattoos from Auntie S and Uncle M and the youngest had me apply his pirate ship tattoo yesterday afternoon on his tummy…it’s about 6 inches tall and covers most of his tummy.  He wouldn’t take a shower last night for fear of the tattoo washing off before he has the opportunity to show if off.

The oldest has soccer practice tonight and then home for a family dinner.

I found out that S.L.O.L. spent two days in the hospital while we were gone and wouldn’t let anyone call me so I wouldn’t worry.  She has another doctors appointment on Wednesday to see if they can figure out what is going on.  Everyone say a prayer please.

Both boys are up, so I am off to cook breakfast….

Good day and God Bless,

LLF

We got up at 4:30 am but really didn’t sleep much at all last night. The party yesterday was one for the books. Sit down dinner for 75 or 80, home cooked food and 80% of the people there were related. The party started at 2pm and we left a bit before 8 at night.

Ages spanned from a few months to 80 or 90 or who knows how old. The misses had 2 or 3 mothers and fathers each present and then there was the different groups from different sides of the family. I of course mingled with all of them. Pa Don rented a “jumpy castle” for all the kids which was a huge hit. A good time was had by all. Grandma Dix sure has done a lot for a lot of people over the years and is very much loved by all. They say you can measure your life by how many friends you have and if true, she’s way up there.

We left the hotel about 5;30 this morning and were wheels up right on schedule at 7:45am. After a short 2 hour flight we were back in Denver headed home for some much needed rest. Both boys fell asleep in the car on the way home, (littlest one is still out) and the house was a welcome sight. No time to rest for me as lots of work going on. I really didn’t even get a break while in CA. I visited a few stores and mingled with customers telling them about our wines as well as bonding with the wine department managers. Great stores there (Nugget Markets) and if you live in Northern CA, you should check them out.

Auntie Kristin showed up a bit late due to flight complications on Friday, was gone all day Saturday (whole other story) and made it back Sunday for the party until she had to leave to catch a 7pm flight for L.A. Sure was good to see her, we all love her lots.

The boys swam at least once each day at the hotel which they really enjoyed. I need to run right now as lots to do, I really need a vacation!

Take care and Happy Birthday once again to a great mother (and father) in law. I’m sure the misses will write more tomorrow.

God Bless

Good morning…it’s a lovely day….the sun is shining, the birds are singing and all the foliage is in full spring bloom.  Bright pink, fuchsia, lavender, red and every color of green you can imagine.  We have clear blue skies for the afternoon party. Yea!!

The hotel has breakfast included and the boys are loving it!  Waffles, Fruit Loops, juice, biscuits and gravy and an assortment of danishes and bagels…..much more enticing than what I offer at home.  It’s good to be on “Vacation”.

We had a lot of fun with Grandpa yesterday.  He treated us to the Train Museum in Old Town and we all enjoyed seeing all of the old trains.  The older private cabins were amazing, and the fact that the meals were cooked and served by one chef and three waiters is almost inconceivable in the day of prepared food and microwaves. The dishes/ china were gorgeous…different designs for different routes…one of my favorites was the “Rocky Mountain” design…complete with a slight shadow of a mountain goat!

We had lunch and then headed over to my other mom’s houseboat to fish.  The lines  went in and the boys held the poles for about 5 minutes.  They were distracted by my sister and her fun hubby….the kids tried “Sneak attacks” on said sister and brother-in-law with water weapons and bean bags.  They boys were wearing life vests at all times because the Sacramento river is running really high and very fast.  We didn’t catch any fish, but we had good conversation and the kids got worn out.  The youngest fell asleep on the way to Grandma’s and slept for over three hours.  Thank you Auntie S and Uncle M!!!

We spent some time with Grandma and the oldest helped set tables for today’s party while hubby andI went to pick up a purse that was left behind at party #1. 

We got back to the hotel..threw some dinner in the oven, took the boys for a night swim and then all headed to bed.

We are looking forward to today’s event.  There will be over 75 people and the kids are related to 3/4 of them…lots and lots of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cousins.  The Native American relatives are of special interest to our oldest since that is currently the unit of study  in 3rd grade.

We are off for a morning swim and perhaps to see one of my husbands childhood friends that lives close by.

God Bless

LLF

We arrived in Sacramento around 2:10p.m., deplaned and headed to the rental car office.  Once in the car it took only 40 minutes to get to the hotel….10minutes to unpack and change into swimsuits, 3 to get to the pool and then a quick 45minute private pool party for the boys to try and burn off some energy before the big bash.

We got to the party right on time and thankfully my Wonderful Old Stepfather had name tags for everyone……I had to peek at quite a few since I haven’t seen 3/4 of my mom’s friends and relatives in 10-20 years.

The party was fabulous, the flowers were gorgeous and talking with everyone was wonderful. My mom and W.O.S.F. had everyone categorized…F:I=immediate family, F:INNO=immediate, nieces, nephews, outlaws…etc. They introduced everyone and the connection they have to my mom…very cool.  One of my mom’s good friends was the M.C. and quite a few people got up and spoke of how she had impacted their lives.  What a lady she is!  My hubby got up and had some lovely things to say, as did everyone else. I am proud to be her daughter and to have benefited from the influence of her wonderful friends and family in my early years.

We are off to hang out with my dad in Old Sacramento today and then head over to my biological mom’s house boat to take the boys fishing. My sister is also at the house boat with her hubby, so this will be the second of three family reunions.  Of course they were at the party last night and we all enjoyed seeing them.  It is so hard to live so for away from everyone….we are very fortunate to have my husbands family so close to us and are going to make an effort to have a bi-monthly dinner at our house!!!  Mark your calendars!!

Tomorrow is the big gathering at my mom’s house…more of a family reunion….100 plus people.  She rented a jumpy castle to keep the kids entertained and my cousin from Oklahoma has been cooking for this party for 3 days…I think we will buy a cooler to take leftovers home!!!

Anyway, we are off to get cleaned up and head to my dad’s…so, until tomorrow.

God Bless

LLF

Hard to believe this is the 100th post of the year! Time’s flying by people, enjoy each day. As you know, today we fly out for the BBB (big birthday bash) in California. My back is still sore but I’m headed to the gym anyhow. All the bills are paid through Monday the 11th so no pressure there until Tuesday the 12th. Everyone’s excited to see everyone. There are so many relatives we have that we’ve never met. Tons of cousins, aunts and uncles from Oklahoma and who knows who else.

It’s supposed to be cool there (mid 60’s) which is pretty much normal for us. The neighbor Roxie will be looking after the dogs and fish and hopefully Mojo the malamute won’t find any animals to chase all night while we’re gone. We’ve found a few ants in the house the past few days and cannot find where they’re coming from. We sure hope we don’t come home to find a bunch of new room mates. I think the dogs roll in the dirt (what most of you call grass) in the backyard and then brings some in the house.

Uncle T is taking us to the airport and we’re still waiting to see if our friends will pick us up. If not, we’ll have to take a cab home. Time to run as I have to get to the gym and have a lot to do before we leave for the airport at 10:30. I’ll have to find a computer tomorrow to write the post so it might be late the next few days. As I said before, Monday’s post will be published in the afternoon after we arrive back in Denver.

Take care and we’ll talk to you tomorrow from California.

God bless and take care,

Sorry to you early birds that read the blog in the morning. We are rushing around trying to get ready for the big birthday bash in Cali. The misses is getting her toes, nails, hair, etc (don’t know what else, but I’m sure something) all done today before the big trip. Me of course, I’ll pack tomorrow am an hour or so before we go. That there is the difference between men and women!

Boys are in school taking their spelling tests a day early since we’ll be on a plane tomorrow. Aunt B is taking our lab to the vet today for a check up, shots, or something, and is paying for the whole thing! Not sure why except maybe she thinks our poor little dog is neglected. I personally think it’s just cause she’s nice and really cares about our lab. Either way, way cool!

Last night a retired dentist I know down the street (for the past year, we talk occasionally when we see each other on the street) showed up at my door and showed me this old over and under 12 gage shotgun from Brazil. We talk hunting often as he has lots of land in Nebraska and Iowa and hunts every year. His wife has some sort of bad abdominal cancer (just found out a month or so ago) and I don’t think he has many people to talk with. He always jokes that I’m the only one (other than 1 policeman neighbor who’s moving away) that he likes to talk to in the neighborhood. He says everyone else is crazy. I think his kids are all out of state. Anyhow he shows me this old shotgun case and tells me to pull the gun out and take a look at it. While the wood on the stock is a bit beat up, the bores (barrels) are very clean (in good shape). As I’m admiring this, I asked him when he got this and he said he picked it up today. After checking it out and telling him what a nice find I start to hand it back to him and he says “no, that’s for you”! At first I didn’t understand and said “what?”, to which he replied, “I saw it and knew you didn’t have a 12 gage and I just bought it for you, no strings attached”. Obviously I was overwhelmed, I have given him a few bottles of wine here and there but nothing else. My wife says he’s lonely, has no one in the neighborhood to talk to, and really enjoys my company as whenever he sees me, he stops and will talk for hours (if I let him). We’re going to get together in a few weeks for dinner or something, he really is a character., kind of a crazy old coot if you know what I mean. (not crazy in the literal sense, just funny with tons of stories and yes a republican!) He also collects cars, I know he has 4 Jeep Wagoneers from the 80’s, 4 Mercedes, an old Army jeep he restored, and some other cars. He also has a plane or two and a bunch of guns. I always joke and tell him I want to be him when I grow up! Anyhow, what a nice gift, couldn’t have cost more than $300 or so but the gesture means much more than the value of the gun. He says I should join his group when they go turkey hunting over at his place in Nebraska. Also apparently my Mom and his wife have been friends for years as he remembers my Dad well who also drove Jeep Wagoneers (we had a lot of them) so they’ve been in the neighborhood for a long time.

So, what a good day! I’ve got to get going now as I have a few crises at work that need to be handled. I’ll be posting early tomorrow am before heading off to the airport, family in tow. I’ll have to use someone’s computer in CA on Saturday and Sunday to do the blog. Monday’s post will have to be around noon when we get back home.

Take care, stay safe and go out today and buy someone a gun! It’ll really make them happy! If you don’t know someone who’d want one, just send me a check.

p.s. another 7.0 earthquake in Japan, hope it’s not as bad, God bless.

Good morning all!!! It is another beautiful Colorado morning. The sun hasn’t made it’s appearance yet, so the sky is dark steel with a silver sliver of the moon.  The the air is crisp and all of our flowers made it through the snow. Hurray!

Our little old friend gave us a scare night before last.  When I arrived to her home at 9:oop.m. she was very pale…her tummy was hurting….she was really warm, her BP was 189/109 and pulse was about 88. She wouldn’t let met take her to the Doctor..she had an appointment already scheduled for 12:00 yesterday.  I made her a cup of tea and got her situated and headed home.  I then called the nurse help line…no help at all…and then called L.O.L back to check on her one more time. She was all settled in and Bunkie was nestled up on her lap, so…. she said she would see me in the morning. I prayed many times for her to make it through the night and feel better in the morning.  The power of prayer truly is amazing.

L.o.l. looked much better in the morning and of course the docs couldn’t find a thing wrong with her.  Maybe a bad bout of food poisoning…I hope not from dinner with us.

The boys had a great first day back to school. They didn’t lose any of their reading and writing skills over the break and of course their social skills are still in top form.

The oldest had soccer practice last night and the youngest went along to play with friends that also have older brothers on the team.  They ran Dad ragged and when I walked in he said, “They are all yours”.  The boys had been waiting for “Breakfast for dinner”, so I got busy making hash browns, bacon, pancakes and eggs for our little munchkins.

The boys were super happy I was home from work…It’s so nice to be missed.  They walked down to give the dog his shot and had a lot of trouble getting to sleep.  It was well after 9 when they finally settled down.  I know 9 doesn’t sound like “Late” to the average bear, but when ours don’t get to sleep by 8 at the latest on a school night…they really are “Grouchy bears” in the morning…..Not a fun way to start the day.  I am letting them sleep in as long as possible.

I’ve been throwing the ball for the dogs in the morning and also right before bed….walks are hard to get in these days, but the ball is a nice consolation for them. The Lab has yet another ear infection, so I have to get some ear wash from the vet sometime today. I am off work at 6, so maybe on my way home.

The wind is supposed to get up to 60mph today…can you say..”Awnings up”> I am not a fan of the wind…a breeze is nice, but 40-60mph…not fun. There are still fires burning here and the wind certainly won’t help the fire fighters….we could use a good rain.

Dad has another busy day to get everything wrapped up in time to go to CA for the “Big bash”, and of course, he is the after school care for the boys again today.  Good luck Daddy!!!

I am of to get lunches made and breakfast started….

God Bless and Thank you for keeping everyone safe.

Well I finally broke down and went to the chiropractor yesterday morning. 2 1/2 hours and $300 later I actually felt better. Apparently the X rays show my back and spine are fine (could have told them that w/out x rays and I did!) but the cushiony part between my bottom disk and tailbone is only 3 mm while all other are 10mm. What this all means is I have less room for error or “cushion” so when I move too harshly it can squeeze some of this soft material between the bones or pinch it and then the nerve causes me pain. Anyhow I’m back today and tomorrow for more adjustments trying to get better to get on a plane at the end of the week. We’d promised the boys all week that we’d take them to the movies so with Mom working, I ended up sitting in a movie theater for a few hours which didn’t help. After that we (the boys actually helped) cleaned the house and vacuumed (which didn’t help my back but I just can’t stand the mess) and then made dinner.

School starts today finally. It seems like the boys have been off for a month. I’m sure they will be glad to be back playing with their friends. Soccer practice is tonight and Mom’s working until 7:30.

Uncle T and Aunt B, after 4 days of 1o hour classes are now dog massagers. Not sure what this means, (I guess they massage dogs) but am very happy that they both did something together that they can now get up and look forward to each day. I think before they get their certificates they need to do a few case studies so looks like our dogs will be getting free massages, yeah! Aunt B will be working a couple days a week at the local doggie emporium and Uncle T the same baking dog biscuits if I understood them correctly. I’m glad Uncle T is getting out each day having something to do, it’ll be good for him.

I sure miss working out and am going on an all salad diet for the next few days so I can fit into some clothes for the weekend parties. I’m sooo tired of having a bad back, this is the worst it’s ever been. Mom’s making eggs and we’re trying to get the boys up. They have both turned into teenagers when it comes to sleeping in.

I had to fire an employee in Texas over the weekend which is never pleasant but was required. Don’t know how many of you have ever had to fire someone from a job but it’s not an enjoyable thing anyway you look at it. This creates extra work for me this month until I can fulfill the position as I now have to continue to manage the Country as a whole but also Texas on a local level. Both boys are awake snuggling on the couch trying to wake up. Lots of severe weather around the Country, hopefully everyone is safe. We feel blessed to live in Colorado as we really don’t get it as bad as other parts of the U.S.

Looks like 73 degrees today, here we go again, snow one day and sun the next. The weather here always keeps you guessing. Just for fun I’m adding an email I received the other day that some might find political but I just find American, hope you enjoy, here ya go!