A Year of Change

I left about 6:10 in the morning and drove 50 miles east to Kiowa Colorado where I would be hunting for the morning. I arrived about 7:20 and as soon as I arrived saw some pheasants running around while waiting for my buddy to arrive. A bit before 8 he showed up and we met John with Nickel Creek Gun Dogs who brought along Indy and Sierra, his two prized German Short Hair Pointers. A short drive later up a hill and through a creek to some fields and we were off. It wasn’t long before these two magnificent dogs were on point standing stiff as a board with one leg up and a tail pointed to the sky while starring at where a bird was. As we got a bit closer, they were flushed and the hunt was on. This went on for 3 hours and by 11 in the morning I had 16 chukars in the bag. It was a great time. I only missed one bird that I actually shot high on because it was up a hill a bit and I was afraid Indy, the black dog, was in my line of fire, so at the last minute I raised my gun too high to hit the bird.

After breasting out (cleaning) the birds, I quickly headed home with my catch to drop them off as I had to be down in the Franktown/Elizabeth area by 2pm. This was another good hour away but I had an appointment with one of the premier gunsmiths in the U.S. Jim, the gunsmith, is a 63 year old guy who had a triple bypass 3 months ago and lost his wife to cancer 2 years ago. When I made the appointment I asked him if he drank wine and he said “no, bourbon”. I decided to take him a nice bottle of Kentucky juice that I knew he’d enjoy. It turns out we really hit it off. He instantly took a liking to me (who doesn’t, ha ha ) after we started talking guns, kids and life in general. He was quite impressed (he told me) at my knowledge of guns and ability to pronounce certain European manufacture’s names correctly. I have to tell you, I learned more from this guy in 2 hours about shooting and shotguns than I could have by going and taking lessons from some high priced pro somewhere, all at no charge except for a small fee for the parts.  After shooting some 20 or so rounds at a metal pattern plate, and an hours worth of work by Jim, my prized Browning over and under shotgun had an additional 1 7/8 inches added to the stock at a slight angle to fit me perfectly. It was a real treat for me to meet Jim as there are some people out there that are just real good people who are really good at their craft. Jim is one of them. You can’t teach 40 years of experience, you just have to have done what you do for 40 years!

So, what a fun day for me! I arrived home around 5pm and ran up the street to get some mexican food for dinner as it was too late to cook up the chukars. We’ll have to have them today. Thanks to Mom for taking the boys to a movie and giving me a day break to refresh. Today, after a couple of hours on the phone, I’m taking the boys for a road trip, I think to the river in Boulder, to play. The youngest is on the couch next to me waiting to go to Target to get some Wii game with his own money. I told him I’d prefer he didn’t spend his money on a video game but he seems determined and it’s his money.

Time to hit the phones, I’m also trading one of my shotguns in for a youth model for the oldest as he’s ready to go and wants to bird hunt this fall. I was going to take him last fall but we had to opt out of Hunter Safety Education (which is mandatory) to go see Grandpa Bob last year when he thought he was going to die. Turns out, if you remember, it was heartburn! Three cheers for heartburn!

Take care, have a great day and we’ll see you tomorrow.

Good morning.  The sun is up, the birds are singing and the munchkins are coming down the stairs.

The boys played with the neighbors most of the morning…the oldest headed off to Uncle T’s in the afternoon.  He went to lunch with Uncle T and Auntie B and we couldn’t tell at all that he had a Japanese soda at lunch…Boy oh boy could we tell.  That’s okay..it’s Spring Break…and isn’t that when “Boys behave badly”… girls too. Anyway, the oldest had a lot of fun at his Uncle’s and came back full of knowledge about his Great Uncle C.B. Fugate.  Uncle C.B. was The first Jefferson County Sheriff killed in the line of duty…he was murdered by one of his friends at age 54 according to our oldest son.   He is very interested in family history and wants to see a family tree with his name on it.  I better go outside and carve all of our names into a tree…I don’t think he would find that funny at all.  He is very serious about Ancestry.  This is every family members cue to send some information.  By the way…Thank you Uncle T. for taking our young man to lunch.

The boys had dinner outside while they were taking turns shooting hoops.  They came in when the sun went down and we all crawled in our bed to snuggle.

Today the Mister is chucker hunting.  He is planning on bringing these birds home for dinner.  Ugh…I made it twelve years without having to cook wild fowl for dinner.  I really prefer my birds to be plucked and packaged.  I’ll keep you all posted on the results of the “Hunt”.

The boys and I are going to see The Lorax movie today.  I plan to take them for a long walk around Crown Hill park this morning.  It’s 4 miles if you take the long loop.  I can certainly use it and it will be good for the boys to walk before sitting in a movie theater. The movie looks really good..I hope they enjoy it.

I am off to make breakfast and give the dog a shot….

God Bless

At 9:30 this morning we’re back to Dr. Chan, the specialist they have her seeing these days. Not much has changed. We did get a letter asking for the misses to sign a release and provide her medical records for the last 10 years including every doctor she’s seen for anything! They say this will speed up her reimbursement of the money they owe her for lost wages. Well they can go screw themselves. They write these documents or letters using words like “alleged injury” and imply that you have to sign these forms. It’s only if you read the fine print that it says “you don’t have to sign this in order to get paid”. Unbelievable!

We have our normal bills plus the never ending out of pocket fees above and beyond our deductible as after that’s met, we pay 30% of the bill. It’s better than paying the whole thing but still a mess. And we just realized we have to pay $530 this Friday for the kids pool this summer. It ticks me off they want the money a couple of months ahead of time but what are you going to do, at about $5 per day, it’s a deal. I also need to go to the DOW today after we go to the doctor.

Last night, after a hard day of playing, the boys had the youngest neighbor boy spend the night. All three of them are on the couch with me right now lobbying me to go get some cinnamon rolls from the store while the misses is still sleeping. Tomorrow the neighbor kids head off to New Jersey for the rest of Spring Break so then it’ll be Mom and I thrust into the role of playmates. I’m gone tomorrow so Mom will take the boys to the movies.

It was super windy yesterday, you probably saw the big fire on the news. The wind seems gone today and it’ll be in the mid 70’s. Now for a little politics.

They’re having the big health care debates in the Supreme Court and is anyone surprised that the early vote is split down party lines? I was hoping that since these judges are appointed for life, they might, just might be impartial and think for themselves but no such luck. How about our President telling the President of Russia yesterday “it’s my last election, wait until it’s over and then I’ll have more flexibility”. In other words, I can’t do what I want to do now as I need to get re-elected first but once I’m elected I don’t have to answer to the people. I just cannot believe it. Then later in the day, he jokes about it by covering the microphone when with the Russian President like he’s going to say something else! Nice, real nice. I’m just flat out embarrassed that he’s our President. Sorry if I offended any of you but if you really think about it, we need some hope and change now!

I guess I’ll go get some pastries for the boys. I’ll probably regret it when the sugar kicks in but what the hell, it’s Spring Break and I like to make the kids happy.

Take care and have a great day, talk to you tomorrow,

Yup, the kids have another week off before going back to school. It seems like they’ve been off a week already. The weekend was filled with lots of activities and it seemed even longer as the neighbor kids are gone meaning Mom and Dad are thrust into the role of playmates. It looks like this trend will continue all week as most, if not all of their friends are out of town.

It was supposed to be almost 80 yesterday but didn’t quite make it. Still the low 70’s is nothing to complain about. Today we’re looking at 79 (they say) with high winds. The pollen is incredibly bad this year and even those who’ve never had allergies seem a bit stuffed up. They say that the ticks are going to be really bad this year too as the white mouse population is at an all time low and it seems this is the ticks favorite food. With them gone, supposedly we are the next best thing. If you don’t know what ticks are, they can cause lyme disease and are usually only around for 4 to 6 weeks starting in May. You really have to check yourself anytime you’ve been outdoors.

I need to be at Office Depot at 8am to buy a new color printer/fax as ours is dead. Next up will be some phone calls across the country and then my daily run to Fed Ex and if I have time, the final trip to the DOW to turn in my hunting application.

Has anyone noticed how everything, and I mean everything, is more expensive these days? All commodities have gone up. From food being sold at higher prices for smaller packages (they think we don’t notice), to clothes to anything made with plastic, metal, wood, or anything, it’s all gone up! The government is trying to put its best “spin” on everything making us think we’re in a recovery as it’s an election year. Even with record “real” unemployment, more people on food stamps than anytime in our history, prices the highest they’ve ever been, housing starts down, $4 gas and our dollar worth less now than ever, they tell us we’re in a recovery. You know who, almost 4 years later, is still blaming George Bush even though when elected he promised to turn all this around in his first year. Politicians will say anything to get elected, and why not, people keep falling for it. Oh and wait, it’s in the news this morning that he told the Russian President “I’ll have more flexibility after the election”. Are you kidding me? This is exactly what I’m talking about. He’ll say one thing now but then do something else AFTER he’s re-elected, and he even tells us! I just cannot believe it. I’ll stop now but my main motivation is my concern for our kids. Both sides keep kicking the can down the road to get re-elected and someday, the bill will come due.

We’re still trying, hoping, praying, for the misses to get some relief. This has gone on way too long and it’s really starting to get to her. She’s not a complainer but I can tell. We have to get this fixed now. I’m going to try to get her swimming to see if that’ll help.

Time to run so I can get in a phone call or two before heading out to Office Depot. Thanks to Grandma who cleaned out a shed and gave us a new bbq and a bunch of old cool items that have been in storage for 30 or more years. Oh, last thing, our other fish, Fred, passed away last night. We buried him this morning next to Bob, his brother, out in the garden. Once again, as a reminder, NO NEW PETS! If anyone gets us one, it will be promptly returned to its rightful owner, the one who bought it!

Have a great week and enjoy your day. God Bless,

Good morning.  The sunrise is beautiful.  The background, a muted blue splashed with brilliant pink and peach with lavender clouds perfectly disbursed in the foreground.  I love to see the sunrise, because we get to start a fresh new day with the most beautiful colors ever seen.

Twelve years ago today we were all down in Scottsdale preparing for a beautiful ceremony followed by a fabulous party.  It’s hard to believe 12 wonderful years have gone by.  It certainly doesn’t feel like 12 years….that makes our lab 12.  I have to think back to confirm that she is indeed 12.  I  keep thinking that she is only 10…however…she was born on March 20th and we brought her home in May right after we got married.  She still has the energy of a 2 year old especially when she is chasing a ball!  She is losing a bit of her hearing…that could be due to her ever present ear infections..BUT…she has not lost her taste for trash.  Miss Lacey has acquired a new talent…opening cabinet doors.  She had a feast of chicken bones and shrimp tails in the middle of the night.  It must have been her belated birthday dinner….it’s a good thing she has an iron stomach.  Don’t worry..I will keep a watchful eye on her.

Happy birthday today to Aunt Shelly.  We all went out to a birthday/anniversary lunch yesterday.  It was really nice.  We went to the new local restaurant.  Our table was great..a tall table that was 1/4 inside and 3/4 out on the patio.  The fresh air during lunch was great.  I had a really good hamburger…minus the bun and onion (Auntie B called me “Sally” from the movie “When Harry Met Sally”). There were fish and chips, french dips and one grilled cheese all around…accompanied by iced tea served in Mason jars. Yum. We went to Grandma’s house after lunch…I sure do enjoy going up there…I think I’ll see if I can’t go hang out more this spring and summer.

The youngest had a play date in the morning with his wild friend..Scott.  While I was upstairs the boys made a fort with the couch cushions or a trampoline…I’m not sure which.  They also had a lot of fun gathering sticks, having sword fights and maybe shooting hoops…I’m not sure on that one either.  As I was getting Aunt Shelly’s gift ready…right before I was to take Scott home..I pulled down a gift bag from a very high place…not knowing there was a hammer on top of it….and Kaboom…the hammer landed on my bare left foot. OUCH!!! The Mister tells me “It’s all up from there”…good to know.

The boys played with the neighbor girl and boy after lunch….they called the game “squirt guns of spring.”  Out came the swim suits, the squirt guns and bare feet.  It’s nice to have a 70+degree day in March. After that the youngest played with the neighbors and the oldest went down to Aunti B’s and Uncle T’s.  He played in the backyard and stayed with them for dinner.  The youngest had a private dinner with Mom and Dad followed  by a little television.  Once the oldest got home we put on a movie…the Mister and I were wiped out from all the boys play, so we headed to bed and left the boys to stay up and watch their movie. It was a great first day of Spring Break!!!

Today we may take a picnic to a park in Boulder by the river…it’s going to be a record high temperature today.

One munchkin just came down…so I am off.

Have a great day and don’t let any hammers hit you on the foot.

God Bless.

Here we go, it’s on, Spring Break. First off, Aunt Robi commented how she’s not surprised what kids are exposed to and we agree and have definitely talked to the boys about sex, drugs and yes rock and roll! (had to throw that in for those of you that remember that song) All joking aside, it’s too bad how fast kids are forced to grow up these days but it is what it is.

Yesterday I had to run to Boulder after going back down to the DOW. The misses decided to join me so we stopped for lunch at an important account to put in an appearance. You see in my job, sometimes I just need to go to a restaurant and patronize them every once in a while. We then stopped for groceries as some friends were coming over for dinner. We got home just in time to go get the boys from school who were all pumped up and ready for their vacation. After they finished off my left over pizza from lunch, it was out to play. Before you knew it it was 5:30 and our friends showed up for diner. We bbq’d some chicken and artichokes and went through a few bottles of white wine and had a nice evening as we all sat around and talked about our kids, school, the state of the World and anything else that came to mind. Soon it was a little after 8 and our guests were off for home. This morning it feels like we were up until midnight but it was only about 9!

Aunt Shelly’s birthday is tomorrow and so is our anniversary (I know you know) so she’s coming out today and we’re all supposed to go to lunch at 1pm. I have an important Fed Ex arriving I have to wait for and then a work errand so I might not make it but the misses and boys will, we’ll see. 11:30 would have been much better.

It’s going to be 80 degrees today and here in Colorado, March which has always been our snowiest month, is on pace to be the driest on record. We sure hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for this summer.

I offered to take my little brother out bird hunting but he said he’s not a hunter so I think I’ll try to get him out shooting clay pigeons. I really think once he tried it, he’d enjoy it. Next Wednesday I’m headed to Kiowa (about 45 minutes from home) to go chukar hunting with a buddy for a few hours that morning. It should be a lot of fun. For those of you that don’t know, a chukar is a good eating bird about the size of a hen pheasant. Bird hunting closes March 31st and doesn’t open again until September 15th so this is our last chance until fall. They had an opening tomorrow and the misses said to go but even I won’t do that on our anniversary. As I said the other day though, it’s just another day to us. We have lots of other priorities rather than spending money on a fancy dinner or big presents. I told my Mom yesterday that on the 12 anniversary, it’s customary for the mother of the male to buy the couple a hawaiian vacation. I don’t think she bought it. Oh well, worth a try.

It’s almost 6:45 and I need to get to the gym even if for only a quick 30 minute weight lifting session. I’m too tired to run this morning. Hope everyone is doing well, maybe we’ll get to talk to some of you tomorrow and yes the misses neck is still hurting and about the same. She did speak with the workman’s comp adjuster the other day so hopefully we’ll see a small check from all the work she’s missed. It’d be nice to offset the out of pocket expenses we incur every other day or so at the acupuncturist. We have to continue to try to do whatever we can.

Take care, enjoy the weekend.

Ok, before you all think I’m crazy, I’m not talking about myself. You see today’s title is the title of a song that has been featured in a bunch of kids movies and the boys have been walking around doing their signature dances for a year or so while singing “I’m sexy and I know it”. Yesterday the misses caught the boys watching the songs video on YouTube. The problem with this is the lyrics include phrases like “feel the passion in my pants”! Needless to say, Mom freaked out and told the boys they can’t watch that.

This is just the tip of the iceberg around here. In the 4th grade class, there’s a kid who drops the “F” bomb everyday, boys and girls are switching boyfriend and girlfriends like some 60’s love commune and both boys knowledge of the birds and the bees is apparently way beyond their years. The only one around here who should be signing “I’m sexy and I know it”, is the misses. I don’t think any of the males in the house qualify.

Yesterday at noon I met up with the guys for another round of shooting sporting clays. I actually doubled my score from the previous time and seem to be getting into a groove. I also stopped by the DOW (department of wildlife) to get some advice on submitting this years hunting tags as it’s quite confusing. Of course the guy I went to see was in a staff meeting so another guy tried to help me out but I need t go back.

Those of you that don’t like my rants on politics are lucky as the government is signing all kinds of laws to keep track of every digital communication there is, on every single person in the Country, which will force me to stop. It’s sad when people have to even consider not sharing their opinions on politics as they’re fearful of ending up on some list. Well we reached that point. By next year, every single phone call, web search and email will be recorded and analyzed from every American. Very sad that the government is so paranoid of all of us and feels they need to be so intrusive into our lives. It was recently reported by a web site that has 25 million unique visitors that the govt. had re-routed every computer that went their through their site to an agency to track each person and get their information like their computers isp or digital signature. WOW. So, lucky you, I no longer feel comfortable criticizing you know who or the government. Sad times we’re living in. Each day our rights are eroding under the guise of protecting us. Very similar to the 1940’s in Germany if you know what I mean. (hmm, maybe I can continue to write if I choose my words carefully)

Spring Break starts today and runs for 9 days. It’s supposed to be almost 80 degrees today and continue for the next 5 days or so. Spring is here. Our anniversary is Sunday but it’ll probably be just another day. Today I need to run to Boulder and a few other places while the misses will be around the house. Her neck was doing a bit better until she decided to walk the dogs yesterday and with 200 pounds pulling on her, she was hurting by the end of the day. Not a good move.

Time to run, hope everyone is doing well. Take care and God Bless.

After today, the kids have one more day of school before their annual Spring Break. At 2:45 pm tomorrow they’ll be off school for 9 days. What to do, what to do. We were thinking of driving down to Arizona as Grandma has offered to let us go stay at her house in Scottsdale but I don’t think it’s going to happen. It’d be nice as it’s 85 degrees down there, but I have some things I have to do here to get the bills paid plus I just don’t know about the misses sitting in a car for 12 hours each way. Too bad we couldn’t fly or we’d head down Sunday for 4 days or so. Maybe we’ll have a windfall before the weekend.

The misses just came down and I’m just tired of writing these posts and really have nothing to say today. I have a few other more pressing things to worry about this morning so I can’t really focus on this, so here’s the misses.

Good morning.  Both dogs are at my feet and the big dog is pawing me to pet him…..hard to pet a big dog and type at the same time.  I had him lie down, so I can pet him with my foot.  I think I will try to walk them today…maybe up to Grandma’s.  The critters sure love the pasture.

I measured our friend’s office yesterday to come up with a story board of my design plan. I found some clearance furniture that would be great, but of course the furniture I really want to use is 3 times more expensive.  I have to remember it’s an office reception room and not a living room.  The carpet has to go…it’s very old and worn and the wallpaper is horrendous….hopefully it can be painted over in the future.  I am making two options for them…the really cool more expensive version and the one that will just take it up a few levels from the current condition.  We shall see.

The boys are excited for spring break.  We certainly need to have a plan for them if we are staying home. No idle boys around here. We will gladly take suggestions.

Yesterday, the youngest was telling me about how stars explode and that the sun is actually a star and it will explode and wipe out mankind.  He also told me not to worry because it will certainly not happen in our lifetime.  Good to know.

The oldest has been passing 2-4 music tests on his recorder a day and is now well above grade level.  He needs to pass 10 more to acquire an Alto recorder that is usually reserved for the latter part of 5th grade.  He is very proud of himself, as are we.

The kiddos are hungry, so I am off to make breakfast.

Have a great day and God Bless.

It looks like the misses is never going to be able to go back to her job. The motion of standing all day and looking down and lifting groceries into bags just isn’t suited to her ever deteriorating neck. Time for a new career. Now before you all fret, she’s quite a talented lady. First up, she’s great at parties and events. Yesterday I had a call with the promoter for our buddy Andrea Bocelli who handles the U.S. concerts. Later this fall she’ll have some work there. In the meantime we need to get her into some kind of new place where her talents can shine and she can be happy. Today she leaves early to head down to our friends doctors office as she’s been asked to provide a proposal to overhaul their reception area. Can you say interior designer? I’m not sure what she’s up to but she needs to leave at 7:00 and asked me to find a tape measure. You can already see a glow or twinkle in her eye when she talks about it.

Today I have a bunch more time on the phone but overall, things are going pretty well. I’m not really traveling until after Easter when I head to New York and then Texas. After that I think I’ll be in Italy for 4 or 5 days. I was supposed to go to Italy tomorrow but delayed my trip due to the misses neck and the fact that Spring Break starts this Friday. We need to do something fun with the boys.

Yesterday my little sis commented about $100 million dollars being paid to Peyton Manning and suggested that I should rant about that like I do about politics. Now I agree things are out of whack when a guy can get $100 million dollars for throwing a ball around but theres one big big difference. When the government spends money, I have to pay for it through increased taxes and higher cost all around. When a rich owner of a football team spends money, It doesn’t cost me anythning. You could argue that it does because the team might raise ticket prices but I have a choice whether or not to go to a game and pay higher prices. With the government, we have no choice. They spend, we pay, that’s it. So there sis, like I said, yes it’s out of whack but you’re comparing apples to oranges, a favorite trick of liberals, ha ha.

The kids played hard yesterday but it was a bit cool outside. It’ll be in the mid 70’s this weekend and our 12th anniversary is Sunday. I wish I could fix the misses neck as her present but it’s just going to take time.

I need to get to the gym before she wakes up and needs to leave so time to sign off. Hope you all are well. Aunt B said on Facebook (I was reading over the misses shoulder) that it’s National Brothers Week or something like that so cheers to my little brother who’s just a really good guy.

Take care, God Bless

Ok, for one day, not much else matters. Well actually it does, we just get to forget about it for a moment to get wrapped in sports. One of the best quarterbacks of all time has chosen to finish his career as a Denver Bronco. Boy is football season going to be fun this year.

Meanwhile life goes on, the country is a mess, politicians are still abusing their power, all of them, and too many kids have no role models due to loser parents that shirk their responsibility. But Peyton Manning is a Bronco so for a brief moment, none of that matters, right?

I have lots of work to do today so this morning I have to run. Here’s the misses to share some light on what’s going on around here from a female perspective. She sure looks cute this morning, as usual.

Happy first day of spring morning.  There are three woodpeckers in our backyard pecking the grass for worms. In the front the robins are doing the same.  We have quite a few tulips bursting through the ground and some purple and yellow crocus in bloom.  I love spring.  I am hoping  to go to the nursery  for an ornamental tree and some extra tulips.  Of course the Mister and the boys will do the planting for me.  It’s a bit of a bummer since I do love to dig in the dirt. Oh well… I’ll embrace my new role as “Director”.

The youngest is making breakfast..so… off I go to help.

Okay..so we have two extra kiddos coming home from school with us today.  The youngest’s friend Scott..he has more energy than both of our boys combined…and the oldest’s friend Jen…I saw her Grandma yesterday and she is worried that Jen has not been as nice as usual..to anyone including her Grandma.  When I offered to have her come over to play Jen’s Grandma almost cried because she thinks so highly of our guy.  She (J’s Grandma) said she really misses our guy.  That is so nice to know as a mommy.  Of course  the Mister and I think quite highly of him as well. Anyway, both boys should have awesome days today.  We have soccer at a really nice park this afternoon, so I will load up the Suburban and enjoy the weather while the munchkins get some energy out.

I am off to Acupuncture…yea!!!

Have a great day and God Bless.