A Year of Change

Aspen was fine, I made it on time and was in and out in an hour. After I made it home I dropped Ty in Edwards to meet Will. They took off for the concert at Red Rocks and arrived around 5:30. We were nervous about them going to a rap concert but you can’t shelter your kids from life. All was fine and they were back in Edwards by 1:38 am as I had Ty text me. Whew.

Not sure what’s going on today. Both boys are off for a week but Ty does work tonight so he’ll need some rest today before work. I’ve quit coffee. This is a big deal as I was drinking around 5 cups or more a day. Not good for you, still recovering from the effects. It just sort of got away from me as I didn’t realize I was drinking that much. Well I’m done now.

Nice weather up here, still no snow. When it comes, it’ll come. Not sure if Jag is coming up today or tomorrow. It’ll be great to have them both home. Not sure what we’re doing today, probably cleaning and seeing Dixie. She had a rough day yesterday. She cried a lot and when I asked her why, she said she didn’t know. Poor girl. That’s it, time to go, God Bless you all.

Tonight Ty and some friends are headed to Red Rocks for a concert. I’m in Aspen today for a haircut around 11. Lori is waiting here as the appliance guy is coming out to reset our clock and freezer as the clock won’t change from daylight savings time and the freezer needs some sort of reset from when the plumber turned the water off.

Last night I went to James and Mark, Luca, Clark, James and I hung out. Mark brought some brisket and pork loin and made mini sandwiches. They were good. He brought his homemade bbq sauce which he makes with some fruit instead of sugar which was really good. He used to manage the 4 Seasons so he has some background in food. It was cold in Lake Creek but we had a fire going so it wasn’t too bad.

Jag comes up tomorrow or Sunday, not sure. Lori had a MRI yesterday and then visited her mom. They’re now wearing eye covering and masks at Dixie’s place. Hope they don’t put visiting restrictions in. That would be bad for Dix.

Almost 7am so time to get going. Have a great day and weekend. God Bless.

A week from today is Thanksgiving. Two more days of school for the boys until they have a week off. Lori is headed in for a doctor appointment and then to do some work at the office. I have a call this morning and then a conference call at 2. James made it home Monday so we’re hanging out at 5. So a busy day ahead.

No snow or weather up here. The guys from Denver who came up to fix my smoker said it was so nice and much warmer up here than down there. Looks like we’ll make the trip down to Denver to Tom’s for Thanksgiving. We decided Dixie can make the trip so I’ll grab a tenderloin at Costco as no one in our family really cares for turkey except me. Dixie says she really doesn’t care for it either, hmm.

Ty worked last night. Not sure if he works tonight or not. I think he does as well as Saturday. I’m in Aspen tomorrow getting a haircut and stopping for groceries at Whole Foods in Basalt. We’ll see what they have left. I’ll hit Costco today.

Democrats are still so out of touch it’s mind boggling. They’re trying to cram as much through as possible before they lose next November. Hopefully they’ll fail. 78% of Americans are against anymore spending, but to the dems, it’s not their money so they don’t care. Hard to believe how much damage one party could do to our Country in 10 months. Good news is, people have noticed! Hang tight, God Bless.

Thought we were waking up to a little weather but nothing here. Not sure about Denver. Had a headache last night, ugh. Lori is in Frisco today and Ty works tonight. He has late start today at 10. I have some work to do on the phone and computer. Walt our plumber came out yesterday and replaced an air intake vent and some cannister that connects to our water heater that goes to the overflow valve. Hope that fixes everything. Still working on our punch list.

Not much else today, they are coming up to fix a control board on our smoker. I guess I’ll get going, be well, stay safe and God Bless.

As of today we’re on the backside of November. Then December will fly by. Get your house in order. No time to waste.

Ty is off to school early, Lori works in Edwards and I have a couple conference calls before heading to the range. We made it to our appointment just in time yesterday. Traffic in the city is almost unbearable. I counted almost 30 people in the waiting room and only 8 of us were white. Looks like a bunch of Joe Biden’s friends trying to get citizenship.

We left around 10:30 with our new passports in hand. I dropped Lori at the hospital in Vail for work and then headed home. I renewed our Global Entry cards and then had to run to the DMV as Jag’s plates on his car expired in September and he just noticed. Ty received his first speeding ticket, ugh. Consequence coming. Lucky he gets paid today so he has the money to pay it.

Christmas is coming. Trying to find unique, useful, fun gifts for family. Dix was a little tired yesterday and pretty much just hung out in her room taking it easy. That’s ok, she had a big weekend. Maybe some snow tomorrow, unusually warm yesterday and today.

6 am now, time to get going. Lori is already in the shower. Take care, God Bless.

4:45 am, hope to be on the road in an hour. Should be back by 11. Good day yesterday. Lori put lights up outside. They’re super bright led lights. Ty had bowling club and I think today after school maybe work. Someone lightly side swiped the left rear end of his truck. Hard to see but it’s there. Jag made it home from Telluride ok. Both boys have this week and then are off for a week. It’ll be good to have Jag home. I think Friday they’re going to a concert at Red Rocks. Time to move, 4:55am now, God Bless.

Yesterday afternoon we put up Dixie’s tree at her house. Earlier we went and picked up some of Lori’s jewelry she had repaired in Vail. Lots of people in town as the mountain is officially open. We have little to no snow but they take skiers and boarders up on the gondola to Mid-Vail where two runs are open. Then when you’re done, you take the gondola down, hmm.

Ty had basketball and then worked and then spent the night at Kyle’s as it was Will’s birthday. He’ll be home around 9 this morning as we need to finish his Fasfa application and submit for financial aid to DU.

Today the Broncos are on and then tonight our favorite show, Yellowstone! I know Robi and Robert like it too. Tomorrow at 6 am Lori and I are off to Denver for our passport appointment at 8:30 am. Should be back to Vail by 10:30 or 11 at the latest.

Dixie loves her tree. She’s a little bit more confused or lost every day. It’s tough just seeing her go through this but she is 90. It’s compounded seeing a bunch of other older people going through it at her place. She’s lucky as her place is really good and the care givers really care. Still, super depressing, more for Lori and I than Dix. I need to find a cabin in the woods as if I ever get to that age I’m going up there and what will be will be. No way I’m going into any place. The boys know this, ha.

Think today we’re getting some Christmas lights up outside. Have to get moving to get this done before football. Tomorrow is the halfway mark of November, wow. Get your holiday spirit on! They’ll come and go in the blink of an eye. God Bless.

Not exact but there are a little over six weeks left in the year, wow. Hopefully 2022 will be better but with Biden in office, I have my doubts. Things could be so much better. It’s one thing to deal with covid but another to have covid and then all the self imposed problems the government is creating which add problems to our lives. People are rising up. Everyone now realizes how inept the people in power are. Say what you will about Trump the man, and there’s plenty to not like, but his policies and programs were good. Hang in there and think for yourself. It’s now more clear than ever, what you see and read is all bullshit. The people in power want you to think and believe things that just are not true so they can stay in power. Don’t fall for it!

So Ty worked last night and Lori and I brought Dixie up for dinner. We’re going to try to get some rest the next 36 hours before we leave for Denver Monday morning at 6am. Jag and his new girl Ea, pronounced “ee-aa” stopped by on their way to Telluride. She’s a sophomore too and went to Cherry Creek High School. They’ve been dating since they met at a party on Halloween. Nice girl. She’s majoring in chemistry.

Not sure what Lori and I are doing today. I think putting Christmas lights up outside. She found these three sparkly deer that light up at Costco she wants. I managed to talk her out of it yesterday by reminding her we have real live deer in our yard every day but when she gets it in her head that she wants something, we’ll you know. We will stop by Dixie’s today to put up her little tree. She had a good day even though confused. She went down for some activities before and after lunch. It’s good that she’s starting to participate in the daily fun they have going on. Some people there are “confused” but a lot are just old and have 100% of their faculties in tact. It’s a really good place with less than 20 people and they provide really good care.

Nice outside. Sunny and pretty warm. We’re headed to the gym and then we’ll see. Enjoy the day, be thankful for what you have and tomorrow is the next episode of Yellowstone! One line from the first episode that was pretty profound was no matter what you think, you don’t deserve it! Think about that, it’s pretty much true no matter what the democrats tell you, you don’t deserve anything. The great thing about America and life is you have an opportunity to shape your life and how you want to live it. It’s harder these days with politicians trying to tell all of us what everyone supposedly deserves and more importantly, what you don’t. The problem is it’s not up to them. That’s what people don’t realize. Those of us that are older do as we were raised right. Things will come back around, they always do. The only question is how much pain will we all go through getting back to what’s right. All you can do is get ready and be prepared, physically and mentally, enough said, God Bless.

After 12 days, we finally have Lori’s car all fixed and home. Knock on wood nothing else happens as we’ve had tire issues for it seems like months on one car or another. On our way down Lori picked up balloons and bagels for her doctors who are veterans. She took them up to the OR where they were just coming out from the first case. They were super surprised and appreciative. Then by noon we were picking up her car. We both made it home a little after 2.

Today Lori is going in at 7:45 to check in some patient and then Jag should be here around noon or 1 on his way to Telluride. Ty is off to basketball at 6:30 and then the weekend will get an early start later today.

I’ve been kicking caffeine as I was drinking over six coffee’s a day. It’s a powerful drug. All kinds of side effects as it really messes with your system. I didn’t really notice how many I was having each day. I’m having a half a cup a day right now.

We went and saw Dixie yesterday. Once before dinner but then Lori ran down her portable oxygen charger and visited some more. She’s pretty confused on a lot of things but then remembers some things from years ago really well.

Shortages are real. I couldn’t find Gatorade up here so when we went do Denver we stopped to get Lori’s passport photo at Walgreens and they too had none. They said they haven’t been able to get any for a while. Lots of their shelves were bare. Never seen anything like it in my lifetime. Turkeys are almost all gone too. Whole Foods is out. You need to stock up on things you use daily but take for granted. Think toothpaste, soap, kitchen and bath items, pet food, over the counter medicines, etc. Avoid luxuries this Christmas unless you’re rich and get things you can use. It also goes without saying you should try not to accumulate any debt which thankfully most of us that read this have little if any. Ok, enough preaching. Have a great weekend, God Bless.

Here’s Dr. B on the right and Dr. S. Both Afghan war surgeons!

Thanks for your service! If you know or see a veteran today, make sure to tell them that. Lori is taking balloons and lunch to Dr. B and Dr. Schiff who are both veterans. At 9:30 or so I’m meeting Toby who is driving by on his way to Grand Junction.

Jag is trying to figure out his living arrangements for next year. It’s either live with Lexi or moving into a house with 4 buddies. Hard to believe he’ll be a Junior next year and that Ty ill be a Freshman.

We’re hoping they drive Lori’s car up to us today, otherwise we’ll be headed down to pick it up. When I was picking Lori up last night I ran into the clinic as I’ve had an upset stomach for a few days. Think it’s food poisoning. They asked when I last had a covid test and I said I’ve never had a covid test, so they swirled a Q-tip inside my nose for 5 seconds and 10 minutes later told me I was all clear. That’s it, time to move and groove. Be well and stay safe, God Bless.