A Cornucopia of Updates and News

(Note: Clicking on any image will bring up a larger version of that photo.)

Boy. It’s been too long since I last posted, and there is a lot of ground to cover.

Land Hunt Update: We have mostly given up on the Martha A land. The guy from the BLM called me back and said they can’t verify that public access was established under R.S 2477. While we could buy the land and apply for a right-of-way permit, we feel it is up to the current owners to secure legal access to the parcel. As a result we have begun looking at other listings again. This is disappointing, but we knew going in that there was an issue with the access road crossing BLM land.

Big news: We have gained an additional dog. Her name is Auburn “Jo.”  Pam found her at The Second Chance, a rescue agency in Ridgway, Colorado.  We purchased a doggie DNA kit, and are waiting to see what Jo’s genetic makeup is. We believe she has some Spaniel in her, as she was originally sheltered by a Spaniel rescue group out of Wyoming. (Most breed-specific rescue groups do not generally handle animals not of that breed.) Anyway, Jo is about 10 months old now, and still very much a puppy. She seems to fit well with Blondie and Bru, and the cats just tend to ignore her. We have had her a couple weeks as of this post. You can see a photo of Pam and the 3 dogs on our About Us blog page. Here is a photo taken at the rescue when we picked her up.

We adopt our 3rd dog, Jo

Jo and Soot nap on the couch.

As you can see, the cats have integrated Jo into the household quite well!

In other family news, we celebrated Toby’s birthday in late October. He drove over for  dinner, cake, and an evening of talk. It was good to see him and catch up on events in his life.

Felicity did not get the Web Master job she had applied for. From her description of the interview it was pretty clear they already had someone else in mind. Too bad, as the job sounded like a good fit for Felicity’s talents and skills.

Thanksgiving was celebrated by the 2 of us with a traditional turkey dinner. Well, not quite traditional as we did not cook a turkey, but instead cooked a packaged turkey breast. It was excellent, as were Pam’s pumpkin and strawberry-rhubarb pies.

We did not hit the Black Friday sales, but I did venture out to get groceries and run some other errands. I heard it was a zoo at some stores. One of the places I stopped, to get some low fencing, was a chain outfit named Murdochs. They had a 20 percent off sale going on, and every register had a line behind it.  Murdochs is a farm supply type of place, and we stop there occasionally  for pet supplies and plants in season. I got my fencing and left.

We have received our first Christmas card. It’s not even December as I type this. Oh well. Pam got started on updating our card list, which seems to shrink a bit every year as aunts and uncles pass on. It is sad to remove these names, and often gives us moments of contemplation about the length and twists and turns of life. My Dad passed away last year on December 27, so the first anniversary of his passing is coming up next month. It’s never far from the front of my thoughts.

But, on the bright side, one of my Bucket List items has been reached: I now own an ATV. I had not really planned to get one this year, but had seen a few “year-end” closeout deals offered at a couple dealers. I’ve been talking about getting an ATV for a couple of years. Pam encouraged me to go ahead with a purchase when I found this particular unit. I think she was getting tired of hearing me talk about it. So, with her blessing, I brought home a Yamaha Grizzly 550 ATV. It has the optional, but highly regarded, Electronic-assisted Power Steering (EPS.) My riding experience to date had been only demo rides, so I have a new set of skills to acquire. We live near Wild Horse Mesa, a good training area for ATV riders, so I will try to get some miles under my belt in the next few weeks before snow covers the ground. I am looking forward to it!

My new Grizzly 550.

Jerry exploring Wild Horse Mesa.

What’s ahead for the next month? Pam is up against a real headache: she and her coworkers are moving into a remodeled building. This particular project has been poorly handled, with office politics trumping functionality. The space she is moving into is smaller than the space she shares now. As one employee put it, the move is like moving from “a sardine tin into a peanut shell.” All records and desks must be packed and moved, then unpacked. Some office machinery, like large postage machines, high-capacity printers, and copiers will be split between 2 buildings. The buildings are not adjacent to each other, and are on 2 sides of a very busy highway. It is going to be a rough transition.

And, of course, Christmas is only a month away. Outdoor decorations begin going up tomorrow at the Fields house. Cards and letters will begin to get mailed out. Instead of a newsletter, our cards will feature the address of this blog. People who are interested can read all about our last year on these pages. What a thrill that should be! 🙂

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!