Author: admin (Page 38 of 66)

During these quiet days of transition between not-quite-winter and not-quite-spring, smaller elements make up the bulk of our daily activities. Here is a run-down on a few small happenings in our life this past week.

Work: I am still without an assistant. The one guy who made it past the in-person and group interview (oral boards) washed out in the background check. The search continues but I don’t have high hopes of finding a qualified candidate anytime soon.

House: The front door lockset decided to quit on us and would no longer keep the door closed. (The plunger that goes between the door and the door frame quit working.) This required a replacement lockset be installed, not a big deal at about $35.00 with extra keys, but we had to prop the door closed with a rock (wrapped in an old towel) for a day until I could buy and install a new lockset. Four keys are required; one for each of us, one as a hidden spare in case we lock ourselves out, and one for the neighbor who takes care of the dogs (lets them out for exercise) when we are both at work.

Pam has taken to buying a few fresh flowers and putting them in our main bathroom, which keeps them out of the way of the cats and dogs. The bouquet has a great aroma and reminds her that spring is just around the corner.

Bathroom bouquet

House Hunt: Not much new. We haven’t visited a property in several weeks and not much on the market is appealing. The search continues. FYI: The total fixer-upper Pam identified in Cascade (mentioned last post) has an offer on it, probably by some Colorado Springs “flipper” who can afford the renovation.  (Whew – dodged a bullet there. Pam had that look in her eye on the Cascade property.)

Recreation: I have been out with my ATV riding locally in Wild Horse Mesa. The roads have dried out quite a bit in recent weeks so are no longer just muddy trails.

ATV ride, Feb. 25 in Wild Horse Mesa

It’s good to be able to get outside for a few hours; weather for the next few days indicates below freezing at night but into the 40s and 50s during the day. Tulip leaves are popping up near our fence line and grass is beginning to green out so spring will be here shortly, I hope! We did have snow during the week, enough to justify getting out the John Deere lawn tractor and using the snow blade to clear the driveway and sidewalks; I expect more snow yet before spring truly arrives, not time to take off the snow blade just yet.

On a sad note, a co-worker who had the office across from me and with whom I had worked for the last 3+ years died suddenly Monday of a heart attack. He was 67 and his wife had just retired on February 9th. Ken was a good friend and I will miss him around the workplace. Reflecting on Ken’s passing has strengthened my resolve to retire and not work until I die. Not sure how that is going to be managed just yet!

Not all creatures are feeling any stress, though:

Bru relaxes (totally) on the couch

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

Pam’s Five Cents Worth:

Must be getting closer to spring in this backwater – the whiff of fresh skunk is on the air of a morning. M-mm-mm.

Regarding retirement, I am pondering Plan B, since Plan A (Colorado retirement house) in now 1.5 years along and not going anywhere.  If you know me at all, you know I am all about Plan B (and C, D, E … if needed).

Plan B – If Fields and I use the [considerable] down payment we have saved and apply it toward a few things (like paying off the Sanderling property, refinancing the De Beque house, replacing the aging Honda), our monthly payments would be reduced to a point where I could probably semi-retire within a year.  Yes! Very attractive. But then we would be trapped into staying in the De Beque property into retirement.  No! Not attractive.

Plan C – We have discussed on-and-off the viability of finding a winter retirement spot in Oregon.  The winters are milder there, and I have a desire to be able to travel to the ocean occasionally.  Felicity has mentioned wanting to buy a tiny house in Oregon – but – is having difficulty finding a place to park it (near public transportation). This plan could possibly address both needs.  (Oregon, by the way, is pretty much the tiny house manufacturing center on the planet.)

Such is my dilemma.  Of the options presenting themselves, which way to go? Stay tuned.

Happy Trails.

It has been a quiet two weeks here in western Colorado so this is likely to be a short post!~

Temperatures, after quite a spell of being above average, have returned to seasonal normals. (Bummer.) It has been below freezing the last couple nights, a trend that will continue for the next week, and into the low 40 degree range for high temps, average for late February. A light snow had fallen over the last 48 hours but is already melted off, leaving roads and sidewalks clear. (Mr. Bibbs, the garage cat, had returned to the outdoors for a week but then thought better of it with the change in weather, and is once again indoors for a spell.)

We depend on our local TV stations for accurate weather forecasts. (Silly us.) Given the market, many of the weather reporters are young people who seem to have problems pronouncing common words. February becomes “Febawary” and temperatures become “tempachurs.”   Not to mention vehicle becomes “vee-hickle” and bicycle comes out as  “bi-cycle.” One expects more from professional communicators.

Both of us work in Glenwood Springs, and a couple of weeks ago the city opened a new walking/hiking trail loop, all paved. Since I like to get out and walk over my lunch break a new trail was appealing to me. The lower end of the trail crosses the Roaring Fork River. I stopped to snap this photo which features Mt. Sopris in the background:

Roaring Fork River with Mt. Sopris in the background. Taken in Glenwood Springs, CO.

The entire loop is quite long for a lunchtime walk but I have done an out-and-back a few times, weather permitting. It’s a healthy distance.

On the “Big Boy Toy” scene, I continue my search for a brush chipper. I bid on a unit last Friday (on-line auction) but stopped at $2,500.00. The unit sold at $2,750.00 but the sale also included a 17% “buyer’s premium” and the chipper was located in California. The extra fees and cost of getting the unit home would have gone well above my budget; the search continues. (See my web page “Chipper Wanted” for more details.)

Wood season is near!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Shout out to our beloved Hank on his birthday.  The world is a better place because you’re in it, our friend.

Here’s a house that’s captured my imagination — how about this for a money pit/fixer upper:  4590 Hagerman Avenue, Cascade, CO. Houses in this little hamlet were primarily built in the 1920-1940 time period as vacation homes (for folks in Colorado Springs who wanted a close-by mountain experience). Now, a completely restored house in Cascade would probably sell in the half million dollar range (and up). Hagerman Avenue is most likely a candidate for a flipper to renovate and sell. Still, an interesting project.

See-eester, the farm house in Cedaredge already has an offer on it.  We never drove up there to view it. I just couldn’t get excited about that house.

Generally, 2017 so far has been stressful for us, mostly due to job vacancy issues at both our workplaces.  (And of course, the evening news delivers alarming activities on the federal level.)  We’re looking forward to “Sanderling season” this year. Wood and slash removal accomplished during these last four years finally makes it easier to get around The Lot; the dog pen in place helps too.  We look forward to potentially seeing Craig and Dianne in the high country around Memorial Day.  And of course, house hunting in the Woodland Park-to-Fairplay corridor is on the agenda this year.

Happy Trails.

Biggest news (besides politics) is the weather; we are now experiencing a spell of above normal high and low temperatures.

Normal high is around 43 degrees but last night our overnight LOW was 47. It is cloudy and raining now, but temperatures for the upcoming week are forecast to be 10 – 15 degrees warmer than usual for early February. The high desert has set a couple of new record highs for the date; some parts of the state are recording highs into the upper 80 degree range. Here in western Colorado temperatures climbed into the low 60s, nearly 20 degrees above average. Wow – I may ride my motorcycle to work next week.

Jerry and his Kawasaki motorcycle

The snow at our elevation is gone and even the long-persisting ice on the north side of the house is fading fast. We have switched back to light jackets in the morning and I recently washed the cars while wearing a short-sleeve shirt.

I don’t believe winter is over but the respite is welcome, both from a reduction in heating costs and just the ability to get out without having to bundle up so much. The dogs spend a bit more time outdoors and the outdoor cats enjoy the warmer air;  both venture out more often and for longer periods of time. The break seems to be doing all of us some good.

Other news…
Brother-in-law Craig and his wife Dianne bought a Minni-Winnie camper; sounds like they plan to do some traveling now that both are retired and the house is completed. Good times ahead! Here is a photo of the rig that Craig put on his FaceBook account:

Craig and Dianne’s new camper

There is nothing new in the house hunt; Pam continues to look at on-line listings but not much has come up that sounds interesting. She did see one listing that advised prospective buyers there was currently a medical marijuana grow in the house and to be aware of that when scheduling a visit! That’s new.

I’m losing an ongoing battle with the shower faucet. Over the years I have replaced the seals a couple of times (including again this morning) but the repairs never last long and the dripping begins again. I’ve come to the conclusion the faucet needs to be replaced, a job I am not eager to take on given the cramped quarters and the plastic plumbing lines used in the construction of this place. I have a bad feeling about this…

Update on looking for a new “minion” at work: I have interviewed a total of five people for my IT Assistant position. Next Tuesday an oral board interview is convened to determine if one of three finalists could be hired. I’ve not participated in the oral board process for quite some time; should be interesting to see how the candidates respond.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Last night, on our ride to the after-hours clinic to get me some meds for a recurring medical issue, I started thinking about distances to clinic/hospital facilities from retirement house locations I monitor. Just a gentle reminder we need to be fairly close to “medical” as we age. Our current trip to medical facilities is 30 minutes. We should probably stay within that range (or less).

Happy Trails.

WANTED:

I’ve been looking for a brush chipper to help with the lot clean-up. I would like to ask for your help in locating a suitable unit. Here is what I am looking for:

Chipper with a 6″ (six inch) capacity. Models are available with either gas engines (most common) or diesel engines which I would prefer. Some come with ball-style hitches, some with pintle hitches. I would prefer a ball hitch but would buy the pintle hitch adapter if necessary. Some common brands and models are:

Vermeer 620 or 625

ProMark 310

Mid-South 612

Bandit 65 series, including AW and XP

Altec Wisper Chipper

And there are other less-known brands out there. Here is a photo of a typical unit; this one is a Bandit 65 AW with a ball hitch:

Bandit 65 AW 6″ capacity chipper

I try to monitor auction and surplus sites but have been out-bid on the rigs I’ve seen. (Budget is around $2,500.00.) So…if any of you see a listing in your local paper, Craig’s List, or just happen to come across one (referred by friend or neighbor) please let me know. I would certainly appreciate it!

With no outings for several weeks, I decided to take a road trip yesterday (Saturday). I wanted to go to The Lot and check on the shed and snow levels plus look at a home (a foreclosure) Pam had seen listed on-line. (Pam stayed home with the animals, plus accomplished the grocery shopping.)

The four-hour trip did not begin well; snow was in the air and the chain law (chains or all-wheel drive required) was in effect over Vail Pass. The west side of the pass was not bad; the east side had more falling snow.

East side of Vail Pass on 2-4-17

I really didn’t know what weather to expect once I arrived in the South Park area, but the weather cleared up and the afternoon turned out well. More on that below.

The lot itself was in typical shape for this time of year. Snow had melted off the south-facing side of Birdhouse Ridge and I was able to walk up to the shed without difficulty, other than the effort of walking in heavy clothes at an elevation of 9,500 feet! There appeared to be about a foot of snow in the non-sunny areas, and deer trails wandered through the property.

The Lot on 2-4-2017

There wasn’t much time to spend here as I had made arrangements with a realtor to view a couple of For Sale properties. The main interest was the foreclosed home on 35 acres. On-line photos showed a large house in need of some repair but priced where we might consider it. As we have seen in the past, however, an on-site visit will turn up issues not addressed in the listing.

Such was the case with the home at 188 Boyero Lane. The house has an attractive living room that features a stacked-stone fireplace, vaulted ceiling, and mountain views:

Boyero Lane living room

However, I found in general the place had been poorly maintained and extensive repairs were needed. Most windows needed replacement, the solar electric system was  missing pieces (no commercial electric at this location) and the kitchen would have been a total gut job. Priced near the top of our price range at $269K, it would take another $75K to repair and upgrade the place; this definitely puts Boyero Lane out of consideration for us.

Here is a picture of the Boyero Lane kitchen:

Boyero kitchen

The list of needed repairs would be too long to include here, but one other factor was at play: the driveway. More of a track, here is a shot of the inadequate driveway as it takes off from Boyero Road. I am inside the realtor’s 4-wheel drive truck:

Driveway up to Boyero home

All in all this was a disappointing visit; the place just needs too much work for us to even consider making an offer. We are all for finding a bargain, but this wasn’t it.

The realtor did show me two more homes in the same general area. They were our style but each had quite a few steps to negotiate. Both had garage / basement levels but with [sometimes steep] stairs to access the upper-level living areas. Once in the main living areas, the homes were light and bright, such as this living room and kitchen in a house on Oxbow Lane:

Oxbow Lane living room

Oxbow Lane kitchen

If the homes had been ranch style, without the flights of steps from the lower to the upper levels, they would be contenders. As it is, these houses show well but aren’t really what we’re looking for. The search continues.

I was also going to try to get inside the Silverheels house; we walked around the five acres last fall. (Silverheels is the Fairplay property that borders a lake.) The drive had not been plowed and the realtor and I didn’t feel like challenging the elements to get to the house  — even with his 4-wheel drive. One would think, if a property is for sale over the winter, the Seller might consider keeping access open for showings. But apparently not. If the property is still on the market later this spring we may take another try at scheduling a visit.

Silverheels driveway entrance

It was a full day, with visits to a total of 4 properties plus The Lot. I arrived home about 13 hours after I’d left. I did enjoy getting out and about and it’s always a pleasure to be on The Lot at Sanderling.

Today will be quieter; washing the car and watching the Super Bowl game later this afternoon are pretty much my agenda.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

As it turned out, I’m kinda glad I didn’t load up the dogs and accompany Fields on this particular day into the high country.

Happy Trails.

Other than politics, which I try to avoid in these posts even though we follow events closely, it has been a ho-hum week. Here is an update from the past week on several topics.

We have decided to hold off scheduling a visit to the last Cedaredge house I mentioned in my last post; perhaps we can arrange to look at a few “potentials” in one trip instead of just driving to look at a singe place. (145 N. Grand Mesa Drive) The realtor did send us info on the cost of utilities which appear to be high: $182.00 per month (average) for electric and natural gas. That seems to indicate the place has little or no insulation, a factor to consider if we would consider remodeling such a place. So, while not eliminated, we don’t feel there is a great hurry to look this one over.

A recent ATV ride in Wild Horse Mesa yielded a couple photos; the roads are muddy due to melting snow (daytime temps once again above freezing). I spotted an “antique” oil pumping rig, now out of service, that originally ran an internal combustion engine on natural gas. The old rigs are being removed and few remain in this area.

Muddy roads on Wild Horse mesa

Natural-gas powered oil rig is now an antique

The trip was not long, a couple hours, but it was good to be out in the sunshine again!

As mentioned above, the weather has improved and we are now looking forward to a spell of  weather featuring above-average temperatures. We did have some single-digit low temps this past week, a reminder that winter is a long way from being over, but the warmer temps are welcomed by us and our critters.

And speaking of critters…here is a photo of Pam – with KitKat and Auburn Jo – sitting on our glider:

Pam with KitKat and Auburn Jo

KitKat is mellowing out; she would not let herself be petted for over a year but now likes to have Pam (but not me) pet her on occasion.

I can’t end without visiting the political events of the past week. My grandparents were immigrants who came to this country for a variety of reasons, including political ones. Religion was never an issue and, in my opinion, never should be. The US Constitution, First Amendment, reads, in part:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

Mr. Trump claims his 7-country immigration ban is about keeping the US safe from terror but not one individual who has committed an act of terror in the US, going back to 9-11, originated from one of those countries. The countries where terrorists have come from, including Saudi Arabia (15 of the 9-11 hijackers had Saudi passports) are not on the list. This executive order is clearly a ban on immigration based on a specific religion.

The Constitution also includes Article 6, which reads in part:

…but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Which further strengthens the argument that banning immigration based on religion is unconstitutional. I hope the courts, where challenges to this order will be heard, put a check on the President’s [God-like] power to issue executive orders, orders that must pass constitutional muster. This is not a given. If the courts decide the President’s power is absolute then our democracy is worthless; the idea of checks and balances in a democratic system will cease to exist and the President would be free to act as a tyrant.

Regarding the Executive Branch’s contention that the inauguration was better attended than it was, and the photos by the National Park Service verifying otherwise, I’ll close with the following graphic:

Let’s hear it for the good guys!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Geez, I look like my Aunt Angela in that photo. Time to color my hair again, I see.

Yes indeed, every day this week has been a political education. The country surely is in buyer’s remorse over the results of the last election; Executive and Congressional branches both are filled with alarming and disappointing “representatives.”  Felicity marched in the Portland Women’s March on January 21st.  She reports it rained and she was wet and cold, but the turnout was $70,000 +/- and she would do it again.

Happy Trails.

The unusual weather pattern continues. Last Sunday I was able to take my motorcycle out for the first time in 2017. Temperatures rose into the low and mid-40 degree range and most of the snow melted away. It was nice to get out on the bike – but – I knew the warmer weather would not last.

Here’s a photo of the Roan Plateau taken during this ride:

Roan Plateau, 1-15-2017

True to form, we had another snow storm this past week. I woke up Friday, January 20th, to a new white world of winter.

New snow, 1-20-17

I had already cleaned the drive and sidewalks of 3 – 4 inches of snow  before I took this shot. More snow is in the forecast for the next few days but daytime temps will be slightly above freezing; the snow should melt off (mostly) during daylight hours. (It is snowing again as I compose this post.)

You can tell the snow was heavy and wet by the way it stuck to the fence lines and tree branches.

White World of Winter

Commuting was not bad; the roads were wet but not slippery. I have taken to keeping a jug of water in the car to clean the windows before we head home as the road spray really mucks them up during the inward-bound commute. Such is life in the winter!

A new president has been sworn in; lets hope he governs better than he campaigned.

Pam has identified a new home listing that may be of interest; the address is 145 N. Grand Mesa Drive in Cedaredge. Although it is directly on main street, the lot is about an acre and there are several outbuildings that could be used as storage for my toys. The kitchen is a mess but the rest of the house looks “OK” although dated. (Green carpet?) I will be contacting the realtor to arrange a visit. More on this as we continue our house hunt.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Snow is romantic before Christmas, now it’s mainly a nuisance.

The Cedaredge house is intriguing because of it’s potential history.  As is the case with most old houses, the integrity of the original structure has been lost with multiple “updates” and additions.  I mostly regret the loss of all that lovely baseboard-and-door-surround woodwork. This particular address may have been [most recently] a real estate office.  But, plenty of outside storage for Fields.

I personally think our future lies on the Front Range, but I’m itching to “house hunt” again.

Happy Trails.

Weather has been the main focus of our activities this past week. Conditions have  been highly unusual.

The week began with an ice storm; these are rare in western Colorado. I-70 west of Grand Junction was closed to the Utah border and I-70 eastbound was closed due to truck accidents that spilled toxic diesel fuel (2,100 gallons) over both sides of the interstate. This was near Dotsero, east of Glenwood Springs.

Overturned tanker (CDOT photo)

In fact, I-70 has been closed 3 or 4 times this last week; the latest was due to avalanches that put up to 15 feet of snow into the traffic lanes.

I-70 avalanche on Vail Pass (CDOT photo)

These closure effect us as gasoline, fruit and vegetables, and other consumables are trucked into the area on an almost-daily basis. Some gas stations ran out of “regular” fuel before the tanker trucks could get in and resupply the underground tanks.

Denver International Airport was closed twice due to bad weather.

Some county roads were closed due to black ice. Black ice occurs when clear ice forms on black roadways; the ice is so clear drivers don’t realize it’s present. This leads to extremely dangerous driving conditions.

Pam arranged to work days from home during the ice storms but I had to get to the office to do my regular work. I had no near misses or close encounters, but road conditions slowed the commute. The RAV4’s all-wheel drive is a definite advantage in these conditions.

Then, in an abrupt turn, it began to rain. Temperatures warmed up into the 40s. The ice and snow melted, eventually, but not until after a layer of rain formed over the top of the ice. Thunderstorms (Loud thunder!) rolled through the area and fog formed in the river valleys.  A valley weather inversion formed, giving us colder air trapped in the valleys and warmer air at higher elevations. (The city of Vail at 10,000 feet elevation was warmer than we were at about 5,000 feet.)

Today it’s mild (above freezing) and we are surrounded with heavy fog. The weekly forecast is to return to more normal temps and drier air next week. I sure hope this is the case!

In other matters, there was fair amount of family news this past week. Daughter Felicity moved into her room in a house in the Pacific Northwest; she shares the residence with 3 other single ladies, all young. Felicity is experimenting with having a home base again.

My cousin Bill Rohland reached out to me and we had a good phone conversation, with follow-up e-mails. It was pleasant to connect with him.

One of our nieces, Lilly Polivoda, was released from the hospital shortly before the New Year after several days of treatment for an intestinal infection. Lilly is still in the recovery process from this health event. Care and transport put a lot of stress on Lilly’s mom (Pam’s sister Becky) at the holidays. Kudos to Pam’s brother Larry who was of great help to Becky during this period.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

The ice storm made it a rather rough start to 2017. Several times the dogs’ wet paws stuck to our metal entry ramp (think tongue on a frozen swing set pole from childhood). Ouch!

But, yesterday, I heard and then spotted a pair of robins.  Obviously they know something about the approaching Spring that we don’t?

(Internet artwork)

Happy Trails.

We are in a cold snap which has given the high desert the first sub-zero temperatures of the season. Last night we hit -4 degrees F. Below zero temperatures are not uncommon in western Colorado; we generally get several very cold nights each year. This is the first of the season, though, and it was still a bit of a shock to walk outside this morning. My “Nanook” hat is getting a lot of use!

I had the kerosene heater going in the garage; the cats have found they can stay nice and toasty if they sit right in front of it.

Cats Ink and Gywneth in front of garage heater

The forecast for the coming week indicates a warm-up to more seasonal temperatures with highs in the upper 30s and lows in the 20s; I hope it’s some time before we get below-zero conditions again.

We did get more snow before the cold temperatures hit. Every thing is covered in white and I used the John Deere garden tractor to plow snow this past Thursday morning and evening. (Blowing snow was more of a problem than accumulation and led to having to do a morning and evening clean-up.) Main roads are now clear but side roads are snow-packed. The warming temperatures will clear the side roads in the next several days but will lead to rather sloppy conditions until they are completely dry. These are typical conditions for the time of year.

There is not much else to report. We continue to monitor the real estate market, but there’s nothing of interest in this slow winter listing period. I am still looking for a new assistant at the Sheriff’s Office. Pam’s stack of incoming transcripts at the community college indicates an even busier year than 2016. Life goes on.

I have a few “general” photos to include; on these cold days, both the cats and dogs look for pockets of sunlight to soak up the warmth.

Senior dog Blondie in a patch of sunlight

Sunny and Cirrus enjoy a spot of sunshine

(Note: These photos were taken with my phone and not my regular camera. I’m not as familiar with the camera phone and the photos are not the best quality but they are what I have for this post.)

Since the Broncos are not in the playoffs this year, Go Packers! Along those same lines, congratulations to the Wisconsin Badgers for their Cotton Bowl win.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Two more months, I tell myself, two more months before warmer temps (the dogs and outdoor cats would certainly appreciate it).  Unlike my Midwest childhood days  — when the “gray snow” and wind chill lasted well into April — I can expect periods of springlike weather by the end of February in the high desert. Some compensation for fairly frequent 100-degree temps in the summer…

Since the retirement house hunt has slowed wa-a-a-ay down at present, I am refreshing rugs, chairs, and misc. household items in preparation for an eventual move to “somewhere.”  Wish we were getting on with it.  Additionally, I’m practicing my meditation skills (New Year’s resolution) after listening to the presidential transition news.

Happy Trails.

A new year has begun. Let’s hope it will be a better year than 2016, although given the political situation that seems unlikely. We have pretty low expectations.

Christmas was celebrated in our typical low-key style, at home with a good meal and gifts. Here are a few Christmas photos:

Pam opening Christmas gifts

Jerry with his new  “Nanook of the North” cap

The week following Christmas we packed up the [indoor and outdoor] decorations and stored them for another year. Weather conditions cooperated, with a warm snap that made taking down the outside lights less of a chore than normal. In fact it was so warm, I hand-washed the cars on December 31st!

Having done a bit of shopping before New Year’s Eve, we settled down with a few new bottles of wine to enjoy the evening and watched the fireworks display put on by the town. Here is a 41 second clip of the finale:

Tomorrow we’ll watch the Tournament of Roses parade (what’s with that, not on New Year’s Day), but today we’ll catch some of the football games and generally take it easy. Pam has been on winter break from the community college for the last week while I have a four day weekend off; neither one of us is anxious to go back to work on Tuesday but life goes on (or at least life’s bills).

Generally the weather has been mild, but Winter may come roaring back this coming week. A chance of snow is in the forecast for the next several days and high temperatures will not be getting above freezing a few of those days. It’s an odd situation; mild here (for the date) but above-average snowpack in the high country. All OK with us!

I’ve added our New Year’s electronic card to my E-card library; here is a link to the 2017 card. We hope everyone has as happy a New Year as possible.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

The new year: Let’s see — I feel as if this is the Spring semester of my senior year in high school, when I remember repeating to myself, “Let’s get on with it.”  That’s how I feel about this coming year, and life, and the retirement house purchase, and generally planning for retirement in 2017.  “Let’s get on with it.”

Happy Trails.

2017 is fast approaching and, as has been my custom at this time of year, here is a quick review of 2016 and  our goals for the new year.

Our daughter Felicity and son Toby visited us over the Memorial Day weekend. We hadn’t been in one place for many years and it was “interesting” to visit and catch up with all of the news and events that had passed. During this visit we took a tram ride up a mountain (near Glenwood Springs), where we enjoyed an outdoor concert and views of the town and valley below.

Fields family and dogs, May 28, 2016

After the visit Toby returned to his home in South Bend, Indiana, where he works several different jobs. He recently started a position with Better World Books, a company that specializes in reselling used books of many kinds. This company is quite large and has warehouses in foreign countries. Toby also continues his refereeing jobs in the summer and works as a waiter part-time/year round.

Felicity enjoyed another year of international locations, including Malta (in the Mediterranean) plus Ireland and Switzerland, and a visit to the Galapagos Islands. She recently returned to Portland, Oregon, for the winter. Felicity is employed by an internet-based training company and can work wherever she has an internet connection.

As for Pam and myself, we continued two long-term projects. The first was to further develop our recreational property (The Lot) located in central Colorado. The work consists of removing dead and down trees, salvaging what we can for firewood and hauling the rest to a “burn pit” for disposal. While we finished a few areas this year, a late spring shortened the working season and we didn’t clear as much as I would have liked. Still we enjoy the activity; it gets us out of town and into the high country (working with Big Boy Toys) most summer weekends.

Salvaged firewood, August 2016

The second project, still in progress, is a search for a retirement home. We had decided to try to find a home that has a bit of acreage, a few trees, and relatively short commute to the nearest town with services. Various properties have been viewed in multiple markets, but we are still looking for “the one.” We didn’t think the search would take so long!

The summer was a good one for recreational activities. I rode a few ATV trails and attended a Colorado-based motorcycle rally.

My ATV at the Magnolia Mill on the Wheeler Lake Trail

Motorcycle club members at the top of Pike’s Peak. I am at upper right.

Pam took on another litter of foster cats (#26): 4 kittens and mom cat Juliana.

Mom cat Juliana (left) with one of her 4 kittens, Ernst.

Juliana and all the kittens were adopted though our local animal shelter.

Combined with all the regular around-the-house work, we kept a busy schedule, if not a particularly exciting one.

Goals for 2017 are not exotic. We plan to continue cleaning up The Lot and looking for a retirement home. (I hope to locate a brush chipper to help with the lot cleanup, another “Big Boy Toy” to add to the mix.) A trip to the Midwest to visit family may materialize, but that’s more of an idea than a plan at this point. Otherwise we’ll just keep plugging along, starting to strategize more intensively for retirement and staying active for another year.

We wish everyone a Happy New Year.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

I look at 2016 and I see — disappointment.  Disappointment in the national election results, disappointment in various health diagnoses for ourselves and friends/relatives, disappointment in the retirement house hunt.  I evaluated my 15,000th incoming [transfer] transcript at the community college, a disappointing benchmark (more deserving of sympathy than recognition).

2017 strikes me as having the potential to be both a pivotal and volatile year, personally and nationally. I find my resolutions for the next 365 days to be: 1) our household’s financial survival during the Trumpies take-over, and 2) some attempt at mental balance and inner calm to sail through the obstacles (health, pets, family, money, work, retirement planning) that are  likely to present themselves.

(My resolution of several years ago to “drink more wine” was an easier resolution to accomplish.  Mental balance?  Inner calm?  Good luck.)

Happy Trails.