Thing are getting back to normal. Got the back issues of USA Today and a ton of mail.
I proved my volleyball theory yesterday. The taller team won but unfortunately it wasn't the team for whom I was rooting.

The Interstate to Cheyenne is closed so no USA Today for the second day.
I think I may go to the State Volleyball Tournament at the Events Center. I don't know that much about volleyball but my contention is the taller team usually wins. I played frat volleyball at UW. We had several players from the UW varsity basketball team. We usually kicked butt.

HARDSHIP-No USA Today this morning.
Drank hot chocolate with my homies this morning. A couple of them are big Nebraska fans (one even had on a Nebraska a shirt) so I wore my Iowa State cap. We did discuss the ISU-Nebraska FB game last Saturday. When I mentioned I used my snow blower this morning, that didn't get much approval. In this part of the world, it's a badge of honor to go as far into winter as possible without using one's snow blower. I decided to wuss it anyway.
Not much mail today. The teacher daughter has another snow day in Denver. I guess I'll spend my afternoon in my man cave watching Netflixs and reading. Life is tough.
I did make a mercy run to Taco Bell to pick up a Crunch Wrap and some Cheesy Beef Burritos just in case the storm returns.

From the calendar:
"You might be a Redneck if ... Your neighborhood watch group keeps a lookout for police."

SNOWBOUND-not really but with the current weather I really don't want to go any place. We only have a couple of inches in Casper and the wind isn't that bad but everything east of and south of us is in trouble.
The teacher daughter in Denver got a snow day. Chain laws are in effect over Colorado. No travel is advised out of Cheyenne. My brother got smart and went to Arizona last Saturday. He was planning to leave tomorrow.
The good news for me. If I'm staying home I need certain basics. The USA Today made it this morning and I was expecting two NetFlix I really wanted to watch and they arrived in today's mail. Good work by the USPS. I can survive at least two day on them. Also my Sport Illustrated came today and I have four novels to read. I'm set-unless something goes wrong with the house.
We only had an inch of snow on the ground at noon so I made my first salvo on the snow with a shovel and not the snow blower which is in the garage and ready to go as back-up. I am prepared although I may have to go to Taco Bell tomorrow as I am out of burritos.

I am finally acknowledging that fall is here. I got the snow blower out of the shed, fired it up, and put it in the garage. This is in anticipation of our first big snow storm. I also didn't wear sandals today. I talked to my brother in Arizona and the temp was in the 80's.
Read in the paper yesterday that some of the ranchers in Montana are unhappy that hunters haven't shot enough wolves.

From the calendar:
"You might be a Redneck if.....You're running a tab at a bait shop.

BUMPER STICKER:
PETA
Proudly Eating Tasty Animals

From the calendar:
"You might be a Redneck if...Your nose is bleeding in your engagement photo."

Went to the matinee this afternoon (Couples Retreat-I don't recommend it). About 15 minutes into the movie, the first cough come. I instantly thought "Does that person have Swine Flu?" After that with every cough or throat clearing, I began to worry if that person is contagious-no matter how close to me? I think I have a clear case of "Swine Flu paranoia." It's going to be a long fall until I get my flu shot. I know I can't move into my basement 24-7.

GOOD-any day Nebraska loses a football game
BETTER-Any day Iowa State wins a football game
PRICELESS-Iowa State beats Nebraska
BETTER YET-in Lincoln

Fixed the vent on the dryer today. An engineer probably wouldn't like the looks but it works. Hey, I was a language major.

Took the Subaru to the car wash this morning. They have to like me because it isn't muddy (from hunting trips) and sits low so toweling is easy. I didn't have any problems getting into the wash this time (See Monday's blog) except the pick-up behind me jumped over of the wash path guide and it took a few minutes to get him back in the right spot so the line was stopped with my front windshield soaped.

After that I stopped at the Golden Arches for a "senior drink." A much older than me senior crowded in front of me and ordered two "ice creams." I wondered about that since he was alone but figured his wife was in the car. The server gave him two ice cream cones. He protested he had to drive west of town and could she put them in cups which she did finally. He asked if she were going to throw the cones away and she said yes. I, being the thoughtful person that I am, said I'll buy one-which I did. The other senior asked again if she were going to throw the remaining cone away. She said yes and he then picked it up and ate the cone.
Life is exciting-we just don't know it.

The Broncos won-the only bright spot in an otherwise miserable day. After the game the outside vent on the dryer wasn't working so I managed to ruin it trying to fix the problem. Hire it done is now my motto. It's cheaper.
It's snowing right now. I'm getting itchy to hit the slopes especially after my ski lesson at the city dump (see previous blog).

It's Monday

This morning I hauled (2 trips) 28 bags of leaves and grass plus on long branch to the city compost pile. No line and I finished the first trip in great time. On the second trip people were lined up to go through the landfill office to dump trash and recyclable items. While I was on the second trip, I parked next to a guy I knew but didn't think he knew me (Bob Hardesty). We started talking and the subject turned to skiing. He's a part-time ski instructor at the local area. He asked me what my skiing ability is and I stupidly said "intermediate" rather than "advanced intermediate." He decided that right then and there he had to give me a ski lesson. So in the middle of the city dump we are simulating turns and weight shifts, etc. He also gave me the history of the local ski area over the last 60 years. I remained calm and polite. He thought he remembered me as he should have as I lived next-door to him for three years (I really didn't want to tell him that). I may now hold the Guinness world's record for ski lessons at a city dump.
I decided to wash the van. When I pulled in and started vacuuming, I was the only one at the car wash. By the time I finished vacuuming there was a line of muddy pick-up ahead of me (hunting season started and the hunters were getting their trucks cleaned before they go back out next weekend). When it was finally my turn the computer number assigned to me wouldn't work so they had to figure out how to assign a different number so I could get the van washed.
It was now passed noon so I stopped at Burger King (you know "Have it your way") and ordered a Whopper Jr. with no onions. The cashier must have thought I said "extra onions" because that's what I got. No one hates onions more than me but I finally got most of them scraped off rather than send it back as it was the noon hour and the orders were backed up.
I'm staying home the rest of the day. Go Broncos but I wouldn't bet on you with the day I've had so far.
It it Monday! Right?

Today the Peanuts cartoon was about Linus' hobby of collecting leaves and putting them inside the pages of a book. I enjoyed the topic as falling leaves consumed a good part of my Friday and Saturday. We don't get the color varieties that New England and the Midwest get and with the early snow, there was even less color but not fewer leaves.
Friday was beautiful, no-wind, fall day. I started raking leaves around 9:30 and when I finished after 2:00, I had 19 bags of leaves. Saturday was the same. I ran the mower over the lawn and got most of the survivors. That brought me up to 21. Saturday night the wind blew and the yard is full of leaves that dared to stay on the trees until I had mowed. That's OK because, with luck I'll live to rake again. That's the game that some of us retirees play-it's us against the leaves. Tomorrow I take the 21 bags plus 5 more from an earlier raking to the city compost pile. Feeling green.

Yesterday the Missouri group trying to buy the St. Louis Rams threw Rush Limbaugh under the bus after several folks from the NFL told the potential buyers that if Rush were part of the group, "forget it!" In other words Rush got flushed.
Rush's comeback is that this is a liberal conspiracy to crush conservatism in America. Right, Rush (pun intended).

from the calendar:
"You might be a Redneck if.....The best paid job you ever had was jury duty."

I think it's interesting that football people and columnists are starting to choose sides in the controversy over whether Rush Limbaugh should be allowed to become a part owner of an NFL team.
The last time folks were choosing sides on Rush in print was when one of the following bumper stickers was displayed on a vehicle:
RUSH IS RIGHT or FLUSH RUSH.
I would have probably pick the latter.

Time to put the baseball stuff away as I have NO interest in the remaining teams. I was lucky I didn't find a broom from neighbor Brad at my front door as the Yankees swept the Twins.

Watching the Broncos-New England (Boston) throwback uniforms (both ugly although Denver had the ugliest uniforms ever) in the 50th anniversary of the first game in the AFL, one of the first things that happens in the first quarter is the referee goes to the replay tent to check a play challenge by Denver. If it's a true throwback game, why not do away with instant replay for the game. The refs didn't have that tool 50 years ago.

Delusional Bumper Sticker:

"Wyoming-Heaven is a local call"

How do you suppose this driver can pass a sobriety test?

Everyone is copying the Twins Homer Hankies. We still have two from the two World Series in the 80's which the Twins won. Now everyone has a towel or something to wave.

I read that Rush Limbaugh is part of a group that wants to buy the NFL St. Louis Rams team. Would they become the St. Louis Ditto Heads and can you imagine what logo would be? Maybe a dunce cap?

From the calendar:
"You might be a Redneck if .....You've been ejected from bingo."

After almost 12 innings of baseball yesterday, I was exhausted. It's a good thing I own more than one Twins shirt.
I'll have to pace myself today with both the Rockies and Twins playing.

Got my Twins shirt and Homer Hankies ready to go.

It was interesting to see all the pink displayed during NFL games this weekend as part of "Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Not 'Breast Awareness Month' as one announcer described it)."

I've got my Vikings shirt on and I've been wearing my Vikings cap (Christmas present) and I'm ready for some football.

A great day

It's the last day of the regular baseball season and the Twins are tied for first place and the Rockies are in the playoffs. I may not have to put away my Twin's gear and I already have my ROCTOBER shirt waiting.
The Broncos are hosting the Cowboys and I have my Vikings shirt ready for tomorrow's Vike's-Packs game at the dome.
The weather here is crummy so I won't have any guilt in watching football and baseball on the tube this afternoon and tomorrow evening. Life is good.

Bumper sticker on the back bumper of a Prius:
"Hummers Are Bummers"

From the calendar:
"You might be a Redneck if......Both you and your wife wore ponytails on your wedding day."

I was just getting off the treadmill at the Athletic Club when it was announced that 2016 summer Olympics would be held in Rio de Janeiro. I guess I was rooting for Chicago but then I began to wonder if Chicago had lost the bid but was really the winner. It reminded me of when I ran for the school board and lost but less than a year later I realized how lucky I had been. The present board just keeps creating more unnecessary messes for itself.
But back to the Olympics: Rio, with almost a caste system between the poor and the wealthy, will have to pony up around 10 billion dollars by early estimates. The venues and housing are just part of the problem. The Olympics can't be run like Beijing's, which is a repressive communist country where monies could be diverted to wherever the country wanted and the consequences of the games to Chinese citizens was never a concern.
Security will be a big issue. Even Athens, which is sort of a democratic junta, spent billions on just that item. Would Americans be willing to give up their way of life for the honor of hosting athletes from around the world. Interesting-in recent polls only 47% of Chicago's residents favored being the Olympic host verses almost 87% in Rio.
Price: Yes, it would put a lot of people to work but the payback is way in the future.
I guess I wonder: Did Chicago lose or just dodge a bullet?

Bumper sticker on the back of a pick-up obviously owned by a person who either plays or enjoys hearing the bagpipes:
"Pipers do it with Amazing Grace"