One of the grandtwins had a bad cough so Keri made a doctor's appointment for this morning.
As long as you're taking one, you may as well take two so Keri, Kathy and I plus the boys went to the doctor's office. When you are waiting in the lobby, everyone comes over to ask if they are twins. While we were waiting we met one of the most remarkable women with whom I have ever visited . She had one boy of a set of twins. She and her husband are foster parents to babies many of whose mothers were on drugs during pregnancy. She said they only take in children with medical problems. Normally they only take them one at a time but these two are numbers 16 and 17 because they are twins. The mother is suspected of doing meth dining pregnancy and the twins are three months old and have already had two surgeries. We were called to go to a small examination room. As the nurse took us back to the exam room, she remarked that they see that lady quite a bit and they consider her a saint. With the twins plus three adults, there wasn't much room. I volunteered to go to the waiting area. I went back and talked to the foster mom of the twin. She said her background is she is a surgical nurse for spinal surgeries. She and her husband had adopted one foster child who is autistic and is now 10 years old. She said these kids will be on Medicaid as long as they live as no one could afford the medical bills if they adopted the child. She said the effects of meth are still unknown but these two have internal organs that are dying and that's the reason for the two operations. About then she was called to an exam room. I knew I had met a person who gave me an uplift. It's a shame though of what she has to do. What made her even more special to me is she is originally from Cheyenne and a University of Wyoming School of Nursing graduate.

Every year at this time papers, magazine, TV, etc., give their top picks in several categories. I decided to give my "Top Ten" TV shows for 2010. Remember, I watch most of my TV shows on Netflix so I'm watching the previous season-2009-10. Here they are sort of alphabetically:
1. 30 Rock
2. Bones
3. Burn Notice
4. Castle
5. The Closer
6. Dexter
7. GLEE
8 The Good Wife
9. House
10 Weeds

We celebrated Christmas with Eric, Keri, Aiden and Reid (known as E-kar) last night. I think the boys enjoyed tearing the paper was much as the toys although they seemed to like some of the gifts too. Among my gifts were an Ohio State cap, a GLEE calendar, and a Redneck calendar. I still haven't found my 2010 Redneck calendar from when it was packed in June-maybe 2011 or 2012.

We got some 30-40 mph wind last night and early this morning as a front came through. The weather forecasters are all predicting a bad storm tomorrow and Friday. I got gas and oil for the snowblower and mixed it. The blower started on the second pull which made me very happy.
The temp was in the high 50's at noon but it's dropping. We'll see although I expect nothing like what the Midwest has been experiencing.

Went to Cheyenne yesterday and spent about four hours with my mother. She opened Christmas presents from both Keri and us. One present didn't arrive until Christmas eve so I decided to take them all up yesterday. She enjoyed having someone there when she opened her gifts and read the cards. We talked business and then I showed her photos that Kathy had uploaded onto my laptop. She is still amazed at what computers and cell phones can do.
I stopped in Fort Collins on the way back and had supper with a fraternity brother and his wife. We watched the fourth quarter of the Air Force Georgia Tech FB game and the first half of MNF.
Once back on the interstate driving toward Denver there was so little traffic that I didn't use my brake pedal until I was within a mile of my house. The highway patrol was out in force practicing for New Year's eve.

It definitely wasn't a white Christmas here in Littleton yesterday. I spent almost an hour watering my shrubs and trees. Some neighbors were out flying remote model airplanes and finally there was a field hockey game played on roller blades. None of that ice hockey stuff played at the farm pond in Minnesota. We are expected to get a big storm at the end of this week, however.

Interesting bumper sticker:
There's a big battle in California, Colorado and a few other states regarding the sale of medical marijuana to relieve severe pain. There's a fear that it will be sold to people who are just recreational users thus this bumper sticker:
"NO PAIN
NO JANE (slang for marijuana)"

Correction:
I've been told the bumper sticker is an ad for Mary Jane Ski Area near Winter Park. It is a very challenging area (I've skied parts of it) and I imagine it is difficult enough that with its very steep slopes, it could cause a little pain (especially if one fell). I do, however, like my initial interpretation better.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

It's the grandtwins first Christmas.
We won't be having a white Christmas here. The temp is predicted to be in the low 50's. I'm going to get out the hoses this afternoon and water the trees and bushes.
The ol' slow poke

Traffic signals gone rogue.
This morning, around 9:00 am, I came to a stoplight at an intersection near an overpass which connects traffic to highway C-470, a major 4 lane highway around south Denver. There are 4 traffic directions connected with this stop. I was first in my lane and the light turned green but apparently it turned green in all 4 directions. Two cars cut in front of me and onto C-470. I think the rest of us realized something was wrong. We all stopped and then eased forward in our respective direction taking turns. When I returned to that intersection, there were two state trooper cars and a third vehicle which was over near the box that controls the lights. I didn't have any trouble getting through. When I went through this afternoon, there were no troopers or anyone working on the signal box, however, I will slow down approaching the intersection and won't be in too much of a hurry to go when there are cars in the left turn lane. I think we were all lucky.

My favorite thing about the beginning of Winter is the days will start to get longer. I like seeing the sunrise and sunset times posted on the Weather Channel.
Speaking of weather-I watched the first half of the Vikings-Bears game Monday night. It reminded me of going to FB games at the old Met Stadium where the Mall of America now lies. We used to fly back to Minnesota over Christmas vacation. My father-in-law Tom always managed to get a couple of tickets from his nephew Roger and we would all go up to the Twin Cities for a playoff game (it was a 14 game season then and the playoffs started around Christmas). After tailgating and a little "grandma's tea" and dressed in our warmest clothing we would take our sleeping bags into the stadium for the game. Bundled in our bags, it wasn't too bad. I was at one game when the Vikings coach wouldn't let his players wear gloves or have sideline heaters. His receivers dropped passes all afternoon while the 49'ers huddled around heaters and wore gloves and made several critical catches. The 49'ers won. A second game was against the Dallas Cowboys. With Minnesota leading in the last minute or so, Drew Pearson of the Cowboys pushed off the Viking defensive back and caught a pass from Roger Staubach for the winning score. No penalty was called. As they went to commercial break, a liquor bottle came flying out of the stands and coldcocked a referee. Fans starting to leave or warming up in the restrooms came running back to the stadium. How could the Vikes lose? Well they did.
Great memories of Vikings outdoor football in December.

Among the Christmas cards, bills, etc., in yesterday's mail was an envelope addressed to me. On the outside at the bottom it read "Free Pre-Paid Cremation-Details Inside." In the week when the "Nativity" is the big celebration, I couldn't believe a company would send out an ad for this topic. Sure enough it condemned the practice of a traditional burial costs vs cremation-just what I needed. If a card is returned, it would be included in a drawing for a free cremation. It even named "Last Month's Winner." It was sent from something called the Neptune Society, which I've never heard of.
There was a footnote-"Please accept our apologies if the letter has reached you at a time of serious illness or death in your family."-yah, right.
My wife's only comment, with a smile on her face, was she was glad it was sent to me and not her. I wonder how I can get off their mailing list.
Bah, Humbug to the Neptune Society.

The last couple of days I tried something new with my Netflix account-streaming. I've done this with a couple of other things (football, baseball games) and I think on Facebook but this is my first time with Netflix. Rather than waiting for the disc, I watch it on my computer. I have a 20" wide screen on my office computer and a comfortable office chair. The value I see is on my 15" screen laptop when I travel and can get WIFI.

Last night as were stopped at a traffic light, we watched a coyote cross a highway between Trailmark, our subdivision, and Chatfield State Park. This is a four-lane highway with the north-south traffic doing between 50 and 60 at this intersection. The coyote artfully dodged a couple cars and headed into the state park. I don't know if there's a "Why did the coyote cross the road?" joke in there or not. Our newsletter tells to be aware of coyotes as well as other critters. Small children and small pets could be targets. I really wish the coyote would meet our neighbor's small yapping dog-"Hey, Winston; come meet coyote." There's a possibility that two of the three of us could be happy over the possible outcome.

As the grandtwins become more agile and mobile, the first line of defense against the TV, etc. is two Bumbo chairs and two large blankets. How long will this be adequate? Stay tuned.

It snowed again last night but it didn't amount to much. I'm thankful for that because last night when I left to go home around 7:00 pm, I accidentally dropped K & E's mailbox key (I have the third key) in the street when I was reaching for my car key. I managed to find it this morning as I was shoveling their sidewalk and driveway. This was a little after 6:00 am. About that time a guy and his dog were going for a walk. The dog had a flashing light on its collar. Technology is everywhere. What's next?

We got some snow last night-nothing like our friends/relatives in Minnesota and Iowa are experiencing. I did have to change from sandals to shoes, however. More snow/rain expected today. No more temps in the 50's expected until this weekend.

How bad are the Donkeys (I mean Broncos)? One outlet this morning was selling Bronco stuff for 50% and more off. I bought a $15 cap this morning for $5-heck of a deal.

Most people who reside is Colorado aren't originally from here. Where I work out I see T-shirts from all over the country. This morning there was an Indiana State, a Marquette, and there's a guy who wears a Missouri Tiger T-shirt every time I see him. I wear a U of Wyoming shirt every once in a while. I also like to see the alumni license plate holders from all over. Most are from this area-CU, CSU, Northern Colorado, etc. My wife's car has a St. Olaf holder. Driving home this morning I saw one from Gustavus Adolphus (Sp?). The only Gustavus Adolphus I know of is in St. Peter, Minnesota. With temps in the 50's and 60's this week and no wind or precip, it's a whole lot better to be in Denver than anyplace in Minnesota.

I am dreading the time when we take our weather hit. I know we are going to get clobbered some time this winter. I don't even have gas for my snow blower yet. I know we will pay a price.

The collapse of the Metrodome roof brought back a lot of memories. I did go to a couple of Vikings games there but the vast majority was spent rooting for the Twins. I always felt this venue was designed for football rather than baseball due to the poor sight lines for baseball. One night I took my son David, who was probably four or five at the time, to a Twins game. The Twins at that time might draw 8,000 on a good night. The Dome held around 50,000 for baseball and David tried to sit in almost every seat. I don't remember much about the game.
If the Vikes can't play there the rest of the season, I predict you will soon be looking at the Los Angeles Vikings. LA got the Lakers, didn't they?

Today is Sunday which means it's a watch the Denver Broncos day. I am becoming a bigger Bronco fan because they fired the head coach and last spring they drafted Zane Beadles, who is now the starting starting left guard (#68) on the offensive line. Although I have never met hime, Zane is special to me because I was his father's and aunt's junior high counselor. I also used to referee football with his grandfather. Zane was born in Casper but the family move to Salt Lake where the parents divorced. I ran into Jack, his grandfather, and he told me they were following the U of Utah all over to watch Zane play. Ironically Zane's mother married the head women's basketball coach at the U of Wyoming. That must have led to some interesting family discussions. I don't think I ever considered buying a Bronco jersey but I might if I can find Zane's number in my size-not too likely.
Go Broncos!

How I celebrated my birthday-pm

Went back to K& E's a little after noon. I wasn't in the house five minutes and I was changing a dirty diaper. It was time for the noon feed which is fruit for the boys. The boys don't really care for the fruit stuff preferring veggies and cereal. Bananas are the worst. I dread the days I think we might feed bananas. Even Reid, who will eat almost anything, doesn't think much of bananas. Today was pears. Aiden has developed a defense I call spit and blow. If he doesn't like the fruit, he is likely to spew the contents of the spoon all over the feeder and feedee. He can be a mess to clean up and I usually wear old T-shirts. Today went well with pears. Then it was bottle and play time. About 2:30 I decided they needed a nap. I didn't care if they weren't tired, I was so they went to the nursery. I sat down to read the Denver Post. That lasted about 20 minutes until Reid started screaming. Two minutes later I had his leg freed from where he had stuck it in the crib slats. I'm glad he screamed because it got my attention. They were asleep when Keri came home around 3:30. I walked home to get ready for my birthday dinner. I had received 3 birthday cards in the mail: one from my mother with a check, a very nice card from my sister-in-law (there was no check but they'll have three kids in college next semester), and one from my broker in Casper and I don't think he wants me to forget him. Keri and the boys came over for supper. The boys were both wearing party hats. I got cards from Keri and Eric, Kathy and the boys and then we had dinner. No one sang Happy Birthday and that made me happy. They went home around 6:00.
I guess I spent most of my time today with two 8 month old kids who would call me "Grandpa" if they could talk, their mother, and their grandmother. Who could ask for a better birthday?

How I celebrated my birthday-am

Woke up this morning and realized that I'm in Colorado and this is the first birthday since 1954 that I haven't celebrated in Wyoming. I was born in Montana.
Reported for day care duty at 6:00 am. Dressed the boys and put them down for a nap a little after 7:00. Aiden woke up first (usually the sign of a dirty diaper) so I took him downstairs and put him on the changing table. Just as I had undone his diaper (yes, it was dirty) and started to clean up the situation, my cell phone rang. It was one of my best friends from Casper wishing me a Happy Birthday. I put him on speaker phone, continued diaper duty while we visited, finished and put Aiden in his play area. I'm still on the phone with Art as I go upstairs and get Reid who is awake by now. Still on the cell phone but Reid isn't fussy if his diaper is wet or dirty. While we're visiting, my cell phone beeps letting me know I have an incoming call. It's from my brother who is vacationing in San Diego. I change Reid's diaper (yes, it was very dirty) and then return the call. After about 10 minutes of conversation during which Aiden overturns his play area and later rolls into Reid who commences to kick his brother trying to get the weight of his legs, my cell phone beeps again to let me know my battery is almost dead. We hang up and two seconds later, the phone dies from a lack on energy. I had called Kathy earlier and told her to bring over my charger cord so I am saved.
The boys are unusually good at eating this morning. At 10:30 I head back to our house to shower and change clothes. Then I eat. I call this my planning time (still thinking like a teacher).
Have to see what the pm the date of my birth is like.

A sample of more unsolicited e-mails

1. "Beauty Buzz" I can buy the same products like the makeovers of the rich and famous. At my age?

2. "Luxury Getaway to Bangkok"-I have trouble getting away to the bank-Bangkok?

More G,B, and U from 2010

GOOD: The TV show GLEE. I feel better after watching each episode. I really felt uplifted after watching last night's show.

BAD: The national unemployment rate-somebody do something

UGLY: selling e-mail addresses. I got several e-mails yesterday I certainly didn't think I needed or wanted-
1. an e-mail for an over-45 dating service. Does someone know something I don't know? This came from a company in California.
2. an e-mail for follow-up knee surgery problems. Again, is there something I don't know about because I haven't had knee surgery-yet. This from Carson City, NV.
3. an e-mail for a degree in 14 months. Why would I need one? I have two already.
4. an e-mail for supposed job openings. Are my retirement fund and Social Security going broke in the next few months?

More GOOD, BAD, AND UGLY from 2010

GOOD: The Denver Broncos fired Coach Josh McDaniels yesterday
BAD: They waited too long
UGLY: The guy is going to walk away with millions of dollars for not coaching

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. I don't remember it as I was born three days later.

Some of the GOOD, BAD, and UGLY of 2010:
GOOD: McRib sandwiches at McDonalds
BAD: Political phone calls beginning in August
VERY UGLY: Congress

Other than personal items, some other good things about 2010:
1. Geico commercials

Last Wednesday morning I drove over Loveland Pass to get to Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. Today there was an avalanche in the area and a back country skier was killed and and another injured. I believe I'll avoid that road.

With the high winds today how warm was it? Well, the Salvation Army bell ringer was working in short sleeves (December 3rd).
(Actually it topped out around 70)

If you remember "Winnie the Pooh and the blustery day," let me tell you that bear doesn't know sick-um about blustery. Friday is trash pick-up day in our hood. About 9:00 AM a front came through and the winds of 40 to 60 mph did a real number on the neighborhood trash-especially the recycling stuff. I put our trash on the curb about 6:00 AM when it was calm and headed for Keri and Eric's to take the early shift with the twins. The winds hit 2-3 hours later. At 9:00 I was chasing down two huge boxes that had contained highchairs for the twins. I caught one about a block down the street. The second one hadn't made it that far. At 10:00 AM I chased the boxes again and only found one. Hope whoever finds the second box will give it a good home or at least recycle it. Several of the neighbors were out trying figure out which rubberized trash container belonged to whom. They can all meet half way down the block tomorrow and exchange trash barrels. One recycling container had held several empty wine bottles (Australian wine no less) and the bottles had blown into the street where they either broke on their own or someone ran over them. Either way it was a mess and a hazard to tires. I left a message for Keri to call me before she came home to warn her. Then I decided to get a push broom and go over to the next cul-de-sac where the bottles were broken and where K & E live and sweep up the glass. I got the gal who lives behind us to help. I don't think they could have backed their car out without puncturing a tire. I swept the chunks of glass to the curb and she swept up the pieces up and put them in the trash.
I don't ever want to hear another Coloradoan talk about Wyoming wind.

I accidentally posted today's blog on my daughter Keri's blog. A case of early Alzheimer's I guess.

Skiing in Colorado is a lot different than skiing Hogadon outside Casper. For one thing it's a lot farther to the area and some interesting roads to get to them. I went to Arapahoe Basin yesterday. I drove I-70 to just east or the Denver-side of the Eisenhower tunnels. I got off and drove over Loveland Pass on highway 6. The elevation is slightly over 14,000 feet at the top. What makes highway 6 (it parallels I-70) interesting is trucks hauling anything flammable or otherwise hazardous aren't allowed to go through the Eisenhower tunnels. It's a wake-up call when you meet a truck on a highway 6 switchback carrying petroleum products or propane or similar cargo which is banned in the tunnels. It's also more awakening when the road is icy and you keep meeting snowplows as well as the previously mentioned haulers who aren't driving anything with 4-wheel drive. It is a short distance to Arapahoe Basin but it was a long nerve racking drive. Returning I took highway 6 past Keystone Resort to meet up with I-70 on the west side of the tunnels. With signs indicating it's icy in the tunnels I understand the precautions. I just wish someone had warned me.

Today I went skiing for the first time this season. I went to Arapahoe Basin which is just on the other side of Loveland Pass. As I was driving up there was a sign to watch for wildlife on the side of the road and not two minutes later there was herd of mountain sheep grazing right next to the highway. There was a big old ram with his family. In all my life I have only seen a mountain sheep in the wild through binoculars.
It was sunny and warm when I left Denver. By the time I got to A-Basin, it was snowing and the wind was gusty. Still I had a good time. I stayed mainly on green and blue slopes as I wasn't in any shape to try the blacks. There were hardly and skiers. How few were there-well, I managed to park in the second row of the "Early Riser" lot which is usually the first lot to fill up on a normal day. I road a quad lift to make my runs and I never had a companion on the lift. It was like the Hogadon ski area near Casper on a weekday.
Although I had an all-day pass, I quit around noon in deference to old age, poor skiing fitness, blowing snow, and a 10,400 elevation at the base. More tomorrow.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Yesterday I saw a guy at the health club working out wearing a shirt that read
"Des Moines, Iowa-
The greatest city in the world"
I didn't think anyone would wear something like that outside Polk County. Maybe it was a white elephant gift or the guy lost a bet. Hope he didn't notice me staring at him.

One of Murphy's longest standing laws:
It's snowing. It started this afternoon and there are still a few flurries.
Murphy's Law is that "every Thanksgiving Sunday in the Rockies there will be a snow storm impeding college students' attempt to get back to campus for Monday classes." Today is no exception although the weather appears to be worse north of us.
I remember trying to get back to Laramie (7,200 feet) on those Sundays and it always snowed. Someone we knew always went in the ditch after skidding on ice. Just happy it was never me.
Maybe they should start classes on Tuesday.

We did our "Black Friday" shopping today. We bought an artificial Christmas tree, a couple of wreaths, and three poinsettias. Now if the wife can figure out how to assemble how to assemble the artificial tree, I'm home free-I think. I'm watching a couple of neighbors putting up Christmas tree lights up high on their houses. Won't catch me up there.

Yesterday I met a couple of people whom we used to teach with outside the fitness center. They were in Denver for a AAU basketball tournament. Two weeks ago a I ran into a teacher whose husband I used to referee basketball and football with. Small world. They have a daughter here but still live in Casper.

It's almost 6:30 am and I'm playing games on my laptop which is at Keri and Eric's house. What am I doing at their house at this time of morning? Why did I walk from West Freiburg Place to Finland Drive at 5:10 this morning? Why-it's Black Friday and K & E have an item they want to buy to save big bucks and the store opened at 6:00 am. Someone has to stay with the grandtwins and I'm usually an early riser although usually not this early. Hopefully the item they want is in stock.

I have a lot to be thankful for:
My wife of 41 years (if I don't drive her nuts),
Our daughter Keri, her husband Eric and their 7 month old twin boys Aiden and Reid,
Our son David and his wife Kelsey who are spending this holiday with some of her relatives, I'm wearing my St. Olaf shirt today to let you know I am thinking about both of you.

There were more ads in the paper today than we usually get on Sundays. I don't think I want to shop tomorrow.

This morning there was the biggest crowd I'd ever seen at the fitness center. Must be atoning in advance for overeating later in the day.

This is the sadistic side of my sense of humor. This morning I was driving home from the fitness center. I was first in my lane. I was also going about 5 miles over the speed limit when a Volvo shot by me. Unfortunately for him he had to stop at the next light and I caught up to him. Same thing happened at the second red light. At the third light he had to slow down and it turned green just as he got to the intersection but I had caught up to him again. The same thing happened at the next two lights. After that he hit all green lights but had slowed down so he wasn't that far ahead. Such is life with mean spirited traffic lights.

I had to go to the post office today. My surprise was they had opened two more windows and the two new postal workers were actually friendly and trying to be helpful. Even the usual two seemed to have picked up something from the new two as they also were half way nice. Tis the season.

Unexpected bumper sticker on an SUV:
"Bush-Cheney in 2012" with a picture of Bush asking "Do you miss me yet?" Well, as a matter of fact, GW...............NO!

It snowed a little today. I traded my sandals for shoes (UGH).

Yesterday I got out my ski gear, went to AAA to see what they had on Colorado ski resorts, got a trip tik (directions to Arapaho Basin Ski Area), and watched the weather at 5:00 P.M. The weather forecast was for high winds with a blizzard coming in during the afternoon. I got up early this morning, looked at the Colorado Highway Department web cams around the Eisenhower Tunnel showing blowing snow, and finally decided to postpone until later.

Parents will appreciate this:
This noon I was helping feed one of the grandtwins. I had just put a spoonful of carrots in his mouth when he sneezed. He plastered himself all over, his father who was about a foot away feeding the other grandtwin, and part of my left arm. Eric took a picture, texted it to Keri, who replied that it brightened her day.

Finally:
I went to our group mailboxes just as the lady carrier was finishing loading the individual boxes. She smiled and wished me a Happy Thanksgiving. After my post of a few day ago, it almost tarnished my image of the US Postal Service until I realized she wasn't indoors working at a station and could actually be friendly. I now know one postal worker who smiles. Will there be a second in my future?

It's around 8:30. I've given up on the Broncos on Monday night football and I think I'll go to bed and read a trashy novel.

Saw my first Salvation Army bell ringer this morning at the grocery store. I don't mind them as I believe the Salvation does a lot of good year round but particularly at this time of year.

Tis the season-already
Today I was driving down Wadsworth which is one of the busiest streets in our area. It's common to see folks on the side of the road holding signs-usually arrows-calling drivers' attention to a near-by business. This morning there was one for an electronics store. What made this stand out was the sign waver was wearing a Santa Clause suit. The temp on my car thermometer gave the outside temp as 60 degrees at that time.

Signs of the times:
Driving to Cheyenne on Tuesday I heard my first Christmas Carol on the radio. It was a station out of Greeley that proclaimed it would play "songs of the season" until Christmas. I heard my second carol on a Denver oldies station today. It isn't even Thanksgiving yet-give it a break.
Great bumper sticker seen on a VW bug today.
"What would Harry due?"-a play on 'What Would Jesus DO?' to 'What Would former President Harry Truman Do?' Remember Truman ordered the atomic bomb dropped on Japan. Interesting thought.

Privatization of the US Postal Service:
Normally I am against privatization of most government services. I make the USPS an exception. I had to go to the post office to mail something before leaving town. We have two USPS branches in our area. You will experience the same scenario at either branch. First they are building longer lobbies so not as many people are standing outside the door but they still have the same small number of manned stations providing service. This year's "If it fits, it ships" program is the latest boondoggle. People bring their stuff in in bags, get the boxes, try packing it in at the counter where in some cases the postal worker helps tape the box. If they went elsewhere, they expect to jump right back in line where they were. The second is the Christmas stamp boondoggle. Rather than having a brochure of Christmas stamps, they pull them all out while the customer tries to make up his/her mind. Give them a display and get them out of the way.
One postal worker thought about opening a third station but changed her mind and retreated to the back where one could see several people walking around accomplishing nothing. God forbid they would aide the public. If you know of one postal station worker who smiles, you're lucky. If you know of two, that's incredible. In all my adult years I can't think of one.
First I think they ought to turn the whole thing over to United Parcel Service who would retrain all postal worker. Postal workers remind me of people who do football instant replays: incredibly slow and they often still don't get it right. The postal code says "never smile." The first thing UPS would do is train them to have a personality. The second lesson would be that speed and accuracy count. Try doing both.
Before they come with their hands out for more rate raises, make them accountable to someone outside postal supervisors. Cut their wages and retirement if that's way to avoid rate increases. I believe that would create a more efficient postal system rather than having a group of people who just show for work each day and go home at night and care less what happened in between.

I drove to Boulder today to watch the Iowa State-U of Colorado FB game. Our nephew Paul from Iowa was in town to go the game. He stayed with us Thursday night and then was going to stay with a friend from college who works in Denver. It made sense that I meet them in Boulder at the ISU Alumni tailgate party. Another nephew John, who is quite active in the Colorado ISU Alumni Association, got me a ticket. Cheap trip. It took me about an hour to go from our house to the hotel where the ISU folks were gathering-$20 to park the car but it was close to the stadium and I had a free ticket so it averages out. I had on an ISU cap and was wearing an ISU T-shirt under an open jacket I was standing in line to buy a hot dog when the women behind said "Now there you can tell an ISU alum by the way he dresses." I had to tell that I am NOT an ISU alum but my daughter is and this is my $50,000 T-shirt. They got a charge out of that. I went back to the car, got my stadium seat and a warmer jacket and headed toward the stadium. I met that same lady with more of her friends so I had to flash them my $50,000 T-shirt.
My ticket was in the ISU section obviously. When Keri was in college in Ames, I would go to the games with her uncle. There was a guy who sat two rows behind who had a loud voice and always said "I don't know, Chuck (whoever Chuck is)" and maintained a running commentary. We finally named him 'Whats up, Chuck?' Guess who was in Boulder sitting two rows behind me. That's right. It was 'Whats up, Chuck?' I will never forget that voice. He had his usual running commentary so I moved (not much of a crowd).
Not much of a game either. CU killed Iowa State. I left after the third quarter. I ran into Paul and his friend on my way out. As I was getting ready to pull out of the parking lot, I ran into Paul and his friend again. They left a few minutes after I did.
It was my first game in Boulder. I don't know if it will be my last-it is only an hour away.

Stayed up a little later last night to watch the ending of the Ravens-Falcons game on the NFL channel. Our nephew Paul from Iowa is visiting us. He's here to meet the twins as well as attend the Iowa State-Colorado FB game in Boulder Saturday. It was nice to visit with someone who understands the nuances of FB rather than just replays on the Home and Garden Channel.

BAD BUSINESS:
I thought I owned the only Toyota model that didn't have a recall. I was wrong. About a month ago I received a notice that an oil hose needed to be replaced but I had until 2013 to get it done so I wasn't in too much of a hurry. I finally made an appointment for this morning at a Toyota dealer and went to have the hose fixed and get a lube, oil, filter while I was there. I told them I would wait in the customer waiting room and gave them my cell phone number in case they needed to reach me.
I went to the waiting room which unfortunately was in the sales part of the dealership, not the service side. They were piping in music that was so loud and annoying that I finally went to a couple of secretaries and asked if they could get the music turned down. It came down a little but not much. Another customer finally went and complained that we couldn't hear the announcements when our cars were done. They finally remedied that somewhat but it was still a guessing games as to whether one's name had been called or not.
How loud was the music? The service manager finally called me on my cell phone. I wouldn't known about the call if I had left it in my jacket which was beside me. I fortunately had it turned to vibrate as well as ring. I felt the vibration in my vest where I had placed my cell phone. When I paid my bill for the LOF, I told the cashier about it. She said they get several complaints about that but the waiting room is in the sales department, not the service department and although they tell the sales people, nothing appears to get done. I was happy with the service but if the waiting room conditions don't improve I won't be back after that.

Change in the weather:
First it hailed, then it rained, and finally it snowed today. It's the most moisture since the Noah kid went into the Ark building business-just kidding, it's the most/only moisture we've had in a month with temps in the 70's. Can we say draught? Maybe this will put an end to all the forest and grass fires we had lately.

Today is Sunday. Some people spend Sundays reading "The Good Book." Me-I just read a good book. I'm now reading "61 Hours" by Lee Child. The main character is Jack Reacher, who is one of my three favorite fictional characters. Jack is a roamer who seems to find a mystery to be solved. This setting in this novel is South Dakota. As I used to drive across SoDak, I never thought it would ever be a setting for a mystery. Wrong-the setting blends into the plot very well. There are 14 books in paperback in this series which I have read each of them and one that just came out in hardback but I buy only paperbacks.
I now have 14 other books at home to read when I finish this one. Reading is one of my favorite interests. I also like reading newspapers. I can't understand people who get their news from phones. We get the Denver Post and used to get USA Today in Casper but gave it up when we moved. We just don't have time for two newspapers. I also read magazines while I have a book going. I subscribe to TIME and Sports Illustrated and get a few from some memberships. I especially like the Colorado AAA magazine.
I don't know if I would do well in a book club. I prefer trashy mysteries with no social redeeming qualities to cloud my mind.

Around 9:00 this morning I was driving to the fitness center to work out. As I was driving north I saw two balloons taking off. We live across from Chatfield State Park and a lot of balloonist launch from there. One was OK but the other seemed to be in a distress mode. It finally landed but where it landed was the interesting part-about 50 yards south of C470, which is the major belt road around the western and southern parts of the Denver Metro area.
When I came back over an hour later, I didn't see the balloon on the ground. Since the drift was a very light breeze to the north, the relaunch would have been an exciting rise over a freeway. I can imagine a sleepy driver encountering a balloon in his face (Whoa, dude! What was that?). The second launch is strictly my imagination but given what I had seen early, either the second launch was scratched or a different excitement was put back into four-lane highway driving.
I've seen balloons come down in our residential area. One almost landed in a pond one time. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Tuesday elections: I was kinda happy with Colorado voters. They rejected a couple of Tea Party crazies for governor and US Senate and also voted down-usually by a three to one margin-a half dozen of the most ridiculous initiatives. The Republicans did gain a couple of seats in the US Congress and that was expected but they were hoping for a couple more. I guess we are neither a "Red State" nor a "Blue State" but we are a purple state.

Background: I attended the Air Force-Utah football game at the academy last Saturday. I had a great view of the scoreboard. I noticed the scoreboard sponsors included the usual:beer, bank, fast food, etc. Last week I posted a bumper sticker about better funding for education and the military having to raise funds for new armaments. Here is what came from that thought.

How about Budweiser who spends billions on advertising sponsoring an aircraft carrier. Can you imagine how happy the pilots would be when they landed and thought about a cool Bud waiting for them. It might even take their minds off the bullet holes. Coors could sponsor a couple of battle ships. They wouldn't be sailing on Rocky Mountain Spring Water but it's water nonetheless. Maybe GM and Ford would sponsor some Humvees and tanks. All the Arabs in the Mideast would create a new market for Lincolns and Caddys. I don't think liquor sponsors would go over well with certain area religions but cars, Remington rifles, paint, plants, and certain clothing lines may go over. Imagine a gum sponsor for bazookas. With the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy, I don't think Dairy Queen would go over well with the services. Just an idea to help balance the budget.

Today is election day. I have had nightmares that I will wake up tomorrow and find that extremists at both ends of the political spectrum will get elected and Congress will waste two years just fighting and accomplishing nothing.

Yesterday was our first Halloween in our new neighborhood. Didn't know what to expect in the number of kids, etc. The neighbors gave me a rough estimate and I bought treats accordingly. Kathy helped Keri at her place so it was up to me to man the home handouts. This is a big responsibility considering we were averaging about six to ten kids in Casper. Our neighborhood kids all grew up, left home, and many now have kids of their own. Our first client arrived about 6:15 and then for the next hour it was big business. I think the neighbors organize so the kids can all go together and for a second reason. Each group had a wagon pulled by a father. It wasn't to haul little kids or candy. No, it was to haul the beer which each father had in hand as he led his troops to the houses. One mother told me it was a neighborhood tradition. By the time the kids had gone up and down the two cul de sacs and hits a couple more streets, they had a pretty good stash. One real little kid would get a treat at one house and then trade it at the next house for another treat. The kids and parents were so nice and polite. I didn't see any vandalism when I drove to Eric and Keri's around six this morning. There were a lot of pumpkins and Halloween decorations which could have been destroyed. Our neighbors said they had around 80 kids the year before and that's about what we had last night. We turned off the front light around 8:15.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR in yesterday's Denver Post:
"Like most people, I am sick of the disgusting political attacks on TV. I can't wait until the election is over, so that we can get back to the wholesome tasteful ads for fungus infection and hemorrhoid cures."
Signature

This weekend Kathy's Brother Tom and his wife Paula are in town and staying with us. We are enjoying having them here. Yesterday Tom, Paula and I went to the Air Force Academy for the AFA-Utah football game while Kathy stayed in Littleton to help Keri with the twins. It's about an hour's drive from our house to the parking lot at the academy. We were early enough that we wandered around the outside of the stadium where there were several vendors but also some freebies. I got free chicken wings from Coors and tons of M&Ms from AT&T (I had a sugar high by game time), a finger (not that finger, a foam AFA finger) from an insurance company, a golf towel and other stuff. The game started at 5:30 and the night got colder as it got later and the wind came up. I enjoyed watching the cadet march in by squadron, the parachutists, the live falcon mascot do his/her thing, and the jet fly-by (although I was disappointed in halftime since we couldn't hear). We left in the fourth quarter when Utah was up by 18 points. By the time we reached our car, Air Force was down just 5 points.
We were gone about six hours total but the time I enjoyed most was the two hours we were in the car and revived the "lost art of conversation." It was great having three adults talk-relatives, life, death, sports, politics (be careful), and just things in general. I enjoy conversation as much as ball games and probably remember more about topics than scores.
MEMO TO SELF-Stop interrupting other people when they are speaking-you might learn something.

Last night was the coldest night of the fall in the Denver Metro area-down in the 20's with freeze warnings. At 1:30 this afternoon I was mowing the lawn in a T-shirt with no jacket with the temp near 70. Strange weather.

While watching GLEE last night, I filled out my mail-in ballot. I mailed it this morning. One of the many things that concern me about the results of this year's election is the chance that a certain element (from both parties) would be elected and as a way of reducing spending for education would eliminate monies for subject area as music, vocational programs and physical education. Although a parent of a math teacher, I don't believe educations begins and ends with Math, English, Science and Social Studies although these for the focal areas of testing (which in itself is a waste of money).

Thoughts about the recession:
I went to a business to see about getting some body work done on one of our cars due to a hit and run accident. Place #1 yesterday told me that the first time they could get me in for an estimate (an estimate!) would be Thursday. I went ahead and made the appointment. I went to Place #2 this morning for the same reason. This business had been recommended as strongly as Place #1. I was told that it would be at least an hour for an estimate. I decided to wait. Fortunately there was an appointment cancellation and I only waited about 20 minutes. It took around 30 minutes to get everything done. They said they could get me in fairly quickly since it didn't appear to be that much work. I contacted my insurance agent and we did the paperwork and I accepted the estimate of Place #2. I figured if it took Place #1 three days just to do an estimate, it could take quite a while to get the repair work scheduled. I called #1 and cancelled my appointment. Both places had been recommended by my agent.
What bothers me is why are so many businesses understaffed with essential employees who actually work with potential customers? My bank is a prime example. There are never enough tellers and long lines every time I go there whether it is in Littleton or Casper but every time they see someone with with a few thousand in the checking account, they try to hook the customer with a financial advisor and there always appears to be a financial advisor available immediately. I wish they would hire more tellers. I think businesses are not hiring people who actually serve people but have cut back on that staffing when those are the folks who are needed. I know a lot of engineers and factory workers have been cut, but the service industries have cut back too far. Those jobs can't be outsourced.

I was reading one of the Sunday magazines which are included in today's newspapers. One page listed celebrity birthdays this week. Of all the names listed I recognized may one in four and the youngest was 43. Getting old I tell you.

Saw this bumper sticker on a car this week. It's an old one but I still like it:
"It will be a great day when schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold bake sales to buy a new bomber."

I really don't care whether Nebraska has a loss to Texas. Nebraska will always be #1 to me-as the worst drivers in the US. One of their favorite tricks is to drive in the left lane at the speed limit or less and won't get into the right lane. I laughed when this was happening last week when a guy in a big black pick-up with a crash bar on the front pulled up a yard behind the front car and honked his horn. The first guy couldn't get into the right lane fast enough almost swerving into a truck.

Congrats to Iowa State for beating Texas.

Yesterday I saw my first coyote on the walking path between our two cul de sacs. He saw me and headed out to the field. Our subdivision newsletter warns of coyotes being a danger to small animals. We have a small yelping dog next door. "Here, Webster. There's a guy at the end of the street I'd like you to meet."

Day 5 Monday (Final Day)

I drove west from Kearney to Colorado via Cheyenne, Wyoming. I'm tired of radio so I see if there are any CD's in sound system. There are two-Jersey Boys and Selected Marches. Jersey Boys is not one of my favorite CD's for technical reasons. After one round through the marches I go back to radio. The early sports talk shows deal with Texas defeat of Nebraska. Get over it, folks-you lost. At 10:00 MDT the conservative talk shows begin. I listened to Rush Limbaugh for a while. His format is a combination of Adult Fairy Tales (designed to scare adults) and rumor mongering. After 30 minutes I turned that off and enjoy the quiet.
Just after 11:00 MDT I pulled into Sidney, Nebraska. Sidney is the home office and mother store for Cabela's, which is Mecca to "Fishermen, Hunters, and Outdoorsmen." I started in Central time so 11:00 is noon to my stomach. I stop-guess where-at a Runza outlet for lunch. It's early. There are two couples and me and we all got senior citizen discounts. The Runzas are just out of the oven and it just doesn't get better than that. I have a second one. As I pass Cabela's their camp ground and parking lot are both full and this is before noon. In Minnesota the second most visited site after the Mall of America is the Cabela's south of the Twin Cities on I-35.
I hit Cheyenne in a rain storm. It's the only bad weather of the whole trip. I visited my mother who lives in a retirement home there for an hour and then headed south for Denver. There isn't much traffic so I made good time. After leaving I-70 and entering C470, anther multi-lane highway, I encountered the only accident of my entire trip. Two cars collided and one went over an embankment and killed two people. One car is still on the side of the road. This is within 15 miles of my house.
After driving 876.6 miles from Jackson, Minnesota, to Littleton, Colorado, I pulled into my garage. It was a wonder trip. I saw so many people and things went smoothly although I'm really don't want to go anywhere for a while. Let people come to me.

Day 4 Sunday

Today tops off a great trip. Son David and D-I-L Kelsey drove to Jackson from Minneapolis and arrived around 9:30 am. They do the aunt and uncle thing with the boys. The boys cooperate with no urping on their aunt and uncle. They also visit Esther in her apartment. Photos naturally. We have lunch. D & K leave for the cities. We leave for the Sioux Falls airport around 2. Rumor has it that the Sioux Falls security is overly tough but Keri, Kathy and the boys get through with with few problems although they hold up the line a bit.
I can't do more so I get in the car and head for Nebraska. Eric is flying to San Francisco so I'm traveling solo this round. I DON'T take Nebraska 77 this time. There's little traffic in Omaha as Nebraska fans are probably in hiding and denial due to the Nebraska loss to Texas. I stop in York, Nebraska and consume one of the elusive Runzas. From York I contact the Holiday Inn Express in Kearney. The "best price" starts lower so we only negotiate $10 off tonight. I pull into Kearney around 10:00 after driving 443.3 miles from Jackson.

Day 5 tomorrow

Day 3 Saturday

This was just a neat day and what the trip was all about.
Marita, Kathy's sister, picked up her daughter Julie, a sophomore at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and two of Julie's college friends, both of whom are from the Boston area to spend a short fall break on a true Iowa farm. They came to Jackson Friday night. The girls stayed in a motel while Marita stayed at the Pines, a nursing home where Esther lives. The Pines rents out 2 apartments to guests of residents. We rented both rooms for two nights. This means we don't have to take the boys outside to see their great grandmother. Saturday morning Julie and her friends met us at Esther's apartment. It was like a photo shoot with several cameras going at the same time. Of course, we had to get the four generation picture with Esther, Kathy, Keri, and Aiden and Reid. The boys now are so accustomed to pictures they just perk up and almost pose. The boys were passed around from great grandmother to aunt to the St. Olaf girls. The boys are already smart enough to know that you don't urp on cute coeds. They are well behaved. We take a break for feeding and nap. Marita and the girls go to the farm where brother Kent and wife Debi now live and farm. I heard that one of the girls got to make a round in the combine. Then they head to Iowa for a few days.
Kathy, Keri, the boys and I went out to the farm in late afternoon. Our nephew Mark and his wife Jenn are in Jackson this weekend with Mark helping with the combining and Debi and Jenn making apple pies. Naturally we have apple pie and ice cream. We turned on the football games and see that Texas is whupping Nebraska-all right! We also go out to some sites on the farm where they are installing wind generators. They are huge when you get right up next to them.
After supper we return to visit great grandma Esther. Later we go back to the rented apartment to feed and put the boys down for the night. I turn on the TV and find Wisconsin beating Ohio State. I'm not real happy about this although I'm not a real Big 10 fan although I did attend the U of Minnesota one summer. They fired their coach Saturday.
The weather was great; we saw lots of relatives, and there was little driving. What a day!
Day 4 tomorrow.

Remember these words of wise old philosophers
"No good deed shall go unpunished"
&
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

Background: Kathy met a lady from Sioux City, Iowa, who claimed that the best way to get to Sioux City when coming across Nebraska is to take Nebraska State Highway 77 at Lincoln. She passed this information to Kathy with the best of intentions thus the above words.
For all the Lit majors: Years ago William Least Heat-Moon wrote a book called "Blue Highways: A Journey into America." I read it about 40 years ago I think. The 'blue' roads are the rural state highways. Some critics contend this book surpasses "Travels with Charley" but I'm a Steinbeck fan and think they are comparable but it doesn't outdo "....Charley."
Day 2-Friday:
With "Blue Highways.." in mind I ask Eric if we should try Nebraska 77 which goes north out of Lincoln to Sioux City. We figure we have plenty of time to get to the Sioux Falls airport so we decide what the heck. My son David calls to say he is coming to Jackson Sunday morning. He asks if we are in Minnesota yet. I reply that I am sitting at the only traffic light in Wahoo, Nebraska (pop. 3,942). He laughs. Early in the drive a white pick-up passes me. On the dashboard he does NOT have a bobble-head hula dancer, nor a stature of Jesus nor any other bobble head. On his dashboard he has a statue of a bull elk. This guy has his stuff together.
We continue north. We see several combines out in the fields husking (?) corn. Highway 77 is also the main road for farm vehicles such as tractors, wagons, and other farm implements so speed is limited at times. At one farm site I see a Corvette parked by the side of the road with a For Sale sign on the windshield. I'm not sure if this is any reflection on the price of corn which is at an all time high. It does, however, trigger a memory of a TV show (you have to be my age to remember) called "Route 66", which was about two guys traveling in a Corvette along Highway 66 which starts someplace in the Midwest and goes through the Southwest to California-I think. We have a '95 Subaru and an 08 minivan. The show was popular on Friday nights in the early 60's when I was in college (one usually did not waste a Friday night to party but the show was popular with college kids so we just moved the partying back a half hour.
The traffic is just heavy enough that passing takes a somewhat macho attitude. One guy in a black super cab pick-up with a dog the size of a lion in the back seat passes me. There are three cars close together ahead of him and he decides to pass all three at one time. He chickens out when he meets a tractor and only passes two-one of whom is Eric. I have a semi tailgate me for about 30 miles and he won't pass when I slow down and there is no oncoming traffic. There is road construction with sections of one-lane roads so we wait for the pilot car to return to lead us through the construction area.
Part of 77 goes through the Winnebago Indian Reservation. I tell you our poor oppressed Native American brethren on the this reservation are not hurting for anything. The town of Winnebago may be the smallest town in America (unless it's Avon, Colorado) to have a traffic rotary. It also had a hospital that probably ranks second to only the U of Nebraska Medical Center. It also has a huge brand new school with a field ball stadium with artificial turf, a rubberized track around it and seating for about 500 tops.
When we finally reach Sioux City and stop at the Golden Arches, I ask Eric what he thought of Highway 77 and then we both laugh.
The other drawback is there were no RUNZA fast foods. Runzas are hamburger with cabbage and several spices baked in a bread roll. They are found only in Nebraska and I try to have one every time I go across the state. No Runzas on this leg of the trip.
We meet Keri, Kathy, and the boys at the Sioux Falls airport and begin the 90 mile trek to Jackson, Minnesota. Eric, Keri and the boys take the van while Kathy and I take our last ride in the "getter." In Jackson Keri finally gets to introduce her husband of four years to her grandmother. She's been wanting to show him off to grandma for quite a while. Grandma meets the boys but they are hungry and tired so that visit is very short. Eric is flying out of Minneapolis in the morning so he heads to the Twin Cities.
Day 3 tomorrow.

I need to give some background info to set this up. About a month ago Keri, Kathy, and I were sitting around discussing what would be the least painful way to get the grandtwins to Jackson, Minnesota, to visit Keri's grandmother, the boys' great grandmother. Esther turns ninety-nine in January so we thought we ought to get this done pretty quickly. We just couldn't see subjecting the boys to a 12-15 hour trip strapped into car seat as the law now dictates. We hit on the idea that Keri, Kathy and the boys would fly to Sioux Falls, SD, on a Friday afternoon (Keri had an in-service that day) and I would pack all the leftover necessary items (playpens, extra diapers, clothes, etc.) in the van and drive to Sioux Falls, meet them and drive them to Jackson which is about a 90 minutes drive. We bought the tickets, prayed for good weather and put the plan in play.
In the meantime, son-in-law Eric, a Delta pilot, was transferred from Detroit to Minneapolis. In addition Keri and Eric bought a new minivan making the "grocery getter" (definition according to son David-a small station wagon usually driven by a mother for all sorts of reasons including buying groceries) available for Eric to drive it to Minneapolis as an "airport car". As long as I was driving to Minnesota, Eric thought it would be nice if we caravan as least as far as Jackson (that's Minnesota not Wyoming). This should get the readers started.
John Steinbeck had his "Travels with Charlie" about driving around the US in a pick-up with his dog for a companion. I guess I could call this much shorter adventure, as least for the first couple of days, Traveling with Eric. Charlie was a canine, however, I assure you Eric is human.
DAY 1 Thursday:
We leave Littleton about four o'clock in the afternoon just in time to catch rush hour traffic. We drive as far as Sterling, Colorado (pop. 11,360) and plan to eat supper and and gas up. Sterling is the only town of its size that does not have a food food outlet right off the interstate. We have to drive a couple of miles into town. I call and make a reservation at the Holiday Inn Express in Kearney, Nebraska for later. We always have to negotiate a rate so by the time we start with the "lowest rate" and finish I've saved 15 dollars.
Driving across Nebraska my allergies kick in after I shut off the air conditioner. There is also this aroma of recently shorn fields and feed lots. Listening to the radio, with the opening of bird season on Saturday, the majority of commercials deal with hunting supplies and particularly quality ammo-a listener doesn't hear many commercials in Denver for quality ammo. We finally arrive in Kearney around 11:30 and call it a night.
Day 2 tomorrow.

Today I was driving on a 4-lane highway (two in each direction) with a 55 mph speed limit. There was an old car in the right lane doing about 40mph. This is a fairly busy highway. Cars kept pulling out and passing. Finally I managed to get around the car. It was being driven by a women who was reading a letter (I drive a van so I could see into her car). That's almost as dangerous as driving and texting.

Received my mail-in ballot for Colorado in the mail today. After several forms and calls, I exist on the voter registration. I read that over half the voters in Colorado will do so using mail-in ballots.
I keep getting phone surveys asking how likely I am to vote. I tell them definitely and now I can back that up-provided I don't lose it.

Watching too much sports lately, I notice so many athletes point fingers or make some other gesture to the sky as if there was some extra heavenly force at work to insure their accomplishments.
This made wonder what would have if the same persons pointed the fingers or made other gestures toward the ground or what may lie deep below it. Would an athlete sell his/her soul to the devil for mortal achievement or reward? I remember the play "Damn Yankees" in which an extreme Washington Senators fan (remember this is an old play) sells his soul just to help defeat the NY Yankees. Remember the song "Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets"?
I do wonder if people would sell out for temporary satisfaction?

More rain last night-not Seattle or Portland type rain but a steady off and on-which I think takes care of the fire danger.
I had to go to the mall yesterday. I was reminded of why I dislike going to malls on weekends-everyone-especially teens-is talking on his/her cell phone. Oh, well.

Fire update: Good news-it rained last night-not a lot but enough that it put out some of the hot spots and cleaned the smoke out of the air. What we have left now is black scorched earth where the backfires were set. I think we got lucky on wind direction and much cooler temps. I turned on the heat for the first time this fall. I just hope it doesn't flare up again.

One my son-in-law Eric's (the Delta pilot) stops this weekend was a layover in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There isn't a prettier place to be at this time of year. They were probably hauling in elk hunters and had an arsenal in the baggage area.

Bumper sticker seen on the back of a grocery getter (mom's mini station wagon) in a grocery parking lot:
"Ginger Roger did everything Fred Astaire did except she did it backward in high heels"

Friday afternoon a fire broke out in the foothills a couple of miles south of our house. At first we just saw smoke; later we could see flames after the fire jumped the ridge. By evening we could see quite a line of flames and smoke making it look like a big city light show. The TV kept reporting that fire fighters had it under control. Apparently they set a back burn because when I went outside around 7:00 am, there was a large black burned spot of a few acres. At the time I could see flames in a limited area. When I checked earlier at 5:00 am, the fire had been quite a bit larger. At 7:30 this morning I didn't see any flames but the the smell of smoke was quite strong. Morning TV reported that the fire consumed around 15 acres.
With all the fires we've had in this area lately everyone gets a little nervous. We still haven't had any significant moisture in almost two months. Hope that's the end of this one.

Saturday evening-Fire update:
The wind is from the northwest or away from our houses so they are setting backfires again. I watched them shoot flairs on to hillside.
We are getting a lot of lookers coming up our cul de sacs ranging from just lookers to news cameras. Both our streets have views of the fire at each end. When the fire truck pulled up front of Keri and Eric's, I thought that was a little ominous but then I thought if there was a fire approaching, where would a person rather see a fire truck than right in front of one's house. According to TV the fire fighters have everything under control.

Continuation from yesterday:

GOOD: while spending three and a half hours in the dentist's chair Wednesday, I had brought a trashy detective novel to read. With moldings and his working with other patients, I got a fair amount of reading done. I guess you call that multitasking. I slept with an ice pack again last night and that makes things much better.

BEYOND UGLY: the Twins lost to the Yankees again yesterday. I'm in a baseball funk. I'm glad we moved because I would probably be getting a "sweep" broom from Neighbor Brad. Oh, the shame of it all.

The GOOD, the BAD, the UGLY

Wednesday was not exactly one of my favorite days.

BAD: I spent 3 and 1/2 hours in a dentist's chair yesterday getting an old bridge removed and molds made for a new one. It was supposed to be a two hour appointment but the dentist ran into some problems and had to work with other patients while taking care of me. Some of the Novocain began to wear off making the last part interesting. Fortunately most of the drilling had been done.
GOOD: I slept with an ice pack and it quit hurting.
GOOD: I had to get a $199.99 prescription. My insurance paid all but $10.00 (so far).
BAD: I have to go back in two weeks and get the permanent bridge put in.
UGLY: I had to pay half of the bill. The last half in two weeks.
GOOD: It rained a little last night.
EXTREMELY UGLY: The Twins lost to the Yankees.

I am tempting the gods. This morning I have a company blow out my sprinkler system and aerate my lawn for winter. With temps in the 80's so far in October, I may be moving hoses again. I'd rather do that than have the sprinkler pipes freeze. This is a new thing for me as I haven't had a sprinkler system before. I also haven't had so little lawn to mow. Life is good.

Something on the football side which almost defied all odds occurred this past weekend:
1.U. of Colorado defeated the U. of Georgia
2. U. of Wyoming defeated Toledo U at Toledo
3. Iowa State beat Texas Tech
4. The Broncos defeated the Titans on Sunday.

I need to contact a climatologist to check if there was an unexpected deep freeze in Hades or the Iowa relatives to see if part of their swine herd had grown wings.

For the last 10 weeks I have been trying to get registered to vote in Colorado. I mailed the last form Saturday as today is the last day to get it done. They wouldn't let us vote in the primary as we were about a week too late to register.
Up in Wyoming a person could register to vote and vote on election day. Here they must afraid of the riffraff that might wander in.
I finally found out the name of our Congressman. Now I need to find out something about him.

Also among the college clothiers to the twins is a group I almost omitted-the St. Olaf bunch. The grandtwins have a grandmother, an uncle, an aunt, and a second cousin who are all Oles. In fact we have to keep a close eye on Grandma or their first words will be um yah yah, not mama or dada.

Yesterday afternoon we (Kathy, Keri, the twins, and I) took Keri's new ride to mountains above Golden and Boulder to see the changing colors of the leaves. It's been such a dry, warm summer and fall that the colors aren't that spectacular yet. We also checked out a ski area we were considering skiing this winter but distance is too far and the roads aren't that good. It was the first trip to the mountains for the twins who slept through much of the experience.

GAME DAY
When the grandtwins were born, they received several Iowa State (Keri's, along with a slew of relatives, alma mater) outfits. Husband Eric is from Ohio and a huge The Ohio State fan. Well things are evened up-the boys now have Ohio State T-shirts along with a gray Jim Tressel, the OSU coach, vest sweater.
These days it's easier being an Buckeye fan than it is being a Cyclone fan.

I've decided the "N word" to the grandtwins is nap.

Last night I forgot to watch GLEE. Thanks to HULU I could watch it on my computer tonight.
Why do I like GLEE? After almost 40 years in the education business, it reminds me of some of the infighting, kids and their relationships, certain administrators, and basically how much I enjoyed being a teacher with with a great clientele. GLEE has the same problems, etc., but with better music. I admit I don't have a clue as to whom this generation of students is infatuated with but it's the same old stories. That's why I like GLEE particularly the cheerleader sponsor. A lot of it is a life I was part of.

I am about to enter my annual bout of "Baseball Withdrawal." When I lived in Casper, it began with the end of the Casper Ghosts (originally Casper Rockies) when I had no other choice than to watch football. This year it began last night when the Colorado Rockies all but eliminated themselves from the postseason. I did go to one football game in Laramie last weekend but it wasn't like going to the Rockies-Giants game on Sunday. I do have the Minnesota Twins to root for and the New York Yankees to root against but it's just not the same. I had planned to go to Minneapolis and see the new Target Field this year but didn't make it. In Casper I miss my fellow season tickets holders because all of us sat together for nine years although I did see five Ghosts games this summer. We get most of the Rockies games on TV or I enjoy falling asleep listening to the radio and it gives me a reason to get up early for the newspaper and get the final score.
I get excited when spring training starts and can't wait for opening day. Someone told me I should apply for a job with the Rockies but I don't want to drive downtown for home games. I guess I'll have to watch football and basketball until next April. There are worse things.

Son-in-law Eric and went to the Rockies-Giants baseball game this afternoon. I saw something I had never seen before. Althought the Giants' pitcher took a no-hitter into the 8th inning, that wasn't it although I've never seen a major league n0-hitter. Nope-one of the Giants hit a ball that landed fair just outside the first base bag making it a fair ball. It then rolled into foul territory but it was still a live ball. One of the on-field usher/ball boys who wasn't paying attention thought it was just a foul ball and he ran over and grabbed it. The giant hitter was awarded a double but may have had a shot at a triple. Think of what would have happened if there had been a runner on first (which fortunately there wasn't). The rules cover the situation but it shouldn't have happened in the first place if the guy had been following the game. He spent much of the rest of the afternoon with his head down looking for a hole to crawl in. Fortunately the Rockies broke up the no-hitter in the eighth or I would have seen two new experiences.

Went to Laramie today for the Wyoming-Air Force football game. It seemed strange to be driving north to Laramie via Cheyenne. I used to drive from Casper to Laramie via the Medicine Bow cutoff. On the cutoff if someone asked what did you see, and you said nothing that would have been a good description. Of ninety miles on the cutoff often the only thing seen in early fall would be antelope and deer or an occasional hunter dressed in camouflage because the season hadn't opened and they were just scoping out the game animals. Later in the fall the hunters returned clad in hunter orange and the game were smart enough to stay far from the highway. At the opening of hunting season I was always a little nervous driving the cutoff for fear that some hunter from New York City or other urban area would mistake my van for an antelope. Anyway I always enjoyed this morning drive into Medicine Bow, home of the famed Virginian Hotel (for Owen Wister fans).

This morning as I was driving east on I-70 a car was on fire and three highway patrolmen were trying to put it out. The rest of the trip to Cheyenne produced no more excitement. My brother and I drove from Cheyenne to Laramie along I-80 (the highway had been closed last night) and saw a trailer full of cans had burned in the other lane and they were still trying to clean up the mess and get the trailer from the side of the road. Although Wyoming got beat, I enjoyed the game. Driving back to Cheyenne they were still trying to clean up that same mess. I visited my mother and ate dinner with her at her independent living residence.

On the way back to Denver from Cheyenne-just short of the Colorado border-a car with its front bashed in was pulled off to the side of the road and the highway patrol was trying to clean up the mess and someone was tending to a deer or antelope on the side of road. Apparently the animal and the car went head to head. Neither fared well. North of Fort Collins there were more highway patrol assisting a wrecker that was toting a car that had been in an accident but unfortunately the damaged car rolled off the side of the wrecker and closed an off ramp. Just north of Denver two cars were pulled off to the side of the road with more highway patrol surrounding them. Apparently the trail car ran into the back of the lead car.
I have to admit driving up from Denver is certainly different from the Medicine Bow cutoff.

The twins turned 5 months old yesterday.

Went to the Home Owner's Association meeting last night. Kind of boring. They discussed a lot of financial and procedural stuff. No one showed up to complain. One of the agenda items was the definition of a commercial vehicle. With the economy as it is, we certainly wouldn't want anyone who has a job to drive his truck/etc. home at night.
The HOA is based of the premise of ratting out one's neighbor and neighborhood snooping. The guy two houses down from me sometimes drives a COORS beer van. No way am I going to rat out a guy with connections like that.

Went out to eat last evening at a place called Gunther Toody's, 50's/60's hamburger place. Wednesday is 5 cent hamburger night (buy one-$6.96-$10.00 range) and get the second for 5 cents. They have great fries and milk shakes also. I had a shake the first time we went there-also a Wednesday-but decided to forgo this time.
The servers were all dressed as Star Wars characters and Star Wars music blared in the background-you don't get that at the Golden Arches. Good meal, good prices-we saved $6.50-fun atmosphere. Ironically the clientele consisted mostly of families with small children and senior citizens. We seniors know a good deal and besides most of us can't hear the music that well.

Yesterday Kathy and I were shopping a little farther north on Wadsworth than we normally do. We decided to take a different route home. As we pulled out of the parking lot, there was a field across the street with federal signs stating "Do Not Trespass". We went further up the road and there was still quite a bit of clear land that would make for prime development. Not much farther up the road we found the reason for all the undeveloped land-there is a huge federal prison there. It had the towers, razor wire, and all the other things that distinguish a prison. It was an interesting drive. Further up the road was another large building but it had all the markings of a high school. We couldn't read the letters on the front of the building. I didn't want to stop and pull out the binoculars I keep in the van because I was sure some federal vehicle would pull up and wonder what we were doing.

Good news: last night was the opening episode of GLEE.

I haven't been keeping a chart but I believe in the next couple of days I will have changed at least 1,000 diapers. I know it's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. The pay is good (babysitting for food), however.

It amazes me that my natural gas bill for our house in Casper has averaged one dollar more per month than our house in Littleton. This is more astonishing because no one has lived in the Casper house for the last two months while we shower, wash clothes and dishes, etc. in Littleton. Not only that but gas rates are supposedly less in Wyoming. Go figure.

Today is Saturday. That means the RV's, campers, and boats are out in mass. Since I live near Chatfield Reservoir, they invade my "hood" every weekend. I probably wouldn't mind except the only time these drivers drive their beasts is on weekends and other than that, the biggest thing they maneuver is a Honda Civic. I'm an advocate for restricting their times and roads they can travel.
Here in Denver one of my newest pet peeves is people who won't put their shopping carts in the return areas. It just seems worse here than other places.
I should title my blog "Grumpy's."
Not only that Boise State is going to kill Wyoming in football tonight.

Every school day morning our neighborhood begins what I call "The march of the mothers." This is where the stay-at-home or work later mothers take their children to the school bus stop. This usually occurs around 8:30 am. It's usually for lower elementary grade students but even younger siblings who can walk or those who need stroller assistance make the trek. At around 4:00 pm it starts in the opposite direction where the mothers meet the bus and walk the students home. I don't know how social things are at the bus stop but it does affect a fair share of the non-breadwinner population of the area. As Kathy and I say, most of the mothers in this block are young enough to be our daughters.

There is now a ban in Colorado on open fires. They're only two wildfires too late.

Losing the art of conversation:
Tuesday evening we ate supper at a sit-down restaurant. There were two couples sitting across from each other in the same booth. Whenever one guy spoke, the other would be checking his cell phone for whatever. When the second guy spoke, the other would be checking his phone. Even after their meals came they continued to check their cell phones rather than visit. The wives/girlfriends were almost as bad but sometimes they pretended to listen but would check their phones occasionally. I can understand the guys checking baseball scores but................

Great day! We drove to Casper last night and this morning we had the closing on our Casper house and the money is in the bank. We are almost total "Greenies" (Colorado license plate colors-a put-down by Wyomingites) although my mother lives in Cheyenne and my brother resides there about half the year. We now have no legal connections to Wyoming.

Not so great-On the way back to Denver an overhead sign just north of Cheyenne flashed the message that I-25 was closed six miles down the road due to an accident. We didn't think much of it as we stopped in Cheyenne for about an hour and a half to eat supper and visit my mother. Later driving south we saw a crew cleaning up the wreck and they were loading a totally burned out car shell on a trailer. I have never seen a car involved in an accident that was almost completely incinerated. I hope that no one was killed, burned or seriously injured but I wouldn't bet money on it.

Took the stool sample to the pediatrician's office this morning. In the waiting room there are two separate areas: one for "Well Waiting" and one for "Ill Waiting". What a great idea. I'd never seen this before.

A friend sent a program that gives demographics for zip codes. We moved from 82601 to 80127. Here are a few stats"
Density 82601=40.25 80127=648.38
High School plus 601=85.2% 127=96.9%
BA plus 601=18% 127=50.4%
Unemployment 601=4% 127=1.6%
Below poverty level 601=14.7% 127=2.1%
Median age 601=35.4 years 127=35.5%
Here's the mind blower:
Median household income 601=$31,219 127=$82,536
Yes, we are living in the "Golden Ghetto".

Best news of the day: we are no longer poop scoopers!

A friend sent this"
"What is the hair color on a bald man's driver's license?"

Still scooping.

The doctor requested a "stool sample" from one of the twins as part of an office visit the other day. If you know how little actual solid there is in an infant's diaper, you would understand that it is a tricky job to get enough for the lab. Part of our job description now is "poop scooper." This too wasn't in the contract.

I could see the smoke from the Boulder fire as I was walking over to Keri and Eric's this morning. For the first time the graph on the Weather Channel was showing the Denver Metro area air or ozone level as somewhat hazardous to people with respiratory problems. We need some moisture.
Kathy's cousin Art and his wife Sharon are coming to visit us today and stay overnight. We seem to get more company after moving to Colorado although Art, Sharon, and family did visit us one time in Casper.

Went to the health club to work out this morning. It was the biggest crowd I'd seen since I started going last July. In other words there were a lot of laborers laboring-how bad is that.
We got our first campaign worker yesterday. It was in the 90's and I'm glad that wasn't me out walking the streets for a candidate. I can hardly wait for the telephone calls to begin. Yard signs are at least banned in our neighborhood.
I am calling for my ban on RVs from 6:00 am to 10:00 on any state or federal highway. Watched another one almost cause a pile-up this morning.

The temperature still is in the 90's after a record number of days in the90's. This week we received a notice from the Denver Water Board that with Fall now here we can cut back on our watering. It may have been a bit premature as we haven't had any moisture for a couple of weeks and the lawn and trees, etc. are drying up. I think they send our the same brochure about the same time every year.

Today was the "big game" day for the game between Colorado State University (CSU) and the University of Colorado (CU). I went to the SNIAGRAB, which is a huge ski equipment sale held every Labor Day weekend. I was wearing my CSU T-shirt because I went to grad school at CSU and met my wife there. One of the SNIAGRAB salesman came up to me pointing to an area where people could get technical advice on ski equipment. He led me over to two guys. He said one was a CSU guy and the other was a CU guy so I should probably work with the CSU guy. I told him I went to the University of Wyoming and couldn't stand either team but had gone to grad school at CSU. That brought the conversation to a rather quick halt.
I root for CSU twice a year-against CU and BYU but CU handed CSU their asses this afternoon. Later I went over to watch and eventually burp the twins. I told them they could urp on my CSU T-shirt but neither bothered. They knew a loser. Maybe I should wear my WhiteSox or Detroit Tigers T-shirt tomorrow.

Yesterday I finally got registered to vote in Colorado. I was supposed to become registered when I got my driver's license in July. All I wanted to do was change my party affiliation and receive my ballots in the mail. After a call to the county registration department I found out that I either had to change things in person or over the Internet. I chose the latter. Even this isn't easy. I had to list my driver's license three times and repeat other info. Finally what I submitted took and I am now a registered voter in Colorado.
They wouldn't let me vote in the primary because I didn't get a driver's license soon enough. That's OK but in Wyoming I could have walked up to my polling place the day of the election, registered and voted all at the same time. Not here-afraid too many illegals would sneak in and vote.
Today all ballots must be finalized and sent to the printers. One party doesn't like its nominee for governor and wants him to quit but he won't. Colorado was one of states that said it couldn't get its ballots printed to be sent to military personnel overseas and returned on time. When one of the political parties complained, all of sudden the story changed to yes we can do it. They must figure they are going to get the majority of those votes.
A friend from Wyoming said the elections up there are getting nasty. Down here they are getting vicious. I say a pox on both their houses and everyone should run as an independent with six weeks of campaigning-oh, and term limits.

After Aiden urped on me twice on both Tuesday and Wednesday, I decided that babysitting has some hazardous duties such as burping when the kid has a cold. I now carry an extra T-shirt to my "job" as grandparent babysitter. These things aren't in the manual. "Be prepared" has become my motto (with due respect to the Boy Scouts who established the phrase a few years ago). I still enjoy the work.

Yesterday we were supposed to receive a package from UPS. The shipping e-mail indicated that it had to be signed for. We also received a phone message saying the parcel would be delivered some time between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm which is a tremendous time frame. Someone would have to sign for it. We weren't too happy about trying to be home all day to sign for it but at least one of us was around for most of the time.
THEY DELIVERED THE PACKAGE AT 7:20 PM! At least it arrived on the day it supposed to.
UPS receives no Christmas card this year.

One of the phrases Garrison Keillor used over and over in his monologues Sunday was "They're Lutheran, you know" or "We're Lutherans." It was as if this phrase explains all the actions of his Lake Wobegone characters about whom he spoke as he talked of his days in the imaginative town. These words signified that no further explanation was needed to clarify their action-being Lutheran says it all.
I don't know if everyone agreed but he got no protests and several nods of agreement from the audience. It was sort of the equivalent to say a few years ago that "she's blond". Nothing more need be said.

Although it wasn't on my bucket list, I went to see a Garrison Keillor program yesterday. It was held at the Denver Botanical Gardens, which is just over the hill from our house (a mile or two maybe). The show was excellent and I really thought it was neat how he came down off the stage and walked among the audience without losing a beat. We received an e-mail stating we could bring food, sealed non-alcoholic drinks, and lawn chairs under 24 inches. They sold beer and wine and checked everyone as we came in. They didn't check the height on the lawn chairs which peeved several of us as the taller chairs blocked some views. I'm not a big Prairie Home Companion fan but this was a good show which lasted over two hours. During the intermission he again came off the stage and went out and sang songs with the audience.
Parking was miserable and disorganized but that was the only bad part.

Unfortunately I had to take a couple of days off to attend the funeral of a good friend. I used to visit him in the hospice a year ago and feel God gave Luciano an extra year of life.

I also learned that there won't be any camel herds in Iowa. With the sand and everything in the downstairs family room the ceiling isn't high enough. Pity. I thought it was a good idea.

After visiting with the Iowa relatives this weekend and a couple days this week, I heard about the flooding they had in the basement after the last bad storm that went through Iowa. They had to tear out all the carpeting in a huge family room. The question was whether to replace the carpet and take a chance on the next big storm or do something else with the floor.
I pondered this and thought "Why not fill the room with sand and cater luaus?" They already have the hogs on their farm so a pigs would be no problem. Then I came up with this idea-still fill the room with sand but raise camels. With all the equipment and money we've given to the Mideast, surely a Arab would give them a few camels to start a breeding herd to go along all those red Angus. In Iowa surely they would find something to feed them. They could do for camels what Ted Turner did for buffalo. Maybe they could get camel meat on the menu at Hickory Park and then wait for the ensuing demand for camel meat. Where does the material for camel hair coats come from? Maybe there would be a demand for the hides. They could house them in the basement family room in the sand during the winter. Water would be no problem. I know the clean-up would be a little gamy but no worse than hogs. They're known for a lousy temperament but no worse than several other farm species.
This is a chance to get in on the ground floor. I'm glad I thought of this.

Went to the Rockies-Braves baseball game at Coors field last night. My "brother-in-law" Gene, nephew Adam, son-in law Eric, and I all went. Gene's brother Glen, a local vet, met us at the game. Weather was beautiful, $5 parking garage, 1/2 price tickets, dollar hot dogs, and the Rockies won.
Gawd, I love baseball.

One of my relatives tells me that certain salsas are referred to as "Texas Caviar."

I'm beginning to understand why newspapers are going out of business. On my block only about 4 of us take the Denver Post and this is a neighborhood of educated people. After seeing what the new cell phones can do and the up-to-date info available, people feel the cell phone bill is a smart replacement for a newspaper subscription.
What we are getting in our "hood" is people delivering fliers to the door or taping them to part of the house. This may be the biggest growth industry in Colorado. We even have people knocking at our door with all sorts of sales pitches. Businesses may find that fliers reach the customers they are looking for better than large newspapers. We have a magazine that is targeted to residents in our part of the Denver metro area. It's probably cheaper and reaches the desired demographic customer at a fraction of the cost.
National TV networks may be next. I haven't counted the number of channels we receive but it's a bunch. It's no longer a three network world.
Just part of the adjustment to growing old. If we don't get nuked, I wonder what's next. Meanwhile I still enjoy my morning paper.

My blog readership will take a real hit this week as two of my faithful readers from Iowa are visiting us this week.

Ol Slow Poke isms:
Double Standard:
If a baby burps, he/she earns an atta boy, good boy, atta girl or good girl-or some other sign of approval. However, if an adult does the same thing, that person is considered crass or uncouth.

Who would have ever thought that a "nooner" would refer to the next bottle feeding?

August 17
Were he still alive, today would be my dad's 96th birthday. He died in June 2004, two months short of his 90th birthday. I miss him but I wouldn't want him back. He spent the last six months of his life in a nursing home which he hated. I don't know if he ever forgave me for helping put him there but my mother couldn't care for him anymore. He was bedridden the last six weeks of his life and I believe lost his will to live.
He loved to fish but neither my brother nor I ever took up the sport (?). I think he had hopes for my son but that didn't materialize either so he and his fishing buddies would head for the lakes and creeks. The problem was they were the same age, suffered the same physical ailments and several preceded him in death. He used to say he outlived most of his friends.
My dad taught me a lot of things. The most important was be honest with people with whom you are dealing. Sometimes you have to tell them things they really didn't want to hear but they will respect you for it.
He was a farm boy and used to say that in running his hardware store he'd crawl over two city slickers to get to one rancher. He even bought a horse after he retired.
I miss his sense of humor and his laugh which both my kids learned to imitate.
I miss you, dad, but I think you lived a full life and the last few months weren't the way I wish to remember you.
Happy birthday.

Murphy's law when bottle feeding a baby:
"Two minutes after you put the bottle in the baby's mouth, you have an itch on your nose, ear, or another place on your face and you're afraid to put the bottle down to scratch because you know the kid will howl."

SUNDAY
I'm going to wear my St. Olaf T-shirt to work out at the fitness center. I think a saint on Sunday is symbolic.
Some day I'm going to look at all the ads that come in the Sunday paper-but not today; maybe next winter.

I learned more about my grandsons while on day one of our "Will babysit for food" job. Aiden is as finicky about his bottle as James Bond is about his martinis. Aiden also is a slow inhaler who savers every ounce of his milk. Reid is a "Give me whatever you got" type of imbiber who chugs the minute it is in his mouth. See, twins are different in some ways.

Day one of grandparents become full-time babysitters (can't be classified as professional since there is no money involved-just meals and snacks)
As former teachers we have a tendency to administer grades (no rubrics)
1. First nap-iffy:C- at best. Reid is the more difficult to get to nap so he gets more rocking chair time.
2. First bottle feeding:A- Not a drop left in Reid's bottle. Aiden took his sweet time.
3. First play time:A I got out the center that Eric's sister's family (the Harlows) gave the boys. It has three poles that connect in the middle with animals along the side. The big thing is the mirror at the top where the poles connect. Reid was mesmerised with the whole thing. Aiden started off slowly but then he really got into it.
4. Second nap- possible B+ but waiting for the results.

I don't know how much the rocking chair time puts the twins to sleep but I know it's beginning to work on me.

Yesterday I took Keri's Subaru to the state emissions standards check point so she can renew her license tabs. This has to be done every two years. They have one stall that is exclusively for 4-wheel and all-wheel vehicles and this is the only stall vehicles of that category can enter. There were three bays for all others. When I arrived, there was a pick-up in the all-wheel stall. They must have spent at least 20 minutes on that thing and it was there when I arrived. In Colorado most cars are all-wheel so our line kept getting longer and longer. Finally they pulled the truck out of the stall and moved the rest of us through. The Subaru was in good company because the two vehicles immediately in front of me were Lexuses or Lexi. The inspector told me he would get us through fast and he did. I'm not sure what they did that was worth $25. I will never know whether the truck passed inspection or not.

Bumper sticker seen on Monday, the day before the Colorado primary election:
"My dog is smarter than your politician"
In some cases that's probably true.

Now that the Colorado primaries are over, I don't seem to get as many phone calls as I did the last few days. Wonder why?
On our new cable/telephone system a new feature we've never had before is Caller ID also flashes on the TV screen since they are both part of the same system. Amazing what they've got in the cities that we didn't have in the rural areas.

Today is primary election day in Colorado-thank goodness. Kathy and I were late getting registered so we can't even vote until the general election but we have received a ton of political phone calls. I've heard from John McCain, the US Chamber of Commerce and a slew of others proclaiming the virtues of conservatives and the evils of liberal thinking. I even received a bumper sticker in the mail for a Wyoming candidate for governor (we can't vote there either). I don't even know which congressional district I'm in even if I could vote (In Wyoming there is one for the whole state).
What I would like to see is politicians also respect the national "no call" list. Of course, they exempted themselves when they passed the law.

Yesterday Keri and I took the twins to Cheyenne to meet their great grandmother Margaret Starrs and their great aunt and uncle Charlene and Bill Starrs. The two hour drive was the longest road trip (they flew to Ohio) they've taken. They slept most of the way up so they were great while being held although posing for pictures was a challenge. They performed well for great grandma and the great aunt and uncle-definitely a passing grade. They were worn out from doing their thing and slept all the way back. We even have a picture of Bill holding each of them. Bill doesn't like taking pictures because when she was a baby, Keri urped all over him so he has a certain aversion to babies.
1. Yes, we did hit wind about 7 miles south of the Wyoming border although it calmed down in Cheyenne.
2.Yes, we hit a downpour about 15 minutes from home. It's Murphy's Law.

Traffic regulation I would enact if I could:
1. All semi's would be restricted to the right lane.
2. If one semi attempts to pass another semi, it must be done within 3 minutes or the passee would be severely fined for not slowing down to let the passer pass.
3. All RV's and pick-ups with campers on them would be restricted to a travel time period of 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. Violators would have one tire shot out and AAA would be fined if they help.
4. Anyone pulling a boat would be restricted to the same hours and regulations and forbidden to pass anyone.

Although I live less than a block from K & E, I find myself driving to their house. It clouds up (really black clouds) late every afternoon and into the evening. Sometimes it rains and sometimes it doesn't. One night it rained so hard after supper that Keri remarked she would have to put me in the Jeep in the garage drive me to my car on the street. It did let up. Last night it rained during the night after I had opened several upstairs windows. I slept through it. This afternoon there was some thunder to go with the clouds. I'll probably drive again tonight.