To atone for missing the Casper Ghosts opening game, my son-in-law Eric and I went to the Rockies-White Sox game last night. I like going with Eric because he understands the total game. The Rox blew it in the 9th and I am now 4-1 for the season when I watch them in person.
Saw something I had never seen before at this level-two base runners (one from each team) got picked off in the same game.

Tonight is the home opener of the Casper (WY) Ghosts (nee Rockies) baseball team. It's their eleventh home opener. I attended the first ten as I held season tickets for the first ten seasons. I will miss my friends who also had season tickets in our section, the running jokes, the needling and just good fun. We rooted for the Ghosts but really didn't worry about the score as the socialization was the name of the game. It's one of the few things I miss about Casper.

Keith is back"

Tonight I watched "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on the Current TV channel. Olbermann and Countdown were on MSNBC until he got into a fight with the network and left. He pillaged GW Bush when he was President and during his "Worst Person in the World" segment, Bill O'Reilly of Fox News or Rush Limbaugh was usually the winner. He is possibly the most liberal journalist on TV and I, as a moderate Republican, love him because he loathes the Tea Party and its conservative ilk as much as I do.

With Michelle Bachmann, congresswomen from Minnesota, announcing her run for President today, the show was great as they showed her gaffs as perhaps the one of the most factually challenged politicians since Sarah Palin. Life is good. He's no great fan of Obama but loathes the Republican hierarchy more than the Prez.

It was good to see Keith back as a contrast to most network news.

Even if I don't agree with you at times, Welcome back, Keith.

Enough is enough

Enough is enough.
Today we received a complimentary issue of a local Denver magazine. It was, however, addressed to my father whom they had welcomed as a new resident in the area.
The man has been dead for over seven years. Although our first and middle names are reversed, we already have a subscription to the magazine and have lived here for a year. He hadn't been to Denver for years before he died and I sure he never ever set foot in Littleton. This hurts. I keep getting letters in my mother's name asking for donations. She died in March. I resent this. There should be a clearing house to get the deceased off mailing lists. We publish obituaries so I don't think anyone's privacy would be invaded.

While yesterday was the wife's birthday, it was also a birthday of sorts for the grandtwins who, as my daughter puts it, are now 14 MONTHS OLD.

We all celebrated birthdays-both years and months-with Keri, Eric, and the boys (the 14 month old guys. A good time and good food was had by all.

Happy anniversary today, Eric and Keri.

Happy birthday, Kathy. For your birthday I am going to renew the license tags on your car. Isn't that sweet (and cheap)?

I'm a people watcher. I got this from my dad who would sit and watch-sometimes visits with other male watchers-while my mother shopped.
For instance: the couple who sat in front of me at the Rockies-Tigers baseball game Saturday night. They were late to begin arriving at the start of the second inning. The lady was carrying a beer with a foot-long hot dog drenched with sauerkraut and onions. Looking at it I thought I might barf. Fortunately she consumed it rapidly and downed the beer. She left a couple of innings later and didn't come back. That was all right with me as it gave me a better view of the field. Her husband spent most of the game on his cell phone. He probably has brain cancer by now. I don't think he missed her. He had another three or four beers while calling. He didn't ever get up. I admired his bladder control as I would have been good for two trips by then. I can't understand why people would spend that much on tickets and then not enjoy the game. Those tickets were expensive-believe me.

Hi, Amanda

Keri, Eric and the grandtwins took me out for Father's Day Friday night but I decided to give myself a Father's Day gift and bought a ticket to the Rockies-Tigers baseball game at Coors Field. Actually I bought a ticket behind homeplate from a scalper and got it for about half price. It was the largest crowd since opening day. The only problem with the seat was I was seated next to a Tiger fan who was bigger than me (I'm not small) on one side and a women who what she lacked in height she made up for in width so it was a tight squeeze. This is the fourth game I have attended this year and the Rockies are 4-0 when I am in the stadium. They should pay me to attend games. Lots of families there. The weather was great-low 70's-and with a win it was an even better evening. As I was leaving, there was a guy holding up a "Jesus Saves" sign. Unfortunately He doesn't pitch for the Rockies as the bullpen is terrible.
Happy "Father's Day" to me. I didn't even have to send a card.

Fact or fantasy:
Bumper sticker seen today
"Republicans-working hard
so you don't have to."

The political bumper sticker war is warming up. I would say Republican stickers in our part of the world outnumber Democratic bumper stickers about 80% to 20%. Such is life in the Golden Ghetto.

This morning I saw the results of two rear ended car accidents. This one today was much more severe and merited three cop cars and two tow trucks. Yesterday's wasn't bad; the police hadn't arrived and there was just broken headlight plastic and a wounded trunk and bumper. The worst part is they occurred on the same street I drive twice each morning if I go to my fitness center.
It makes today's "you might be a Redneck if you get a speeding ticket while towing another vehicle." a perfect example. That's the way people drive here in Colorado.

Pet Peeve for today:
I hate ads for men's colognes placed in magazines-example: this week's Sports Illustrated. You can't get the scent off your hands if you touch the pages.

While driving home Sunday afternoon, there was a traffic accident on I-25 near one of the northern suburbs. Traffic was backed up for miles. I finally got off the interstate and took a series streets which finally got me back on the interstate and headed home. I'm glad I wasn't through traffic. It seems that some guy, around 20, was driving a stolen car. He had 4 teenagers joyriding with him. He clipped a semi and rolled the car almost completely shutting down southbound I-25. The teenagers claim they had just met him and didn't have any idea of his name. Two of the boys ran while while stayed to help a younger boy who was injured in the rollover. One who ran was the driver.
It makes me think of all the gas that was wasted in stalled-with air conditioners running in 80 degree weather-and stop and go traffic. I also wonder what would have happened if the young boy had died. Joyriding is serious but try telling that to the teenage set. I don't have solutions, just concerns about the chances of the next similar accident. Darn-I'm getting old.

Friday-Thermopolis
As we are headed to the Catholic church for the funeral mass, we pass another church. On the side is a huge canvas sign stating "Open Sundays". What's funny is the white canvas sign covers another sign. Due to rain and wind the canvas has begun to come off and reveal a permanent sign with Christmas lights which reads "Seasons Greetings".
The funeral mass goes well. Counting our family there are about 20 people at the mass. Mom and I used to joke that she had outlived her friends. I think other commitments and poor health had more to do with it. I spoke about mom, calling her a woman of faith and optimism as I believe those were two of her strongest characteristics. The urn was made by one of the local parish members as a fundraiser. It was made of 100 year old chestnut from Anoka, Minnesota and it was beautiful. We went to the cemetery for a graveside service and I placed the urn in the freshly dug grave. With all the rain the past two days I brought home some of the grave with mud on my shirt and watch.
At noon our family went to the golf club for lunch and to say good-bye to my brother Bill and my cousin Ann as they left for Cheyenne and Montana respectively. At that moment I felt closure. Our motel had a mineral springs hot tub and a warm swimming pool so we all went swimming in the afternoon. Even the little guys enjoyed the water. We brought in pizza and called it an early evening.

Thursday-Casper:
I got up early and help Keri feed the little guys at the motel breakfast. At 10:00 I met my coffee drinking "homies" for hot chocolate at Johnny J's (This is where Prez Obama ate lunch when he was campaigning in Casper in 2008). I enjoyed it and returned to the motel to get ready to head to the airport to pick up David and Kelsey and then the final leg to Thermopolis for the memorial service.
There are no towns between Casper and Shoshoni (96 miles). When we finally reach Shoshoni we all headed for the rest rooms at one of the convenience stores. While waiting I saw a book titled "My dog was a Redneck but we got him fixed." Didn't buy it.
Arrived in Thermopolis just after a hail storm had gone through and it looked more like January than June on the ground.
Tuesday was our 42nd anniversary but we waited until last night to celebrate with Keri and the boys, David and Kelsey, my brother Bill and my cousin Ann Johnson, who had driven down from Monana for the memorial services.
It rained like crazy and I was nervous about what the weather would be like at the graveside service on Friday.

Wednesday-we (Keri, Kathy, the Grandtwins and I) are headed to a memorial service in Thermopolis, Wyoming for my mother. We have two minivans loaded with stuff. We decide to bypass Cheyenne and gas up in Wheatland. The second call I receive is "Did you bring grandma?" The reference are to her cremains behind my seat. I give a positive reply. We pull into a gas station in Wheatland where the price is $3.31.9 per gallon. Compared to Denver this is good. Just as were filling up a hail storm erupts. Fortunately we are under the covering for the gas pumps and we aren't going any place until the hail lets up. Some are about half an inch in diameter. I know-I got hit with a couple. No visible dents.
We continue on to Casper. As we drive into our motel in Casper, we see most of the guests standing outside looking at the clouds to the north of the motel. A funnel cloud has been sighted but apparently it is going north of Casper. I don't know what kind of weather omen this could be.

T-shirt seen yesterday

"Drink Apple Juice
OJ Kills"

With a picture of O.J. Simpson

Today the wife and I celebrate our 42nd anniversary.
We were married June 7, 1969 in Jackson, Minnesota. The temp was in the 90's and so was the humidity and the church wasn't air-conditioned (great weather for growing corn).
A little after noon on that day (I think the wedding was at 2:00) my brother-my best man, my best friend-a groomsman, and I headed for a restaurant/bar (they served only beer) to eat and have something to drink. We were all dressed in suits which made us stand out in this place. There was another guy across the bar from us-he was also dressed in a suit and looked familiar-having a beer. He kept looking at us. Finally he walked over and told us he had to be some place at 2:00 but seeing us there, he wasn't worried about being late. He happened to be Kathy's uncle whom I'd met the evening before at the rehearsal dinner. We made it the church with at least 20 minutes to spare and the rest is history.
Love you, Kathy.

Friday is trash pick-up day in our neighborhood-the Golden Ghetto. During the hours of 7:00 am and 8:00 am several trucks cruise the 'hood' looking for discarded items which may be worth something. This morning it was only two cruisers. It could be a sign of the economy, heavy recycling, or just good business. Who knows?

Bumper sticker seen on the back of an yuppie SUV:
"Save an elk
Shoot a land developer"
It's a Colorado thing.

Today I celebrate the ninth anniversary of my retirement. Our son graduated from college on Sunday and I retired the following Friday. No more tuition checks and R & B and book payments-a coincidence-probably.
I had district seniority so I knew if I decided to retire I would qualify (only five of us did and I don't know how may applied). At that time we received a year's salary spread over twelve months. When the head shed secretary called to say I had the option to accept but had a few days to consider. I told her "I want it!" When she asked again, I almost screamed "Yes, I want to retire!" As a school counselor all I did the last two or three years was administer one group test after another. I considered them worthless then and I still do but someone thought "No Child Left Behind" was good but it would involve group testing. I didn't consider NCLB worthwhile and I still don't but someone decided we had billions of dollars to waste on testing.
Am I happy-oh, yes. I work harder being a childcare provider for my grandtwins but I enjoy that.