Changes
Much has happened since I last logged on to this little corner of the internet. Mainly, I have retired from my job after working full time of over 48 years. It is a little hard to get used to but it feels pretty good. Unfortunately, we are still marooned in Houston as my MIL is now an invalid and cannot be easily moved. So I guess we are here for the duration. I plan to go back to Colorado in the spring to attend a seminar as I do want to keep my professional designations for a while in case finances force me to go back to work. Thank God for my grandson who is taking care of our house in Parker. We will just have to live with the situation for now.
Monday, December 02, 2013
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I miss snow. I miss mountains. I miss the sound of flocks of geese flying over on their way to southern climes for the winter. I miss the sudden surprise of a deer appearing on my lawn. I miss cotton candy sunrises as the sun first hits the snow on the mountain tops and fiery orange sunsets that backlight the mountains. I miss Colorado.
Friday, December 02, 2011
Man, it's hard to believe that it's been a year since I touched this thing. I guess I haven't been very inspired to write anything lately. It may be that nothing that interesting has really been happening lately. Oh, yeah, I was diagnosed with early onset prostate cancer. I am going to be starting radiation treatments right after the first of the year. The case is really mild and the docs are confident that we will knock it out. If that bunch of pessimists are ok with it, I'm ok with it.
Other than that, it's been work, go home, repeat 5 days a week. I haven't even seen any good movies lately, something I hope to change this weekend. I have heard really good things about "The Descendant" and I like George Clooney so I may catch it this weekend. The only place it is playing in Houston is at the River Oaks Theater, which is the "art" movie house in Houston. This theater has been around basically forever. My parent took me with them to see foreign language subtitled films because they couldn't afford a babysitter. They would regret it because I couldn't read the subtitles and would drive them crazy all night pulling on their sleeves, whining, "What did they say? What did they say?" Anyway, the old auditorium is still a favorite of mine and I don't mind driving the extra 15 or so miles to get there.
Other than that, it's football this weekend. University of Houston (my alma mater) plays for the Conference USA championship and a possible shot at the national title in the Sugar Bowl (GO COUGARS) and the NFL Texans play Sunday. Life is good.
Ill let you know how the movie is. Have a great weekend and stay out of jail.
Other than that, it's been work, go home, repeat 5 days a week. I haven't even seen any good movies lately, something I hope to change this weekend. I have heard really good things about "The Descendant" and I like George Clooney so I may catch it this weekend. The only place it is playing in Houston is at the River Oaks Theater, which is the "art" movie house in Houston. This theater has been around basically forever. My parent took me with them to see foreign language subtitled films because they couldn't afford a babysitter. They would regret it because I couldn't read the subtitles and would drive them crazy all night pulling on their sleeves, whining, "What did they say? What did they say?" Anyway, the old auditorium is still a favorite of mine and I don't mind driving the extra 15 or so miles to get there.
Other than that, it's football this weekend. University of Houston (my alma mater) plays for the Conference USA championship and a possible shot at the national title in the Sugar Bowl (GO COUGARS) and the NFL Texans play Sunday. Life is good.
Ill let you know how the movie is. Have a great weekend and stay out of jail.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Requiem for a Cat
In 1994, my sister-in-law, Linda, queen of the animal rescuers, delivered to us a kitten. Someone had thrown it out into the parking lot of the office building where she worked. It weighed a little over a pound and most of that was ears. My wife was reminded of Ichabod Crane in the Disney cartoon version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and that became his name.
After we moved to Colorado in 1996, my wife was having to go back to Houston to help take care of her parents. Ichabod became my friend then. He was never a stand-offish cat. He loved to be held and cuddled and would hunt you down if you weren't in his line of sight. He and our dog, Isabel, got along famously. Ichabod would let Isabel drag him around by his collar then would roundly bat her around the nose when she stopped. It was hilarious to watch.
Ichabod had not been himself lately and, on Wednesday, my wife found blood on his backside. She took him to the vet and found that his kidneys had failed and that he was very dehydrated. The vet gave him some antibiotics and we brought him home so we could discuss our options. We went back to the vet today and found that, even if we bought him some temporary relief, he would continue to go downhill and the treatments would be very stressful for him. We made the decision that we had to let him go. Ichabod McKinney, the coolest cat that ever was, died peacefully at 3:47pm, November 26, 2010.
I had never really been a cat person but I loved that cat. I miss him and know that we will never have another like him. I hope that he is happy wherever it is that cats go and has plenty of boxes to climb in and out of. Goodbye, Ichabod. I will never forget you.
In 1994, my sister-in-law, Linda, queen of the animal rescuers, delivered to us a kitten. Someone had thrown it out into the parking lot of the office building where she worked. It weighed a little over a pound and most of that was ears. My wife was reminded of Ichabod Crane in the Disney cartoon version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and that became his name.
After we moved to Colorado in 1996, my wife was having to go back to Houston to help take care of her parents. Ichabod became my friend then. He was never a stand-offish cat. He loved to be held and cuddled and would hunt you down if you weren't in his line of sight. He and our dog, Isabel, got along famously. Ichabod would let Isabel drag him around by his collar then would roundly bat her around the nose when she stopped. It was hilarious to watch.
Ichabod had not been himself lately and, on Wednesday, my wife found blood on his backside. She took him to the vet and found that his kidneys had failed and that he was very dehydrated. The vet gave him some antibiotics and we brought him home so we could discuss our options. We went back to the vet today and found that, even if we bought him some temporary relief, he would continue to go downhill and the treatments would be very stressful for him. We made the decision that we had to let him go. Ichabod McKinney, the coolest cat that ever was, died peacefully at 3:47pm, November 26, 2010.
I had never really been a cat person but I loved that cat. I miss him and know that we will never have another like him. I hope that he is happy wherever it is that cats go and has plenty of boxes to climb in and out of. Goodbye, Ichabod. I will never forget you.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Fire
I watched the news this morning. Big mistake. There was a fire in a townhouse complex in Webster, TX, a small town close to the Johnson Space Center. A woman lived there with her 4 children. She was able to get out with one child. Firemen rescued another. 2 died in the fire. She and the firemen tried to get them out but the flames were too intense. They had pictures of the two children - a lovely 12 year old girl and a 9 year old boy. All of the bystanders including the mother could hear them screaming for help. How do you get past something like that as a parent?
I did not know any of these people but I just can't get it out of my mind. I realize that things like this happen but I just don't know that I could live if it were my children. To make things worse, the boy that was rescued by the fireman is in critical condition and may die also. God have mercy on them all.
I watched the news this morning. Big mistake. There was a fire in a townhouse complex in Webster, TX, a small town close to the Johnson Space Center. A woman lived there with her 4 children. She was able to get out with one child. Firemen rescued another. 2 died in the fire. She and the firemen tried to get them out but the flames were too intense. They had pictures of the two children - a lovely 12 year old girl and a 9 year old boy. All of the bystanders including the mother could hear them screaming for help. How do you get past something like that as a parent?
I did not know any of these people but I just can't get it out of my mind. I realize that things like this happen but I just don't know that I could live if it were my children. To make things worse, the boy that was rescued by the fireman is in critical condition and may die also. God have mercy on them all.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Age
When I was a kid, I did some math and figured out that, when the year 2000 arrived, I would be 53 years old. In my minds eye, I could see me at 53, long, straggly gray hair hanging over my eyes, leaning on my walker with drool on my chin. Well. today, I am 10 years older than that and still no walker (some days I wouldn't mind having one) and no drool running down my chin (except when I watch the weather with Kathy Sabine). I find myself waxing philosophical about all that has past and I still find myself looking forward with optimism at what is to come. I hope that I get to hang around a couple of more decades to see 8G phones, 4D movies and whatever else the wonderful world of technology holds. Mostly, though, I want to see my grandchildren grow up and have families of their own.
When my mother passed away, we buried her ashes in the cemetery in the small town of Van Alstyne, Texas, where my grandfather had purchased plots for all of us years ago. When the service was concluded, I looked around at the hundreds of markers in the graveyard and realized that I was related to most of the poeple interred there. At that time, I finally found some peace with the idea that, some day, I would join all of these predecessors in this final resting place, that I was not going to be an exception to the rule. I have my time and my place and I am going to enjoy every second that I am given but, when my time is over, I know that the world will keep turning and my family will continue onward. And I am OK with that.
When I was a kid, I did some math and figured out that, when the year 2000 arrived, I would be 53 years old. In my minds eye, I could see me at 53, long, straggly gray hair hanging over my eyes, leaning on my walker with drool on my chin. Well. today, I am 10 years older than that and still no walker (some days I wouldn't mind having one) and no drool running down my chin (except when I watch the weather with Kathy Sabine). I find myself waxing philosophical about all that has past and I still find myself looking forward with optimism at what is to come. I hope that I get to hang around a couple of more decades to see 8G phones, 4D movies and whatever else the wonderful world of technology holds. Mostly, though, I want to see my grandchildren grow up and have families of their own.
When my mother passed away, we buried her ashes in the cemetery in the small town of Van Alstyne, Texas, where my grandfather had purchased plots for all of us years ago. When the service was concluded, I looked around at the hundreds of markers in the graveyard and realized that I was related to most of the poeple interred there. At that time, I finally found some peace with the idea that, some day, I would join all of these predecessors in this final resting place, that I was not going to be an exception to the rule. I have my time and my place and I am going to enjoy every second that I am given but, when my time is over, I know that the world will keep turning and my family will continue onward. And I am OK with that.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Vacation - such a short word for such a wonderful state. As I sit here in my real home in my adopted state, I feel normal for the first time in months. I didn't realize that the change in location had discombobolated me quite so much (OK, maybe that's not a word but it should be. If Palin and Bush can do it, so can I). I know that this is just temporary, that all too soon, I will have to fly back to the humidity-soaked jungle that is Houston, but right now, I am just chillin' and diggin' it. I actually slept until after 7:00am, an unheard of act of pampering for me. I hope to do it for the rest of the week.
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