Category Archives: Family

Colorado, Family, Humanities, Third Phase

Deserving?

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Winter                                                                                  Settling Moon II

Jon came up last night to handle some handyman tasks. While here, he and I discussed the loft and what I need in additional bookshelves. He suggested built-ins. I’d thought about them, but dismissed the idea as too expensive. Jon had alternative ideas about how to get there. One of them is to use pre-built bookshelves and enclose them.

We decided to go ahead. I’m excited. Being to live inside a library. Wow. I’ve had that feeling to some extent with various combinations of bricks and concrete blocks covered with raw wood, cheaply purchased particle board bookcases and self-assemble IKEA, but never in a consistent look. Jon has the skills and I have the books.

He also said something which touched me deeply. “You deserve it,” he said, in reference to a designed library. Deserve is a strong word and my first reaction was, why? What have I done to deserve a nice library? Then my third phase self emerged. No, I’m not sure I deserve one, but if he’s offering, I’d be silly not to accept.

Just so you know. We will be paying him for his labor.

 

Family, Humanities, Latin, Memories, Third Phase

A 50 Year Old Habit

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Winter                                                                                                  Settling Moon II

Yesterday, after some bookcase assembling, I got an attack of the Sundays. This is a torpor that hits after noon on the seventh day of the week, perhaps only for those of us of a certain age. Our parents took us to church followed by a restaurant meal or a big home-cooked meal. The effect was like a weekly Thanksgiving dinner, a slowing as the body took in more calories than it usually had to absorb.

So I read Moon, the book I mentioned a couple of posts back, then watched some TV. Not vigorous, more calmed and quieted by a habit created well over 50 years ago.

Today has seen the book cases assembled as far as I can take them until I find more shelves. So I’ve started the really fun part, the organizing of my library. The bookshelf next to the computer will contain ancient history, Latin, mythology, material focused on the world of classical antiquity and its predecessors. Another large section I’m filling up now contains books related to art. These will stand next to a broad section on the United States with literature, history, religion, anything that helps fill out the current gestalt of our nation.

Right now that’s as far as I’ve gotten, but other sections will emerge as I move more books.

Art and Culture, Colorado, Family, Health

Can You See Me Now?

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Winter                                                                                  Settling Moon II

No post yesterday! Uncommon. Got too wrapped up in doing stuff.

First instance. Drove over to Conifer III (we have three retail areas, this is the one furthest south on 285, but closest to our house) to see an eye doc about my glaucoma. Due to a screw-up (mine) with the prescription I’d been out of my eye drops for a couple of weeks and, not wanting to go blind, got an appointment. Jennifer Kiernan, doctor of optometry, is a late 30’s woman with a common sense approach.

We discussed the fact that my pressures, 15 and 16, were normal without the drops. She looked at my retinal nerve, “Hmm. Suspicious.” She says the  current move is toward no drops, using a very tiny stent to drain the pressure. “But, medicare will only pay for it when it’s done in combination with cataract surgery. Let’s see how bad your cataracts are.” Not too bad, as it turned out. “Let’s keep you off the drops, see you in a month.” Sounded good to me.

Back at home Kate and I came up to the loft and entered her drugs in medicare.gov. This was in preparation for our appointment at 3:30 with John Downing and Larry Seligman. We needed advice about the maze of plans. Larry recommended the very plan that we had considered on the medicare site, so we signed up. Here’s the good news. $0 premium. Weird, I know, but there you are. Larry said it was a very popular plan, no complaints, and it looked like a good fit. Besides, it’s only until 2016 under any circumstances. We needed to get this done because our U-Care coverage expired January 31st.

After that we asked Ophelia (our Garmin) how to get to the exhibition space where Jon had five works on display. This is the annual show for Aurora art school teachers and is held just off Colfax Ave on Florence, deep in the heart of Latino Denver. Jon, Jen, Barb (Jen’s mother), Gabe, Ruth, Kate and I were there. The whole family. That felt good.

Back home. With no thought for a post. I guess that’s probably a good thing.

Colorado, Dogs, Family, Mountains, Our Land and Home

Early On

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Winter                                                                                    Settling Moon

A few photographs

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9358 Black Mountain Drive

Both shots from the small porch off my loft show Black Mountain in the background

I included the disabled parking sign to prove that even the disabled are more fit in Colorado.

Jon and Ruth (with yellow avalanche shovel) came over to push snow the night before the van arrived.

The dogs were still wary when I took these shots: Gertie, Rigel, Kepler, Vega. Well, maybe not Vega.

Aging, Colorado, Family, Feelings, Health

Yikes

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Winter                                                                            Settling Moon

Both Kate and I feel like we’re ahead of what we’d expected in terms of getting stuff liberated, sorted and placed. We’re maybe 60% unpacked in the house, somewhere between 40 and 50% in the loft and very little in the garage, which will probably wait until spring.

Had a bit of a scare last night when the dogs rushed inside ahead of us after we returned from the science fair. The dogs’ feet carried in snow which quickly melted and Kate slipped right at the door and fell. Scared me for her, with two metal hips. Fortunately, she has strong bones, no osteoporosis, and walked away with a skinned shin. Yikes.

This morning I got up and put a new indoor/outdoor rug down in the front of the door. We’ll do that at the other two entrances as well. All tile makes sense with the snowy weather here, part of the charm, but it also makes slipperiness an issue. Part of getting used to a new space, a new climate.

A light snow last night covered the driveway and our small deck. With the temps forecast into the high 40’s or low 50’s tomorrow and the next day, I’m going to see whether it will melt without shoveling. An experiment. Getting used to a new place.

Colorado, Family, GeekWorld

Fair Science

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Winter                                                  Settling Moon

We pulled into the Swigert Elementary School parking lot at around 6:25 pm, parking by coincidence just ahead of Jen, Gabe and Barb. Jen gave me a hug, said she was glad to see me. A bit of a thaw.

The science fair idea seemed tired to me. Some kids obviously put a lot of thought into their entries, others less. One of my favorites in this latter category discovered “how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop.” After dogged experiment, the conclusion: 360, not the 334 hypothesized.

There were more serious entries. One investigated barriers to wifi reception. Another bacteria in meat purchased at King Sooper. The most were in some organic turkey. One kid created a homemade tornado using dry ice and a small exhaust fan.

Perhaps it’s time for a new way to engage children around science projects. Not sure what it would be, but perhaps one limited to children who really wanted to put some time and thought and effort into their work. It was obvious there were kids at Swigert who could have done something more substantial and even more who couldn’t be bothered. Both strike me as ok. Just different.

Colorado, Family

A Rest More Day

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Winter                                                                   Settling Moon

Snow falls softly here among the pines, falling faster now than around 2, an hour and a half ago. Instead of borne on the west wind snow here tends to fall straight down, like snowglobe snow.

A rhythm of work harder one day, rest more the next seems to be emerging. Today was a rest more day.

My current goal here in the loft is to clear enough space to unfurl the big rug, put my chair on it, sit back and stare at Black Mountain or watch the snow. Maybe another day and I’ll be there.

An hour or so from now we’ll head into Denver, to the Stapleton area, where Ruth will stand beside her poster board explaining glucose levels in various fruits and the guesses her classmates had about them. Eight years old. Being there, present. A gift we can give and keep on giving to both Ruth and Gabe.

Colorado, Family, Weather +Climate

Location Relevant Weather

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Winter                                                               Settling Moon

As Bill Schmidt said, the weather was still set to Andover, Minnesota. I changed it. The weather now reflects a personal weather station (not mine, not yet) located in my small neighborhood here on Shadow Mountain.

Jon came up and put the bed together. We’re not sleeping college anymore. Felt awful high off the floor though. Jon and I got the downstairs TV on its stand and into the cabinet area built for a T.V. The doors close over it now and it’s off the furniture pad. Jon had to get back and watch the Broncos play the Colts. I’m agnostic as to football teams for the moment.

Tuesday night is the science fair and Ruth has an exhibit that features the glucose levels of various fruits. We’ll be there. She recently tested into highly gifted (not a surprise) and Jon and Jen are considering sending her to a gifted and talented school. Good idea, from my vantage point.

More time unpacking books. Jon and I swung the treadmill around where I want it. Next is getting the tv up here and installed.

Snowing now. More snow due Tuesday.

Colorado, Dogs, Family, Humanities, Third Phase

A Frenzy of Dogs

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Winter                                                 Settling Moon

Kate’s been fighting off a feeling of dis-ease. A couple of naps and a very reduced activity level seems to have her on the mend.

Vega got bit, by Kepler I think. We tried to put staples in it (yes, we happened to have some lying around in a sterile package. Doctors.), but Vega resisted. Teeth and muscle are a strong argument so we only got in two.

The bite was during a frenzy to get outside and solve some doggy territorial matter. Everybody was squirming, lunging, snapping at each other. I imagine Vega got a nip in at Kep and he repaid her. Not very significant  in the world of canines.

The book box opening proceeds, but not at a rapid pace. Unboxing them and stacking them on bookshelves is the first step. I love it, touching each one, remembering why I bought it, what I hoped to learn. That emotional response though makes doing too many at one time difficult. It’s going to take a while, perhaps longer than it took to pack them.

There is, though, no rush. There is no deadline, no race. Yet I look forward, very much, to the day when the books have found their new homes. Then my library can once again be the resource it has always been.

 

Colorado, Family, The West

Stripping Away the Minnesota Identity Markers

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Winter                                                                    Settling Moon

Over to Evergreen today. Jefferson County Sheriff’s office verified the VIN on the Rav4 so it could have its title converted to a Colorado one. That got done. Only time I can remember when I thought (semi-) fondly of Jesse Ventura. Since he drove a Porsche, he made a key point of his administration lowering vehicle registration costs. He has not been governor here.

More fun than that. Right next door is the Evergreen branch of the Jefferson County Public Library. New library cards! Libraries are one of the world’s key institutions and they relax me the minute I enter them. This one has a lot of good photography hung including one spectacular portrait of a buffalo.

It also has a reading room with a surrounding circle of tall windows. They overlook a lone pine tree with a large boulder just to its left. Felt like good feng shui to me, but then what do I know?

Outings like this, not really all that demanding, wear us out still. Nap.

After the nap Kate went to the King Sooper to get supplies.

The National Western Stockshow starts on the 10th and this will be my 5th year taking the grandkids. This year Gabe and Ruth and I will see Superdogs (not so hot really, but Gabe finds the idea enthralling). The rest of the family will join us later for a chainsaw art demonstration and a bit of time petting the superdogs.

At 6:00 pm Jon, Jen, Ruth, Gabe, Barb and I will attend the MLK rodeo which features African-American cowboys and cowgirls. Family stuff. Good.