A Garage Sale, a Hidden Valley Reboot, and Belinda's Second "Rewirement"

Written on 5-17-25.

     I am sitting in the ever-reducing shade in our garage.  It’s just now 12:30, and Belinda and I are having a garage sale as part of our Kokopelli neighborhood yard sales.  One customer told me he had been to 17 in our little community here.  We have done fairly well.  Many early birds came when we were getting set up.  I am always amazed at what sells and what doesn’t.  We have not sold our armoire or our flat screen television.  We have sold some gauze and a Star Wars belt, though.  The Edgertons threw in their stuff, too, and we rallied to put it all together.  Things are winding now, and it’s getting a bit windy.  It’s been so wonderful to meet and visit with everyone, strangers and friends alike. 

Some lady just told me (breaking news) that they are trying to revive the Hidden Valley Golf Course, and her son was working out there to get it going again.  Wow!  I had heard rumors, but that information sounds reliable.

We have one week of school left, and Belinda is retiring after 34 years at Park Avenue.  What a legacy!  They held a small party for her and three others (one of them was Zoe Daney) this past week.  It’s hard to believe that 34 years of service can be quickly honored with a few words from the assistant principal during an hour celebration, but that’s the way it goes.  She served our community, her school, and most of all, her students, very well.  I am so proud of her.  She has been a steady presence, role model, and leader at Park Avenue.  She will be missed at Park, but I am looking forward to having her at home more often now.  Although, she has said she will be a substitute there next year, so she isn’t really going anywhere; she is just gaining more and more freedom.

Breakout Presentation and Preparing to Break Out of School

Written on 4-27-25.

     I am writing on a Sunday evening, which is out of the norm.  Usually, I write on a Sunday afternoon, but I watched Ep. 3 of Andor Season 2 with Guy (using FaceTime) and went to the store instead.  We had a busy weekend here at home getting stuff done (cleaning, shopping, doing laundry, etc.), so I when I found this moment to write and catch up a bit, I took it.

We have a month left of school now.  The last day is May 23rd, and it will be here very soon.  I have been spending multiple hours (off and on) getting ready for my breakout presentation on Time to Teach in Santa Fe on May 7th.  It’s shaping up to be a great hour.  I still have much to do, though.  I will make a list of what needs to get done here…

1. Get my books ready for sale and practice selling some.

2. Figure out how my Square app gives receipts.

3. Check to see if I can attach my MacBook with an HDMI cable, or do I have to use their computers with a flash drive.

4. See if I can even sell books there.

5. Practice, practice, practice.

6. If I can’t connect my Mac, get my presentation set up with whatever format they will have.

7. Decide if I will do a handout, and then get it ready.  Upload it to the google link they have provided by tomorrow.

8. Get my business cards and brochures ready for handing out.

That is all I can think of now, but my mind will churn until all of those are taken care of.  I just saw the info on the PDF that I should upload that handout by tomorrow, so I had better get on it.  I have never used one before.  Maybe I will skip it.

Oh, I was asked to attend the Aztec Honor Graduate Banquet by Kyle Vandruff.  That is coming up on May 5th at 6:00.  What an honor!  I didn’t intend to make a pun there, but I like it.  This will probably be the last one I will attend, because my final class graduates this year.  Sigh.

On to golf…

What is that?  I haven’t had time to play or even think about golf since I played with Troy.  I have been sick with allergies, though.  That hit super hard two weeks ago.  This past week, I also had a small cyst removed from my left eyebrow.  It is healing nicely, but that has interrupted golf, too.  

I know I have golf coming up soon, though, and that is exciting.  Grant, Eric and I will play in Moab or Monticello right after school gets out.  We will be camping at Wooden Shoe again.  Then I will bring my clubs to Virginia to play with Guy and his father-in-law, Garth Sr.  I will dream about playing those two times as I am getting ready for the end of school and my impending presentation.

UNM North Golf Course with Troy

Written on 4-12-25.

     We are back at home on a Saturday, and I am watching the Masters with our Chromecast.  Rory just eagled #15 to get to 12 under.  He is leading by four strokes.  It’s been fun to watch, because Guy and I have been there, just on a different Saturday, though.  That’s “moving day,” and Rory has clawed his way to the lead after yesterday’s 66, helping him to surpass Justin Rose today.

It’s been a wonderful week, but reality is coming back.  I can feel it.  Somehow, we had three spring breaks this year.  The first was the “outage” that occurred.  The second was our actual spring break, and this week we took off every day except Monday because of the birth of our grandson, Rowan.

We are in new territory.  Belinda and I are jumping off the proverbial cliff again.  We did it ten years ago when we “rewired,” and it’s time to do it again, especially with Rowan’s arrival.  

On to golf…

Troy and I had fun yesterday.  We only played nine holes,  but that’s okay.  It was getting hotter when we stopped, and I know I was feeling tired.  Troy said as much, also.  He said he wasn’t in shape enough to walk 18 holes.  We went to The Canteen, a brewery near Danielle’s home after playing.  That was super, also.  I treated him to a beer for arranging the golf and to toast our families’ newest addition.  He was a grandpa already with his son’s two children, however.

Watching the Masters right now makes me want to play more and more.  The pros have such crisp contact.  Their ball flights are high, and their golf balls land softly.  Bryson just had back to back birdies to get to 9 under.  He is three off the lead now.

Yesterday was fun, like I wrote above.  I played decently, enough to score better than Troy.  I hit a boomer of a drive on #1, and that was with no warm-up; the UNM North Course doesn’t have a driving range.  Poor Troy struggled to a nine on that hole, but it got a bit better for him as the round went on.  We had matching pars on the par four #7.  Our drives were right near each other with his a bit ahead of mine.  I hit the green with my gap wedge and two-putted.  His approach went long, and he duffed his chip to the first cut of the green.  Then he rolled it in from there for an incredible par save.

I ended with three pars and three bogeys and a final score of 46.  Troy never told me his score, but we never said we were competing this time.

Welcome to the World, Rowan!

Written on 4-10–25.

        I am sitting across from my son at his dining table.  My son welcomed his son to the world on April 7th, so we are visiting and helping.  Rowan James Swope was born on April 7th at 4:56 PM.  What stood out to me was the time.  I remember Dad’s death occurring at 12:34, so Rowan just picked up on that and continued it.  It’s weird how numbers work out at times.  

Belinda and I are grandparents now, and we have met Rowan face to face.  His name is pronounced...