The First Summer that Feels Like Work

Written on 6-12-25.

     I am sitting on Amanda’s recliner in the Edgerton’s living room.  It’s 10:53 AM, and I just finished a workout.  It’s just Kody and me, but Lance is outside mowing and trimming their lawn.  The Edgertons are up at Vallecito.  Belinda just left to go have lunch with Kelly, and I will meet her afterwards to look at different paint color possibilities for the kitchen.

I am marketing Time to Teach consistently, and I just reached out to Phyllis (last name), former principal at McCoy.  They are looking at Title funds to pay for my training, so I reached out to Aaron to help answer her questions.  We will see what comes from all of this. 

We are spending our mornings and afternoons here, because they are still working on our walls by texturing and painting them at our home.  They are making their way into the living room, and then they will head to the kitchen and laundry room.  It’s looking fantastic, and I am so pleased with how it is turning out.

I have cooled off enough to go take a shower, so I will be right back.

Written on 6-16-25.

Okay, I did not just take a four day shower, but I did get distracted and not get back to writing on that day.  Typical. 

I am back at the Edgerton’s, though, and it’s a Monday morning.  I just worked on e-mails for...

ShyShay Graduates from High School

Written on 6-5-25.

     I am in Seat 30D on our United flight back to Albuquerque.  They just delivered drinks and snacks, but I have set them aside for later.  This flight is less crowded than the one coming.  B has moved to the window seat, and we are using the seat between us to hold our snacks, phones, and trash.  I am drowsy after all the hubbub from the last few days.  We were very well fed and taken care of by the VA Swopes.  It was an organized whirlwind, but here are some highlights.  

We went to the O Street Museum with Guy’s in-laws Garth and Anne.  ShyShay and her boyfriend, Adam, joined us there, too.  It was an eclectic place with a room where Rosa Parks lived for ten years.  They had all sorts of

Grant, Eric, and I Play Monticello-Part 2

Continued from 5-6-25.

1. I turned it around on the back and scored better: 48 to a 44.  I had the best score on the back nine.

2. I only had one score above a double bogey where they had multiple scores higher than that.  I just counted, and Eric had three and Grant had four, so I played more consistent golf. 

3. I outdrove Grant on the last hole!  He can hit it farther than Eric and I can usually.  He drove his golf ball past the Eric, me, and the fairway on the par five where he earned his birdie.

4. I played the extremely difficult par five #13 well.  I won that hole with a bogey, and that was very gratifying.  During that hole, I made a recovery shot from the deep grass well below the fairway to help me do that.

5. My driver worked very well, but I was forced to use it sparingly.  It was very strategic golf, and many holes didn’t require it.  When I did, however, it worked out well each time.

Okay, I think that is about it for the Monticello this time.  It’s 12:31, and the temperature is rising.  A is sitting out by our little table in the shade, and our spouses are napping.  Eric is his R.V. with the generator and the A.C. going while B is sweating through a nap in our Alto. I am going to cool off by eating some Ben & Jerry’s Mint Chocolate Cookie ice cream.

Until next time…

Grant, Eric, and I Play Monticello-Part 1

Written on 5-26-25.

     I am sitting in our Alto at the Wooden Shoe Group Site, and it’s cooling off at 7:40 in the evening.  Grant, Eric, and I played at the Hideout Golf Course in Monticello today, and it was so fun!  They had never played there before, so it was a kick to watch how they reacted to it with its mountain beauty, elevated tee boxes, and challenging layout.  Grant played better than I have ever seen him play before.  Usually, it comes down to Eric and me, but he mixed it up well this time.  

On to golf…

It’s fun to be able to type that, because I have not played since Troy and I played at UNM North.  How long ago was that?  Let me check.  It was on April 11th, so nearly two months ago.  Too long.

I didn’t get any birdies, but they each got one.   Eric got his on hole #10 with a close approach.  Grant got his on the par five #14 with a close approach, also.

Written on 5-27-25.

We all played well.  It was close, like I wrote yesterday.  After much deliberation, we went with the usual points game: 1 for a fairway, 2 for a G.I.R., 3 for winning a hole, and 2 for the bonuses of long drives on par fives and closer to the pins on par threes.  

I started off well by winning...

End of School 2025

Written on 5-23-25.

     I am back again, and my classroom is nearly ready for whomever the new Gifted teacher will be.  I only have to stack the tables and chairs and grab my pun calendar off the wall to check out of here.  Here comes summer!  

I have enjoyed this diversion.  It got me back into the schools to see what is really happening there, and I really liked working with my students.  It has been wonderful to earn some income this year, too, after Mom and Dad’s passing.  I asked Copilot if I should take the job back in December/January, and one of the best questions (with paraphrasing) it spit back at me was, “After it is over, will you have any regrets?”

The answer to that was...