One Year Anniversary of Mom's Death and Our 35th Wedding Anniversary

Written on 11-30-25.

       Yesterday was the anniversary of my mom’s death.  I was thankful to be able to be with her one last time on Thanksgiving last year.  I made the right choice, for sure.  Bev, Guy, and I commiserated about her death and honored her memory on a text thread yesterday.  Our parents are gone.  Sigh.  

I recently grabbed an assortment of Dad’s belt buckles Bev said Curt found in their garage.  It was an assortment with trains, Corsairs, NRA guns, and more, and I just couldn’t let Bev sell them.  Fortunately, B was able to go gather them (Amanda went with her) when they was in Colorado Springs for Jess’s surgery.  Phew.  I also asked Bev to...

A Rock-Skipping Par at Riverview

Written on 11-20-25.

        I am on my shift at Jim’s, and he is eating breakfast.  It’s wonderful to have some time to write while I am here.  It helps pass the time, although time goes by super fast already when I am on these shifts.  It’s 10:16, and I started at 9:00.

Back to golf…

I messed up my beautiful drive on #1 with a poor approach, so that was one of my bogeys.  On hole #2, though, I had an out of the ordinary par.  It’s the par three over the water, and I hit my tee shot...

Our Jaspr's and Redemption

Written on 11-19-25.

        I am chilling on our bed in the late afternoon on a Wednesday.  It’s 4:23, and it is already starting to get dark outside.  It is a mostly cloudy today, though.  Our new Jaspr (1 of 2) is humming away on level 3 scrubbing our air.  We chose to buy two after listening to a podcast where the CEO was interviewed.  It was very convincing.  I am desperate to breathe through my nose at night, and he said Level 3 can stop snoring and the effects of seasonal allergies.  We shall see.  We have 30 days to try them out and then either keep them or send them back.

Belinda doesn’t like noise at night, though, so we have turned it to Smart Mode at that time.  It’s bad enough for her to have my oxygen machine pumping away in her closet.  Man, I am a mess, but I am doing...

I Go East and My Golf Goes South

Written on 11-8-25.

        The other awful round came with Herman (not his real name) this past week.  His back was tweaked, he said.  He and his wife had lifted their pellet stove…badly.  I could tell it was bad, but I wasn’t falling for it.  He has told me many times in past rounds that something was ailing him, and then he shot nearly even par.  It was no different this time.  He only struggled and moaned a bit when teeing his ball, or when he would retrieve it from the hole.  I would tease him by saying, “Easy there! Do you need some help?”  

I also told him I would be his caddie if he needed more help.  Swinging his golf clubs didn’t appear to bother him at all, though.

My good back and I put together an abhorrent round.  It was another mix of...

Guy Turns 60!-My Trip to VA

Written on 10-23-25.

       I am sitting the Albuquerque airport, and I am waiting to board my flight to Dulles.  Bev and I are flying out to celebrate Guy's 60th birthday, and we are going to see two of ShyShay's volleyball matches while we are there.  I am so looking forward to this.  

I finally got some shifts for my new job scheduled.  We have our staff meeting on the 29th, and I will have my first shift on Halloween!  Spooky, huh?  Then I have three more dates on November 4th, 5th, and 6th.

Written on 10-31-25.

I am on my second shift at my client’s apartment in Ignacio.  I did my first shift yesterday.  I had forgotten that I had signed up for the day before Halloween for my first shift, too.  Thankfully, we had a staff meeting the day before, so I was reminded.  Imagine me missing my first shift!  That would have been terrible.  

My first shift went well.  I didn’t know what to expect, and it wasn’t bad.  I will write about it in my field notes that I will start today.  

I got really busy, so I will come back to this at another date.

Written on 11-7-25.

I had to do some cleaning, and once I started, it was hard for me to stop.  All in all, I am enjoying...

A Bit More About the Ryder Cup Tournament

Written on 10-10-25.

        It’s a cooler and ‘rainy-er’ Friday here in Aztec.  It has stopped for now, but I don’t think it’s stopped enough to warrant going to play today, and I have some stuff to do anyway.  Kody and I have enjoyed a wonderful morning here at home while B went to sub at Park again.  We just got back from Safeway (Kody and I), and I picked up proof of the flu shot I received yesterday to send on to Comfort Keepers.  B and I normally wait until later to help make it last until April or May, but this year I chose to get it in early October due to the new job.

I should be scheduled next week; they are only waiting on my background checks.  

I just got my new iPhone!  UPS delivered a shiny, bright orange iPhone 17 to our house.  B and I decided to take advantage of a special that AT&T has offered to trade in our old phones for the latest (and greatest?) phones.  I am not sure why hers hasn’t come yet, though.

On to golf…

I wanted to reflect a bit more on the...

Short Post With Many Updates

Written on 10-6-25.

     Today is my mother-in-law’s, Jessica’s, birthday.  She is coming over for dinner tonight, and we have spaghetti, salad, and Tilamook ice cream (her favorite) ready to go for her.  It will be a fun evening, and she is turning 82.  Go, Jess!

I went to the orientation for Comfort Keepers on Friday, and that went very well.  I had some online classes to complete over the weekend, and I finished those up this morning.  I said I would be ready for shifts this Thursday, but I am not sure when the schedule comes out.  It’s getting real.

I also met with Warman and Phyllis this morning to discuss how I will help with site visits for Time to Teach.  I am being asked to do those during October, so I reached out to principals today, also.  The difficulty will be working those visits around my work schedule for Comfort Keepers.  

My trip to Virginia is coming up on October 23rd.  ShyShay and her team will be playing against Northeastern at home twice that weekend, once on Friday and again on Saturday.  We will also celebrate Guy’s 60th birthday while we are there.  That will be an unforgettable weekend.  It surely was when he turned 50.  We plan to play golf while I am there, so I am sure what happens will end up in here.

My New Job, Bonding With Rowan, and Kody's Recovery

Written on 10-1-25.

     I have a new job!  I had the interview today at 1:30, and I got the e-mail telling me Congratulations! at 4:42.  It’s a perfect fit for me.  I will be a caregiver for Comfort Keepers.  The orientation is Friday at 10:00.  I have been searching for something, something different, and I am so joyful to have found this job.

I was looking for one that would be part-time, fulfilling, and a match for my personality and skillset.  Boy, did I find it.  I have been asking Copilot for help throughout, but nothing checked all of the boxes.  It was when I thought about who we looked at for Mom just before she died.  When I texted Bev, she confirmed that it was Comfort Keepers.  I went ahead and applied on Friday last week online, but I didn’t hear anything.  I thought it might have not gone through, so I called them yesterday.  It had not gone through, so I was glad I persisted.  

I did well in the interview, I thought.  I was...

Kody Gets Mysteriously Ill

Written on 9-27-25.

       I am lounging on our bed watching the Ryder Cup on a Saturday.  USA is behind by five points, 3.5 to 8.5.  They are also behind in every match right now except one, and Team Europe is smelling blood.  USA has had multiple lip-outs and any time they seem to get the momentum going their way, someone from the European team matches them with a close approach or a clutch putt.  Way to go, Team Europe.  You are earning this, so far.  Unless America gets some late momentum, this could be a rout.  Anything is possible, though…especially in golf.

Herman's (not his real name) daughter is there at Bethpage.  He reminded me when I texted him earlier this week.  She has been working for the PGA of America for a while now, and she has to decide if she is going to keep going with that or go back to dentistry.  I texted him to see if he might be able to play this coming week, and I gave him all the reasons why I haven’t been playing lately.  

One of those reasons was some sad news.  Our Kody got really sick when we came home from Albuquerque.  It got so bad, we were wondering if he might die.  Truly.  He was lethargic and breathing hard.  He wasn’t eating or drinking much (just one dog treat and some water that he licked off of our hands), and he threw up the night before I took him to the vet.  He would stop during his walks, and on the evening walk, I had to carry him home.  During his vet visit, he got hydration (with an IV bag that formed a hump on his back and then was absorbed into his body), antibiotics, and an anti-nausea shot.  We also got some x-rays, and Dr. Moore saw some graying in his lungs and abdomen.  That could have been due to an infection possibly.  Ugh.

So far, so good, however.  He is getting better and better each day.  After his walk this morning, I would say he is back to normal.  Phew.  

Belinda is up at the cabin with her sisters.  They hiked to Lake Eileen this morning, and I am so glad for her.  She had to sub on the day I took Kody to the vet, and it was really hard on her.