There is a lot to be said for not having upsetting people in your life. It's easy to step into the "I'll handle them" trap, but inevitably, the bright and shiny person will be darkened, even if just to the degree of getting annoyed or angry. Bright and shiny is worth protecting, even if you have to turn your back and start walking.

Finally, I cut the tether to a small and meaningless job that I've been staying with for no really good reason. It was time and the conditions ripened so that the decision was clear.

Big sigh of relief, lot of space in front of me and a surprising lack of concern about replacing the paltry sum of pocket cash I was making.

And a glorious early Spring day to boot.

Very nice.

After dropping Honey and Sugar at DIA, I saw a coyote running along the median.

Yesterday, dinner at the Med. Never fails to please. Presents included a new skillet, Godiva chocolate, flowers and some CDs from Wild Bird Center.

All in all, a very good day.

Notable natural views of late:

Driving east from Longmont to I-25, seeing a large flock of birds flying west in undulating currents of air. The surprise that the flock kept going and going and going for at least 5 miles, criss crossing the road we were on.

A great blue heron standing in east Boulder creek. Still, alone.

I've spent the last few days in wonder at the games that large corporations play. Buy it, take away the space to display it, demand a credit, refuse to credit, demand a credit, refuse a credit, pretend a credit is going to come but it never will.

There is so much waste that sends me reeling out of the store.

Jamba Juice is now in the store - will it replace all the Starbucks cups in the shoppers' carts?

Absolutely nothing to say.

How easy it is to mirror another universe.
I've given up reflecting teenaged boys and taken up puppy dogs.

How come the reality is sometimes so different from the dream? Does mass and pressure make that much difference?

I spend a lot of time in grocery stores, since I work for one of the major companies that sell there. I'm partial to our local Kroger company, King Soopers, but interesting things are happening at Safeway. The company is changing the design to "Lifestyle" stores to make shopping an event, similar to shopping at Whole Foods or Wild Oats. I'm not sold on it. The fixtures are changing over to laminated plywood to appear more elegant, the lighting is more focused into spotlights, there are areas of "wood" flooring in produce and other places. You really have to make a dramatic adjustment when you walk into the store since it's darker than outside. The Safeway "White Shirts" are all over the stores, placing and replacing stacks of Vitamin Water and Firelogs.

King Soopers has gone the other direction, adding brighter lights to their stores. There is a real neighborhood feel to the ones here in Boulder, especially the one on Table Mesa Dr. Along with the genuine customer service at King Soopers, I appreciate that the management is a lot easier to deal with than Safeway management.

This fella is spending a year at Disney World.

I can't imagine a year there, but more power to him. Spending a year doing anything you love is something to be proud of.

Stinking, friggin' cold. I haven't been sick for years and now I have this lingering mess of mucus in my head. At least I'm not alone since the whole family got it. I imagine it could be more depressing but I don't want to.

The last few months, I've been working my way out of a dependence on convenience. I have plans that promise to be highly inconvenient but I want the product so I have to change my patterns.

First, I changed the accounts where I work, not for the convenience factor, but for the fact that I was getting lulled into the rhythm of the small picture. I enjoyed the place and the people but sometimes, too much agreement can stick a person where they don't really want to be.

Next, I arranged my schedule to work out 3 days a week and bought a yearly pass to the rec center. So far, I've been keeping to the schedule and finding little treasures such as the wet sauna and swimming in place against the jet sprays in the lazy river portion of the pool.

There are changes happening with the advent of our empty nest. Pulling my attention off this last one is harder than I imagined with lots of starts and stops. The other one is turning 21 in a couple of days. My body is becoming a little ole' lady! I just don't want my life to be one.

It's January 7th and I'm watering the yard out of necessity, not out of pleasure. We've had record snows in the mountains but it is so dry here on the plains. Dry and dusty winters are not my favorites.
On the other hand, it makes for pleasurable outings with the dogs. Bikers and walkers and joggers abound.

Someone recently asked me what my future holds. Gee, I'm not sure beyond an upcoming empty nest. This is an odd time of life for me. I always had future goals and plans for myself mocked up till I had kids. Their needs were so prodigious and I was so fascinated with the process of child raising that I'm just noticing how much of my attention has been wrapped up in this family.

I've been keeping an eye on the rest of the world but it surely looks different now that I can give it my full attention.

My next project? Mankind.

in just by e.e. cummings

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame baloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer
old baloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's
spring
and

the

goat-footed

baloonMan whistles
far
and
wee

A new year and a new moon. What a nice combination!

We didn't go to LA as planned due to some unfinished child-raising work but we did get to Glenwood Springs for a good thorough soak. In the 50s down here - we encountered snowy roads coming out of Eisenhower Tunnel and snow flurries around Copper Mountain. Vail Pass was icy and snowpacked and Glenwood was cloudy and cold. No matter - the water was 90º and 104º.

What I love about this pool in cool weather is the air just above the water. Early today, Sugar couldn't find me for the thick gray fog hovering just above the surface. At times, when the air is right, little swirls of wind - little tornados - dance down the pool.

Lots of people there from other countries. We have a good international mix here, but we kept running into other languages and accents all over the place there.

Great little one tank trip.

Christmas Eve. I did all I could to get all the product out and now it's just a holiday.

60º outside.

Smokey is visiting us for a few days. Doing errands with 3 dogs was fun. Roxie enjoyed sitting under Smokey while he stood and looked out the window.

Honey and Sugar are working on the new wood trim for the front hall. Sweetie is hanging around enjoying the dogs and getting things together for snowboarding tomorrow.

Life is good today.

Swimming in the middle of winter is my new thing to do. I had talked myself into thinking that indoor pools were too cold, especially after the temperature drops below 60º outside. Somehow the rec center down the street worked it out so it's all fine. Once a week so far for the last month.

Christmas is more 'Xmas' this year than very holiday-y. Sugar and I are leaving for LA on the 27th to do more training. I'm already looking past the Christmas product, over the Valentine's Day stuff waiting in the back room, around the 25th which we'll spend at Eldora while the boys snowboard, and right though the 26th when I'll be scanning through all the leftovers for credits right to the Tuesday and getting on the train to LA.

Train rides still occur everyday, despite the notion that everyone flies. The last train trip was packed all the way there and all the way back. This one starts with a bus ride to Raton where the train waits for us to arrive (or we wait for the train). The big stop is in Albuquerque where were all get out while they clean the train - local sell us burritos and drinks and cheap jewelry and we call home. After dinner, the club car plays movies for those of us who can't entertain ourselves then lights go out around 9 or 10. This trip Sugar and I will be able to cuddle - something I wasn't able to do with the woman I was sitting next to last time. We wake up in eastern CA and arrive into LA around 8am. I miss the Desert Wind that went right from Denver through to LA.

Solstice Eve!

The day after the Solstice can't get here soon enough. Dim light and short days have a sweet appeal but nothing like high summer.

We went to volunteer with the Emergency Family Assistance Holiday giveaway. I thought we would be handing out food but we got there and found the Share-a-Gift program in progress. In the past, I took my (then) young boys to the Share-a-Gift warehouses to sort toys beforehand but never went to the giveaway day when people came in to get toys. I was surprised to find myself not really wanting to assist 'shoppers' at first so I just dove in with a lady who didn't speak English. The first couple of shoppers were fine but as the big piles of toys and stuffed animals diminished, the last few rounds were sort of depressing. The good news is that they all left with new toys for the kids at the end of the tour. Note: at toy giveaways, show up first because they run through the batch for that shift - then once everyone is gone, they replenish for the next shift. So the last shoppers of the first day had less to choose from than the first shoppers of the second day.

::Sigh::

All this wealth and still, people are struggling to provide the simple things for their kids. I took leftovers from last Valentine's Day sales to San Juan del Centro. They were so pleased and said that some kids didn't give Valentines because their parents couldn't afford to buy the packages. Yes, I know there is the homemade option, but I guess that doesn't fly these days. Even if just the leftovers were redistributed in some orderly fashion, people could have things that they don't have now.

How can the moon be 100% full two nights in a row?

It's as far north as it's going to go this year. After next week, the big switcheroo with the sun starts.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost

Sugar and I went swimming at the spiffy remodeled rec center down the street. The water wasn't too cold to enjoy! The warm water kiddie area has a tube slide but there are too many twists and turns for me. One corner forces an involuntary laugh out of the slider and you have to know to hold your nose at the end or else you'll get the water up it.

A new friend, Ginny, took me to Curves to try it out. It was ok. There is no aesthetic to it - just a big room with a bunch of equipment in it with canned music playing that includes prompts every 30 seconds to change to another piece of equipment. I worked out for free while Ginny got the free facial. That one is too far away for me so I dropped in to the north location. Not for me really but I need to do something after they weighed me and measured my body fat percentage. Luckily, I found a Chamber of Commerce discount for the lovely rec center that would equal the amount I would pay for the Curves membership.

The good news is that have directed my attention to being healthy and it's not even the new year yet.

Gettin my Christmas music fix from KOST in LA.

We just finished a meal at Storyville, a new resturant in Longmont that features creole food. Pretty good. I like the place - a long, narrow room with wooden floors and a long wooden bar, storefront windows, New Orleans jazz playing. I soon realized after I ordered that I had no idea how to eat soft shelled crabs. Maybe parts that shouldn't be eaten ended up in my belly, but it sure was good. The dirty rice was ok but the seasoned corn was great. The bourbon bread pudding was delicious but too much.
Pricey.
The waitress was great.
I may go back if I'm in Longmont for lunch sometime to try a muffuleta.
Turns out the owner's grandmother's first cousin was Louis Armstrong.

We discovered the joys of off leash time with the puppers. We took them out to the Rez on a windy afternoon last week and let them loose along the water's edge. What bliss! Hansel took off running faster and harder than I've ever seen him run leaving Roxie in the dust. Now I'm looking into dog parks. What Can I say? I would drive for a great afternoon with my dogs.

The newest loves of my life:

When we went to help out in Mississippi, we worked with these Volunteer Ministers. I became aware of the Scientology Disaster Team when the World Trade Towers fell - I heard that Scientologists were on the ground early on helping the responders. They did all sorts of backup administrative work, counseling, and cleanup. I knew groups would show up to the California fires and a good number helped with the Tsunami victims. They were called up to help with the hurricanes last year in Florida.

I didn't have any idea what to expect when we went to Baton Rouge to hook up with the VMs. I found out a group had shown up in NO with a doctor and they started administering tetnus shots for the rescue workers. Other groups were helping in clean up and manning shelters. As more VMs arrived from around the country, groups were sent to Gulfport and surrounding towns to help out. We were with the Ga. National Guard for one night (the crew had been there longer) where we gave them assists to give them some relief and help them sleep better. Touch assists can help with aches and pains, locationals can help a person come into the present, nerve assists can help free up blocked energy in a body - they can be learned online at assists. The next day, we went with the group to Pass Christian to see what help we could offer and were able to give some assists to the medical volunteers there.
Some people were off cutting tree trunks out of houses or cleaning out refrigerators for people. There was a need for help that is unprecedented in the US.

There is so much work to be done still. One saying kept coming to mind: "Don't let the best be the enemy of the good." by Voltaire. So many complaints from the media about the slow pace of the recovery but the logistics are mind boggling. Imagine any major project you might do in your home and the level of confront and action it takes to make it happen. Subtract funds to do the project, add the shock of loss of your home and belongings and income, add as well, sweltering heat and humidity, take away air conditioning and electricity for the most part and comforts you're used to. Multiply by 500,000 people? There you have the current situation.

It changes your perspective.

We were walking the pups along a little tree lined lane when a baby squirrel jumped out in front of us as if to say,"Hey guys! Can I come with you?" We all froze - Roxie and Hansel deciding how to split up the feast, Sugar and I cinching up their leashes. We pulled them away before they could get a bite but the little baby squirrel seemed disappointed that we were leaving. I looked back half a block away and saw him standing there watching us.

I don't know about these dogs. Anything they can see, they go after. One dark night, we walked right by a fresh dead squirrel that they missed. Later, they didn't spot a cat sitting next to the street. Night vision must not be a Scottie trait.

It's been hard getting back into the swing of things since we came back from LA/MS. Everything here is so calm and orderly, even the weather cooled down. I saw some footage of Pass Christian before Katrina on HurricaneCity.com. There was a harbor filled with pleasure boats -- there was life there. When we went to the beach, everything was quiet and still and damaged. Truly, these people are going to need our help and attention for a long time to come.

In Pass Christian. MS, where the eye of the hurricane hit, we were picking up all sorts of personal debris from a yard across from a makeshift Point of Distribution. An index card with a handwritten recipe said, "It will mix and harden on the outside but be soft in the middle." All I could think of was all the people who are going through this ordeal. I imagine they will harden on the outside but be so soft in the middle for a long time to come.