'TIS THE SEASON

Has been a very interesting vacation this year. I have done more nothing this winter than any other period of my life. I have watched more TV than I can imagine and look forward to getting out of the house to do anything.

I watched the Patriots knock off the Giants last night and really thought the Patriots had choked when they fell behind 12 points---just goes to show you there are great athletes out there today who don't quit---even in games that don't mean anything.

We went North to look at Christmas lights last week---insanity?---probably but it was a good trip and I enjoyed it.

I went to a dedication of a firefighter memorial yesterday for a firefighter who lost his life in 2006. It was very nicely done and there were many, many people there to participate. He was a great guy and it is too bad he died. I have struggled with his death and have finally been able to accept it.

One of my good friends has told me over and over that we have chosen (note chosen) a dangerous occupation and when we are all through with our careers we can look back and be thankful that we made it through alive. He has also told me I have to let it go---not to stop remembering but to stop letting it eat on me---I think I have been able to do that now....and I really do appreciate my friend that has tried so hard to get me through this. Friends like that are hard to come by---we were together on a fire team for over 14 years so we know each other pretty well. I am sorry he has retired.

'TWAS THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS

"Twas the night after Christmas and all through the house---not a creature was stirring---not even a mouse. Everyone has gone to their own homes or out for the evening and the cat has KILLED the last mouse.

Man this is a lonely house when you are here by yourself---hardly ever happens to me but it is tonight.

Yesterday I talked to my college roommate and his wife. I haven't seen or talked to either of them since Dec. 15, 1967 (40 years and 10 days) when I left college to go to Basic Training in the military---when I returned from military training they had gotten married and had moved to New Mexico. I was sure they would never leave New Mexico---so when I went on a fire down there I looked for them in the toiwn he was from---nope---not there---in fact no one with the same name lived there anymore.....

Last week I decided to find them---I tried to get her dad's phone number where he lived---he is no longer alive---so I resorted to teh computer---the last blog was about that but----

We talked on the phone last night and it was exciting---we had all thought about the other ones a lot but didn't have any way to make contact---and never expected to do it again---It was great we shared a lot about our lives over the past 40+ years but there was a lot left out---some day we will get to sit down and talk about the good old days---but one thing we agreed about the good old days last night is that the speed with which we lived at that time in our lives (and it didn't seem like things were going fast or were dangerous) when we think about them--it SCARES THE HELL out of us. I wouldn't trade those two years for anything.

COMPUTERS ARE OK?

I have been going through a period where I have been trying to find people that were once important to me that I have lost through all the moves that we have made. I have been trying to find a college room mate and his wife for a couple of months. Yesterday I googled his name and got several million hits---so I googled it a different way---and got over a million hits---I tried it with just his first and last name and got quite a few hits--not millions but lots---I scrolled down one screen and there they were---both names on a web site---quite a bit of information about their ranch in Texas, and that they were still doing Rodeo---now they are raising the rough stock---world class rough stock---their world champion bucking bull is named after him---BILLY THE KID---anyway it was good to find them. They aren't home for Christmas but it will be good to talk to them when they get home.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Since I can't send out e-mails of any sort from this computer I guess I'll have to post everything here. 'Tis the day before Christmas and I wish you all a very good day tomorrow---hope everything goes well and that you travel safely---MERRY CHRISTMAS

BAH HUMBUG

This morning I decided to get up early and fix our hotmail accounts. Somehow we have errors in our program that won't let us mail anything. We can receive just fine--just can't respond or send anything new out.

So I went in and ran the install for the program---waited the 15 minutes for the computer to receive it---then got a note---INSTALLER EXPECTED A NEWER OPERATING SYSTEM---FOR INFORMATION ON UPGRADING YOUR SYSTEM PUSH THIS BUTTON---I pushed the button and got the message that Millenium Edition is no longer being updated---so I have to do the big debate on whether I want to buy another operating system to put on this old computer or buy a new computer with the new operating system already on it---HMMMM---I love it.

OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE

I made it back from Ogden safe and sound and close to nuts. It never really snowed hard on me today but it spit a little the entire way home. The roads were never really slick but they were never really dry and safe either. I love to make that drive at 55--makes you feel like you had a whole day of driving.

I never got to see any one up there because we worked on the project from 7 am 'til 6 pm every day but today---oh well we finished it up at about ten 'til 12 this morning and I had the whole rest of the day to get home---guess it was all worth it now that it is over.

It is pretty late in the season but tonite they are decorating our Christmas tree---a tradition (???) for the youngest---but hey once is habit with a baby and this is the third year in a row she has done it---better her than me anyway.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to y'all----BAH HUMBUG!!!!!!!!!

'TIS THE SEASON

I have to go to Ogden for my job this entire week---does that make me jolly??? Don't think so---I could have gone the rest of my life without another trip to Ogden and it wouldn't have bothered me much.

There may be a good part in this---many of the folks on my fire team are from Northern Utah so maybe I will be able to see some of them.

WHATTA BUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING

I got up this morning to a snow covered lawn and house---my driveway and side walks were clear. How do you get any better than that. I did put salt on the concrete last night while it was snowing and that must have worked.

It is fairly warm--mid 30's---this morning and all of the white stuff will be gone before noon but it sure did make the ground look beautiful this morning and I hate snow.

Columns and Shadows

This is one of the best photos I have ever seen. You can see the column in the back and the shadow of the column in the smoke surounding the area in the front. It was awesome when we took that shot.

It is interesting to me that this lasted only a moment. Like many things in our lives great things happen and bad things happen but they only last a moment then they are gone. All we are left with are the memories---both good or bad---of what happened. Our memories fade over time. It is really interesting to me that the memories that last the longest (and I can testify to long) are the good things that happened. There is something in the brain that doesn't keep the bad memories as vividly as the good ones.

When bad things happen to any of us we need to have support to get through it. If we don't have that support we never really get over it......think about that and whether you are supporting your friends and family that truly need it.

AND SO IT GOES..............

SLEEPING DISORDER

Contrary to popular belief SLEEPING DISORDERS come from your children. No matter what is going on with them and no matter how old and grown up they get---when things go wrong with them or their families it effects the parents by disrupting their sleep pattern---yeah I know for sure on this one.

CHOCOLATE CHIP TOLL HOUSE COOKIES

What is the easiest way to ruin chocolate chip toll house cookies? Bake them.

Inside Stories is in the process of spoiling her grandkids again---she is making a huge batch of cookies to put in the freezer for in case the kids come---I am tickled she is doing this---I have been able to get at least three handsfulls of cookie dough and eat it while she was putting it out on the cookie sheets---there isn't much better in this world than raw toll house cookie dough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks love--I needed that---

AHHH Winter---EWWWWW

Dec. 1--a good day to have the first major snowstorm of the season---right? NOT--NOT--NOT!!!! It should wait at least until mid December---you know after the 15th and then be gone for the rest of the winter.

There have been short times throughout the day when you couldn't see across the street because of the blizzard at our house---those didn't last long but it was really weird to have zero visibility at home. Especially on the one day of the week that I usually spend most of the day outside or looking around the stores in town. I hate being cooped up.

Hope tomorrow brings the sunshine to melt the snow that fell---

IT'S BEEN A GREAT RUN

Last night we had a going away party For my boss who is going North for a new job with better pay. She has been the best boss I have ever had IN 35 years and I am a little nervous about what I am going to get in return. Guess it will all work out in the long run and if it doesn't I can always retire since I am fully eligible and have been for four years.

I emceed the program and it was good---I enjoyed doing it and there were lots of participants so it turned out really nice. I don't believe I have ever seen so many people wanting to talk about how great a boss she is. We started the roast at 8:00 and finished just before 10:00 so you can see there was lots of talk.

I had planned to wear entirely black for the party but my spouse convinced me I needed to wear a different color shirt---I wore the pink one my daughter bought for me that has "TOUGH ENOUGH TO WEAR PINK" embroidered on the inside of the neck.

Whe we were walking out the door after the party was over my boss asked if she was ever going to see me again---I said if you work Monday---otherwise this is it. Man that was a tough thing for me to realize.

I'M A GOIN' A MISS 'ER!!!