One Week In Longmont

Today marks one week since we arrived in Longmont. We rolled into town las Saturday shortly after noon. Weather wise we had sun each day until yesterday - though it tried to poke through the clouds over by Denver International Airport while we were there. We had snow Tursday night inbto Friday - per our local retired weather man we had 4.5" here. He also said we unusually got more snow than Boulder. This morning I woke up to heavy fog but the weather forcast says we should have sun by mid day. It is also cold this morning at 18º. I have enjoyed uppper 40º days until Friday. I have to say that for the past week, weather wise Longmont has been good to us.

On my part I have figured out my grocery shopping spots and my house cleaning chores and my cooking. Thursday night we had five guests joiun ujs for dinner. These arfe friends who Sharon met while she was consulting for the Boulder Valley School District. We had a great evening of good convefrsation and food. I made Tamal Azteca, which turned out great, and sangria, and in honor of the Yew Year - black eyed peas. Sharon made a jicima and orange salad and chocolate bread pudding. Our dinner was all vegetarian. The kitties both took to our guests and enjoyed the attention.

Friday afternoon Larry and Dave came in and we picked them up at Denver International Airfport. This was our first drive from Longmont to DIA and even though the roads were a little snowy in Longmont they we pretty clear on the expressway. It took us just under an hour to get there. With clear weather it should be around 45 minutes. If the ExpressToll web site will ever load I will know how much that trip cost. After we dropped the boys luggae off at the house we tried a Longmont Institution for lunch - Cheese Importers. Kind of a funky place but the sandwichs were good.

We went together to look at the townhouse that we saw in October and liked. We still like the plan and the location. The price though has gone up 5% to $420,000. I am not happy with that. If we move to Longmont I think I could be happy with it. Lots of space, a super master bedroom and deck, and a very functional kitchen and living area. Plus a 1,000 square foor basement for my workshop.

For dinner I made my first take on Colorado green chili and pork plus we had left over Tamal Azteca and jicima and orange salad. I think I did a pretty good job on the green chili. I used a recipe I found on The Food Lab. In placed of the traditional Hatch peppers I used a combination of poblano, anaheim, and jalapeno peppers plus some tomatillos.

Today Sharon and Larry are working out at Orange Theory in Boulder and Dave and I are reading and watching TV and blogging while we keep the cats company. The sun is trying to break through the fog. This is going to be a nice day.

 

Random Thoughts

Older homes have a narrative of the families who have lived in them and around them. Ours have a narritive going back to the 1920s when it was built. We know little of that narrative other tha. the 21 years we have lived here we know the Halquist family came before us and the Anderson family before them. Our 21 years here have been comfortable and the house has been filled with friends and family. We are still comfortable and content here.

Which brings me to thoughts on moving to Colorado. The cold last couple of winters here and my body's issues with that cold are what has prompted our looking into moving to Colorado. This is why we are renting a house for seven weeks in Longmont. If the weather is milder during those months and the sun is shining I may be more comfortable with my neuropathy. Sharon pointed out this week that we shouldn't make a move based on change for the sake of change and she is right. I have been excited about the possibility of change - a new modern home, a new city to explore, mountains to see, trout streams to stand in. But, we should look at what we might give up. Leaving friends behind, being 600 more miles from Kathy, Kevin, and Brady. For me that is somewhat offset by being 800 miles closer to John, Kristie, Avery, and Anika.

Today I used J&R Automotive in Glen Ellyn to replace sway bar links on Red. They have been in Glen Ellyn longer than we have and I have never used them for automobile service. I drove over there at about 7:15 this morning, dropped off the car, and walked home. They called shortly with an estimate and I had them replace all four sway bar links, front and back. Total cost $340. The same service from the Mazda dealer which I will no longer go to, $322 for the front and $522 for the rear. J&R was done by 9:30 and I walked back over there to get the car. Easy.

As I walked back and forth from J&R and our house I looked at all of the houses along the way. Some are in fantastic condition, some are not but, back to the first paragraph here, they all have a narrative. We will start a new narrative if we purchase a new home in Colorado.

Sunshine and Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome

 

I woke up this morning to sunshine after a few dreary days. It does change and improve my attitude to see sun. This really is one of my issues with Chicago in the winter time - clouds. I can deal with cold better if there is sun to go along with it. I just looked up the stats. On average Chicago gets 189 days a year that are sunny or partly sunny. The numbers are the worst from October through April where Chicago sees sun less than 50% of the time and some months about 30%. Looking at Denver for comparison, it sees the sun 245 days a year. Their worst month is February but even then they have sun over 50% of the month. We are planning two months in Denver in 2016, I'll compare the sun and temperatures and snowfall and report back!

Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome is closely related to Guitar Acquisition Syndrome or Gear Acquisition Syndrome. According to Wikipedia:

Gear Acquisition Syndrome (sometimes Guitar Acquisition Syndrome, both abbreviated to GAS) is a term used to describe an urge to acquire and accumulate lots of gear. This term commonly associated with:

Guitarists (tend to acquire guitars, guitar amplifiers, pedals, effects processors)

Keyboard / synth players (tend to acquire keyboards, synthesizers, samplers, effects units, etc)

Drummers(various drums, percussion, drumsticks)

Audiophiles (amplifiers, headphones, speakers, etc)

Photographers (cameras and its parts - bodies, lens, mounts, filters, flash, etc.)

Bike accessories (racks, lights, fenders, etc.)

The term "GAS" was coined by Walter Becker in 1996 in his article G.A.S. in Guitar Player[1] as "Guitar Acquisition Syndrome". The term started to be frequently used by guitarists and spread out to other musicians who were familiar with similar tendencies. As it no longer concerns guitars only, GAS is now commonly backronym

GAS shouldn't be confused with collection.

I must be serially afflicted because I see in this definition my behavior as it relates to photography, biking, and ukuleles. I also realize I suffer from Information Acquisition Syndrome.

My basement is full of photo equipment dating back to about 1972 and I promise I will wade through it and only keep what I need. My bike has everything it needs, but I can always use new bike shorts or shoes and why not a mountain bike while I am at it? Ukuleles? I've got five and I think I am satisfied. Two sopranos, one koa from Ko'aloha and one plastic from Outdoor Ukulele. Two concerts, a travel Kala and one for home a beautiful Ohana. One tenor from Mainland Ukuleles with a big sound and a low G. Related is the kazoo and the keyboard and a few gadgets and lots of books!

I admit I have a problem. But, the next ukulele is always beautiful or sounds wonderful or.... I can justify all of them, except probably the first one I bought and the last one I bought. My only disappointment is the plastic one from Outdoor Ukulele with a buzzing C string that won't go away.

I suppose this syndrome applies to wine, and cookbooks, and travel, and power tools, and bourbon. I am in trouble.

 

And Now On A Serious Note

In 2010 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and went through chemo. You can read all about it in the beginning of this blog or by going to my original blog. It is now just over five years from my original diagnosis and I no longer have Hodgkin's. I do have a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma but it is slow growing and, though a concern, not a major concern. Regular oncologist visits with blood work and occasional CTs keep me informed as to where I stand.

This evening I was reading some of a friend's cancer blog and ran across his post treatment "Chemo Survival Tips." I had not read Bev's tips before but they are spot on. His chemo cocktail was similar to mine and his experiences were similar - but not the same. I suspect that everyone does not react to chemo in the same way. Bottom line, his tips if they were available to me when I went through chemo would have made my experience easier. I found that providers don't prepare us enough and sometimes do not fully understand what we are going through. Find and use every available resource to help you through - and those of us who have been there are important resources.

You might wonder why I was reading Bev's blog and his tips. I have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder and I never know where I will end up when I am online. Tonight it was to Bev's blog.

Also, you may wonder why I am in Spain for about six weeks this year. It is because my wife, Sharon, is a saint and knows that since chemo I do not do well with cold - temperature regulation is a continuing problem. She felt that time in a warm climate and in the sun when it is still cold in Chicago would be good for me. So here I am.

 

Polar Vortexing!

For the second time this winter we are being hit with the effects of he polar vortex. This morning Sharon flew off to Denver, Colorado where it is tankfully warmer than here! Last time the vortex did its thing she was scheduled to fly to Cleveland and her flight was cancelled. This time her flight was a go - except for the fact that the toilet froze before they got off the ground and they had to change planes.

It was -1 degrees when we left the house today at 5:00am. Even though the sun was shining through most of the day, the temperature dropped during the day and now at 9:00pm, the tempertature here in Glen Ellyn is down to -8. We are supposed to get down to -18 by morning. Yikes!

I spent the day inside except for the trip to O'Hare and one trip out to bring in the garbage and recycling bins and to get the mail. And, I was thankful that I put plastic film up on the inside of windows and put up the last storm window yeterday. The house is chilly, but there are few drafts. I was thankful that Shelby wanted to cuddle on my lap when I was on the computer and watching TV. He knows how to keep warm and keep me warm. I can take this time to pull of income taxes together and other paperwork tasks. I need to finish laminate in the basement but it is even too cold down there at 60 degrees.

Bring on warmer weather!!!

 

The Chill of January

January and February are generally the coldest and snowiest months here in the Chicago area and so far this January is living up to that standard. This past week we have seen first a 12 inch snow and then after a short break, another eight inches. On top of that, the bottom has dropped out of Canada and Arctic air is flowing in. As I write this the temperature in Glen Ellyn is -15F. That is with sunny skies! It was about the same when we left the house at 4:30 this morning.
What were we doing leaving the house at 4:30 AM on such a cold day? Sharon was attempting to get to Cleveland. American Airlines sent her a text before we left the house that indicated the flight was on time. About 10 minutes from O'Hare Sharon received another text that indicated her flight was cancelled. We went to the terminal and Sharon trudged in with her bag and briefcase to see what she could do. They told her the soonest she could leave for Cleveland was at 4:30Pm on Wednesday. I was waiting at the curb when she returned and we headed home.
The roads were in terrible shape except for the tollway. With all the snow that we have seen plus super low temperatures, the snow plows could not keep up and salt was not working to melt the snow and ice. We were happy to get home and stay home.
Sharon is working from home and I am piddling. Did a little house pick up, took a nap, read some, and now I'm blogging. I should do something productive like singing, or ukulele practice, or piano practice, or even finishing putting laminate in the laundry room!