Around Longmont

We have a wall of book boxes in the garage, moved from Glen Ellyn the first of June 2016. I have been working on many projects in this house and this is one of the big ones - cabinets and book shelves for Sharon’s office. The shelves are now in and Sharon is unpacking that wall of boxes from the garage. I am now working on the doors for the lower cabinets. Next I will build some cabinets in the basement. It seems there is always something to do here but it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble.

I love listening to the sounds of birds from our patio. Because there is a creek filled with cat tails running behind the house we have an abundance of redwing blackbirds. I also hear doves, finches, ducks, robins, and others. It is very relaxing.

Drove around town today with the top down on the Camaro. Top down time is my favorite time of the year!

Unpacking Cookbooks

 

Found While Unpacking Books - 2013 Birthday Bourbon

 

A Neighbor Comes For Dinner

 

 

Homeland Security To Track Bloggers

Journalists and bloggers are all subversive I guess. It is seeking a contractor that can help it monitor traditional news sources as well as social media and identify “any and all” coverage related to the agency or a particular event.

Big Brother is watching me, and you. 

https://biglawbusiness.com/homeland-security-to-compile-database-of-journalists-bloggers/

Blogger, Wordpress?

My research into blogging editor options is leaving me confused and frustrated. When I started blogging I used Blogger. Blogger still works but it is not an offline option when I am traveling and also does not work well on an iPad. On online PC yes, iPad no. My editor of choice on the iPad has been BlogPad Pro. But, it has not been updated in over three years and apparently changes to iOS have made it unstable, crashing at inopportune times.

Blogger is a Google product and works in conjunction with BlogSpot. I am happy to user Blogger on my PC but I want to use my iPad dammit. I like the ability to upload photos from my iPhone/iPad. I like the ease of using the iPad.

Lots of bloggers are using Wordpress, but that is a subscription service at $8.00 a month. I can use ColbyJ.com which would be nice, but I am not sure I really want to use Wordpress. More research is in order. I do know it will be a pain to convert my BlogSpot blog entries to Wordpress - and I have eight years of blog entries in two blogs starting in 2010.

Vaccinations

Blog Pad Pro has done it to me again. I finished a post, saved it and then published it - and it came up empty and then overwrote my saved version with a blank post. I need a new offine blogging tool.

As a side effect of my bone marrow transplant/stem cell transplant I must retake all of my childhood and adult immunizations. This is because the transplant wiped out all of my immunity. Yeserday I visited the UCHealth Longmont Clinic to begin the process. Dealing with the clinic to get this appointment was a terrible experience. I had taken paperwork to them over two weeks ago and they misplaced it. Then they asked questions that they shouldn’t have if they had read the paperwork. “Why do you need the immunizations?” “We need your immuniztion history.” However, once I got to the clinic and met with the Nurse Practitioner, I knoew I was talking to someone who knew what she was doing.

• Hib Vaccine - Haemophilus influenzae type b
• Hepatitis A and B Vaccine combined
• Tdap Vaccine - Tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis
• Polio Vaccine
• Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13)

Five injections, three in my left arm and two in my right. I didn’t cry but they did not give me a sucker. A day later and my arms are still tender. My shoulders hurt. I didn’t sleep well and Tylenol helped little. But, this rounbd is done. I get more in June. I the course of this I contempleted the “anti vaccers” those misguided people who don’t believe in vaccinations and by doing so put the rest of us at risk - the young, the old, those with compromised immune systems, and those like me with no immunity because of bone marrow transplants. They anger me.

 

And More Spring Break

Kristie’s Birthday

Argh! Blog Pad Pro is giving me fits and crashes when I am adding photos, thus the Spring Break Series.

I had a nice visit with the Jordans of Redmond Oregon. Kristie and I had a couple of lazy days together and then on Sunday evening Avery and Anika joined us. John had to work through my visit except for Wednesday. Wednesday was a big adventure as we took Bob out into the hills and road up steep hills and splashed through puddles and explored narrowing trails. Lots of fun.

It was a good visit and then I headed back to Colorado. I felt that the scenery was better west bound than east bound. Odd, same country but from a different direction. Crossing Oregon on Highway 20 was easier than Highway 26 - faster and straighter most of the way. Weather was pretty darn good both ways. On the way to Oregon I had about an hour of rain in Idaho as I approached Twin Falls and then the last hour as I neared Redmond a combo of rain, sleet, and snow. On the way back I had sunny skies until I approached Laramie Wyoming. Then, clouds built and I could see snow in the distance. Eventually I had sleet then snow and high winds. When I turned south onto I-25 towards Longmont I drove back into sunny skies.

I stayed at Hampton Inns on the way to Oregon and back. Twin Falls Idaho heading west and Brigham City Utah heading east. Dinner in Twin Falls at Jaker’s was great, dinner at Brigham House was not. But, the hotels were comfortable and Hampton Inn breakfasts are passable and reliable.

I didn’t have to deal with too much craziness on the drive either way. There was the guy in rural Oregon who turned left in front of me and the guy who passed me, pulled in front of me then hit his brakes all while hand holding his phone. I do wonder why drivers have not discovered cruise control or or turn signals or hands free phone options in their cars. Too much technology for them to handle? Oh, and when you pull into a rest area, use the parking spaces, not the traffic lane or the truck parking. I’m surprised some of you can find your way home.

The Camaro is a wonderful long distance cruiser. So much quieter and more powerful than the Miata. It was a joy to drive, comfortable, great gas mileage - about 28.5 mpg for the trip. I wish the weather was warmer so that I could have the top down! I doubt I will drive out to Oregon again unless it is part of a bigger trip. We will in the coming year visit Mt. Rushmore and spots in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. Taos, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Bryce, here we come!

Desert Scenery

Bob

Brigham City Utah

Where’s Colby?

Continental Divide

Spring Break Continued

Spring Break

Avery and Anika are on Spring Break this week and I drove to Oregon to spend most of it with them. The last time I drove to Redmond was in the Miata and I have to say the drive is much more comfortable in the Camaro. Quieter, cozier, faster, and many more electronic diversions. Built in navigation and SiriusXM and heated seats and a steering wheel heater make for a very comfortable drive, and surprisingly enough, the gas mileage in the Camaro is as good or better than the Miata. 

Longmont to Twin Falls to Redmond. I took the scenic route across Oregon and got tired of all the turns and ups and downs. This is my last time doing this. I will take a more direct route for the return. The scenery in Wyomings and Idaho was pretty good. Utah doesn't;’t waste much money on their rest areas. Pretty spartan - or is it pretty Mormon? The Temple I saw in Twin Falls was huge. No lack of funds for this. 

 

Mormon Temple in Twin Falls

 

Shoshone Falls, Idaho

Scenic Oregon