Morning Walk

Milo and I started down the driveway and decided to return and use the treadmill this morning.  The sky was a beautiful blue.  The temperature was a cool 23 degrees.  The thing that changed our mind was the wind.  Unfortunately, on windy days, I do not raise the flag at the school house.  The flags last longer that way.  I am on my third flag since I started my flag raising in late March.

Here is a columbine from my garden.  I'm glad they bloom in the spring.  The deer leave them alone with so much other food around.

WOW, I just noticed AOL has added a spell checker!  What a country!

Non-Morning Walk

A Gracious Good Day!  Janice is in Arizona until Tuesday night so the boys and I are bachelors.  Jan usually takes Mike to school on her way to work.  That task is on my shoulders today and tomorrow.  That would usually be "no big deal" but I've been working in the home office since March.  I've gone for three weeks without getting behind the wheel of the car.  My former commute was 40 miles of bumper to bumper traffic so this morning drive should not be an issue.  The trip this morning left me with mixed feelings.  Glad to get out of the house, happy to return.

Plans are being made for the Sunshine New Years Eve.  For many years we had a party at the Sunshine School House.  The last three year we participated in a progressive dinner.  We start out with cocktails at our house, dinner at Steve and Dee's and then desert at Lisa and Steve's.  Lisa and Steve have a very nice hot tub but with the tempature in the teens and the wind blowing, only the hardiest have partaken.

Snow in the forcast for this afternoon and evening.  High in the 40's, low in the teens.

Here's a picture of a spring snow from the archives.

Veterns Day

Milo and I had a quiet walk this morning.  Once more he sat at attention as I raised the American Flag at the Sunshine School House.  It was a mild 50 degrees. the weatherman is calling for rain and snow (above 9000 feet).  We'll see about that!

This is my personal salute to my family members who served in the U.S.Military.

Lt. John Wheeler was there at Lexington.  He went on to serve at Dorchester Heights, Ticonderoga and Crown Point under Ethan Allen

Isreal McBee who served at the Battle of Kings Mountain (Revolutionary War)

Johnathon Branch (Civil War - Tennessee)

C.O. Wheeler (1st World War)

COL D.J.Wheeler (WW2, Korea, VietNam)

I prefer not to mention my personal service (six years1965-1971).  All I will say is I am proud of the boys and men serving today.  They can walk and hold their heads high.  They are applauded as they walk through airports.  Unlike, as my neighbor Wayne and I have experienced, the treatment we received.  We didn't wear our uniforms in public in fear of being spit upon.

To my father, who I miss very much, I salute you.

Malcom, my protector

I decided to seperate the pictures of Milo and Malcom.  It's time to meet Malcom.  She is a mix of black lab and german shepard.  She has the lab personality and makes friends with everyone.  She loves to play "fetch" and and owns a box of "Squeeky" toys.  She's twelve.

Late last summer she and I were out on our morning walk.  As we neared the old firehouse she started barking and  took off running in a dead run.  She turned and ran up hill about 15 feet. She stopped about 15 feet for a black bear.  That puts the bear facing me with about 30 feet between us. The bear turned and Malcom retreated to be next to me.  We kept walking.  As we drew closer to the fire house, I turned to check on the bear.  It was walking over the hill.  All I could see was the tail end, the best end to see.

Milo and Malcom hang together.  They play and romp.  They sleep together.  The other morning they were both outside my office window, barking.  I rose to see what was happening and there was a bear crossing the creek. I'm glad they stay close to the house.  There wouldn'd be much of a contest.  I'm afraid the 400 pound bear would be the winner.

A Mouse Story

One of my Sunshine neighbors, Maggie, works in one of the high-rise buildings in downtown Denver.  She leaves Sunshine around 6:30 in the morning, Monday thru Friday.  She drives down Sunshine Canyon Drive, thru Boulder and onto US 36, the Boulder Turnpike.  It’s still called the turnpike even though the toll booths were removed many years ago.  Her drive continues onto Interstate 25 and then on Spear Boulevard into Downtown Denver.  It is a 35 mile drive that takes about 55 minutes on a good day.

            Her office is on the 48th floor.  There are 35 people sharing the small space, crammed into small cubicles.  There is a large open space where all of the workers share three FAX machines and two copiers.  There is also a large bank of filing cabinets.  Maggie told me a story about an incident involving a mouse last week.  One of the file clerks opened a filing cabinet drawer and saw a mouse.  She jumped, uttered the appropriate shriek and slammed the drawer.  She immediately ran to her desk and called the building maintenance department to report the incident.

            Fifteen minutes later a maintenance worker appeared.  He checked every filing cabinet, inside and out.  He could not find the mouse.  The mouse was probably just as frightened as the clerk and left soon after the drawer slamming.  With other jobs to do, the maintenance worker asked the clerk to sign the work order “completed”.  The clerk refused, saying she wouldn’t sign until she saw him remove the mouse.  The maintenance worker said “Listen lady, the work order says ‘chase mouse’ not ‘produce mouse’ and I did that”.  The file clerk thought about it for a minute and then signed the work order.  The mouse hasn’t been seen since.

 

It's a beautiful warm morning in Sunshine.  It was 50 degrees when Milo and I took our walk.  We stopped at the school house and raised the American flag.  Milo sat at attention and then was rewarded with a treat.  Once more, Bob , the school bus driver stopped and threw a treat out the bus window to a waiting Milo.  We are looking for a high of 70, very rare for a November in the Colorado rockies.

Milo, The wonder dog

I guess it is time to introduce Milo.  He is my constant companion.  My brother-in-law and his dog were staying with us for a few months.  His dog lived outside all year long.  She became pregnant and had her six puppies outside in the winter.  One was still born and the rest lived.  We fell in love with the little brown and white male.  My youngest son, Michael promised he would take care of the puppy so we kept him. He is 18 months old. 

His mother left with my brother-in-law and I don't know if Milo ever missed her.  He has bonded with the family and is a very lovable part of the family.  I have been asked why I call him my wonder dog.  If you look at his ears, one stands up and the other flops down.  I wonder why.  One of my sunshine neighbors has told us that the ones who made him forgot to put the wire in his ear.

He has a very keen sense of smell.  I have seen him pick up the sent of a bear long before I could see it.  I have another dog, Malcom.  I'll share some thoughts on her in a later blog.

"Morning Walk Oct3

It is a blustery morning in Sunshine today. The winds are blowing down from the continental divide.  Milo, the wonder dog  and I decided to take our walk on the treadmill today.  I know he misses the school bus when we stay indoors.  Bob, the school bus driver usually has a treat for Milo.  Milo even stops walking, sits and waits for the bus when he hears it coming.

I haven't seen any bears in some time now.  I would like to think they are hibernating but Milo lets me know otherwise.

For my friends who would like to know how my mother-in-law is doing, she is in good spirits.  I made a CD of her favorite country classics for her yesterday.  Before dinner we were all singing to David Frizzel, "I'm Going to Hire Me A Wino to Decorate My House".  She is undergoing her second Chemo treatment today.

My thoughts and prayers are with The Zwonitzer Family in Cheyenne, Wyoming today.  Chester was 88 when he passed away.