I have been relieved

My dog sitting (aka: wolf watching) duties have come to an end.
The kids are home.
The dogs are happy.

But...
They are downstairs expecting me to get them their breakfast while the kids are still in bed. Maybe having an early riser in the house is a good thing -- for the dogs. I suppose the late breakfast and late dinners that they were used to having will again be their normal routine.

We'll be here for a couple of more days to visit with the kids, but they will be back to work and back to their lives and we will get back to ours as well (lives, not work). As always, getting back home with our stuff and our routine will be a good thing.

Also -- getting down to a breathable altitude will be nice. 
I'm not sure how long it takes to adapt to living at nearly 9,000 ft (2750 m), but it is definitely longer than 4 weeks!

Since the weather has been warm at home, I am sure I will need to mow everything. Grass grows well in the southwestern Missouri fall. One more time and the mower can be put away until spring.
There is more fall garden work to do that I would have been doing in October. I guess I'll need the garden tractor (mower) for a little longer.
I need to decide what I'm going to do about winterizing the deck this year. I hate giving up my outdoor space -- even for just a few months.
The fireplace is always an inviting option on cold mornings, as is leaving for someplace warm for several weeks. We have no current travel plans.

In any case, winter in the mountains is no place for this warm weather boy. The relatively mild Midwestern winters of SWMO are much more doable than the cold and snow of the Colorado Rockies.
Home by the end of the week will be good.

John

October 31 and random stuff

It is early on this final morning of October and the latest sunrise for several months.
While there are certainly good arguments for Daylight Savings Time (DST) it still sounds mostly stupid to me -- especially in a world that is mostly digitized and artificial lighting is available nearly everywhere.

Of course, the latest sunrise for some time also means that today's sunset will be the latest for the coming weeks and months, 

On most days, I am up somewhere near sunrise so I generally get to utilize all of the available daylight hours on any given day. For the coming winter days -- if you are one that tends to sleep late, you deprive yourself of some of the precious few hours of natural sunlight. It's mostly just a matter of choices and consequences.

Speaking of choices and consequences -- Tuesday is election day here in the ol' US of A. 
We are facing the consequences of our choices in the last election and have an opportunity to make some different choices this time around.
Unfortunately, the consequences will last much longer than most of us anticipated. Stabilizing the economy will take some time. Rebuilding international relationships and global trust may take a generation or more. 
For better or worse -- we may be largely on our own for a few decades. 

I am truly sad about how quickly and how poorly our global status has fallen. 
I am also truly sad at the lack of integrity and real moral fiber that so many politicians, community leaders, and even friends and family have displayed over the past few years.
Some are beginning to realize that they are getting more than they bargained for, but understanding just how far they are willing to go for personal benefit and how little they truly care about others in our society is a grave character flaw that is inexcusable.

I don't know how we (I) will move forward from here. Showing grace for past mistakes is one thing.  Making allowances for supporting a pedophile and traitor is another matter. 

I know-- con men are good at conning people and we are all easily manipulated from time to time, but this traitorous administration is granted its power from an equally corrupt segment of our population and I don't know if that can be reconciled. If national trust will take a generation, where does that leave us when it comes to personal trust?

One step at a time, eh? 
First -- the midterm elections.
Then -- we begin the repair work.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

Sometimes wisdom is just common sense.
Unfortunately, good sense no longer seems to be very common.

John

Look at that A$$!

Did you ever think that a campaign speech by a President of the United States of America would be about ogling the asses of both men and women?

Seriously--WTF is going on?

If ever there was a classless person in the White House -- this is it!
And he is still supported by classless, racist, pedophiles all across the country!
I don't know how anyone can listen to the crap that is coming from the GOP and think that it in any way reflects the values of The United States of America. 

Or maybe I'm the one that has it all wrong.

Maybe these are the values of the US of A.
Europeans came here as colonizers -- stealing the land, killing the natives, enslaving them and importing more slaves, raping and murdering anyone that was vulnerable, and stripping the land of its natural resources and beauty.
I guess this is who we really are.

We have gone from escaping religious persecution to persecuting those that believe differently.
We have gone from migrating to a new land to escape oppressive governments to oppressing migrants fleeing oppressive governments.
We have gone from owning slaves to controlling the poorest by withholding fair pay, affordable housing, and necessary healthcare.
I am beginning to believe that maybe this is who we are and I am the one that is wrong.
US voters have just over a week to demonstrate who we are. I am honestly afraid to find out.

John

Fun Fact Friday

Did you know ... ?

John
 

Wednesday Wisdom

I know that we all don't get to enjoy all of these simple pleasures.
Some of us might struggle with physical tasks like climbing stairs or even simple mobility.
Some may not have many close friends or people they can count on.

But still, there is a truth that most of us enjoy a simple life that wasn't available to us just a generation ago.
Medical advances prolong life and improve the quality of life.
We are able to produce, harvest, preserve, and distribute enough food to feed everyone.
For the most part, we have food. We have shelter. We have clean water. 
And we have people.

Sometimes we overlook the simple things that make life good.

John

Reading and Writing

I haven't felt much like reading or writing lately. I'm really not sure why.
Some of it may have to do with being away from home and what is familiar, but honestly, I was in this funk before we left. 

I have a couple of non-fiction books that I am slowly working my way through. They are not the kind of books that you need to hurry through and can really be read chapter by chapter, or a few pages at a time. I decided against the epic The Odyssey after a short time. It was interesting and well translated, but I wasn't going to stick to it, so...
After a really good start for the year, I am going to have to get busy if I plan to make my 50 book goal. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal.

I recently added some more non-fiction to my Kindle -- The Books of Enoch (there are three).
They have been on my radar for some time and I think they will be interesting. I am certain that they will give some perspective on some of the religious and theological questions that I have considered. 
There are other non-canonized books that I may take on in the coming year. 

My perspective about the books of The Bible has changed. I wonder if some of the books left out are similar to the banned books that school boards and communities have -- a group of people "in authority" just decided we don't like what they have to say.
Don't come after me for that. I get it. There were certain criteria that were created for inclusion -- even some of that was contentious. (The Catholics include 11 books that are not in the Protestant Bible).
Regardless, I think I may peruse some of those rejected books.

My current plan is to work on finishing the two books that I've started and have been slowly reading. 
I'll pick up a few easy read fiction action or fantasy books to make my goal of 50 for the year, and then begin to tackle some more serious educational reading.

What are you reading?

John

Mountain weather

It's a cool and damp day in the mountains just west of Denver. 
It is foggy this morning with occasional light rain expected throughout the early part of the afternoon. The rain is supposed to turn to light snow for a short time later this afternoon. The temperature will still be above freezing (until tonight) so I don't think there will be any accumulation.

The high temperature here today might not make it to 40f (4c).
Meanwhile, back at home they set a record high for yesterday's date at 93f (34c) and the latest date to have a 90+ degree day.
It looks like we will have a couple of cold days and freezing nights before returning to more seasonable temps for the weekend and into next week.
All-in-all, life is still pretty good.

These are my charges for our time here in the mountains. I think it's plain to see why I prefer to use wolf-watching to dog-sitting. Not only does it sound way cooler, but it also fits the animals quite well. The two wolfers are well suited to mountain winters; the pittie -- not so much. It can be challenging to get him to go outside to take care of business when it's cold and wet out. 
They're good dogs, and I think they are beginning to realize they are stuck with me for the time being.

Rain or shine, I hope you have a wonderful day.

John

Coffee

Morning coffee is a little different these days. The kids have a pretty fancy coffee maker -- especially when compared to my simple pour over coffee system at home. A double cup and an extra shot of espresso seems to be the sweet spot. I've been adding a bit of heavy cream to make an exceptional morning brew.

While I can't justify the cost of one of these fancy machines for myself, I may consider using my stovetop espresso maker (moka pot) on occasion for some variety in my daily routine. I originally bought it because an Americano (espresso and hot water) is my typical coffee shop order and I thought --Why not have that at home?

It has been a long time since I have had a traditional drip coffee maker at home. Between the moka pot, a French press, and my pour over pot, I manage to enjoy coffee with pretty low tech simplicity. The electric grinder with something like 16 settings is the most advanced part of my morning brew. 
I should probably have a hand grinder available just in case of a power outage or the inevitable breakdown of the aging electrical piece of the process. 

It is as easy to feel isolated (in a good way) in the mountains of Colorado as it is in our rural home in Southwest Missouri. It almost seems wrong to be considering how to brew and enjoy a cup of coffee when there are wars, government approved murders and kidnappings, and a social structure that ignores or makes jokes about sexual assault and the social value of women.
I have little faith in the voters of the US and will be surprised if anything meaningful comes about as a result of our midterm elections. Finding some peace in a cup of coffee is one way to maintain some sanity in an extremely crazy world.

How do you brew your coffee?
And where do you find a little peace during your day?

Be well, my friends.

John

Settling for less

I wonder ...

The highest court in the land is made up of just nine justices.
They were nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and appointed -- not elected -- to the bench.
Nine.

In an entire nation, we have just nine Supreme Court Justices.

In my head, we should have nine people of impeccable character. If any doubts about character or integrity are encountered in the examination process, that should lead to an immediate disqualification. 
Impeccable character.

Of course, if character doesn't really matter anymore (and apparently it doesn't), then we can have justices that have dubious reputations or past issues. In a culture that seems to be okay with sexual assault and rape, it is okay to have justices, even presidents or other elected officials that have been credibly accused of, or even found guilty of, sexual misconduct.

Why do we tolerate such behavior from the people that are supposed to maintain order and justice for our national society?
Completely ignoring political ideologies, poor character is still poor character. 
Why doesn't that matter anymore?

I remember the outrage over Bill Clinton's affair. 
Today such a thing might not even make the news.
The current character of the men and women in charge of such things won't even allow for the court ordered Epstein files to be released, because protecting the pedophiles and their power is more important than justice for the victims.

Is our current SCOTUS and DOJ the best we can do?
Do we have to keep electing people of questionable character that in turn appoint people of questionable character?
Why are we willing to settle for such pieces of shit people to govern our states and country?

If you haven't noticed, I am frustrated by the injustices that are making the news.
I haven't even mentioned the war in Iran, the rising prices of everything, or the dumb shit that spews from our president's mouth on a regular basis. It will take some effort to maintain some self control and not continually post about the madness, but I am sure that I need the outlet so you will see some posts on occasion.
Feel free to scroll on or share as you see fit.

Personally, I am tired of settling for less in our elected officials and the people they appoint to serve us.

John