More Springtime in the Rockies

Now don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining about the moisture. We really needed it...and we received it all at once. Our 24" of snow had a good 5" of moisture and it has been a true blessings. As the snow melts, the grass turns green.

It started snowing Thursday evening and continued through Saturday night. We lost electricity Saturday morning around 9AM. Power was restored at 6PM Sunday. For those of us that have gone through a Springtime snow storm, it was no big deal. When one of the neighbors ask how we were doing, I replied "Well, I've shoveled out the gas bar-b-que, the beer's cold, the phones not ringing and the wood burning stove is hot...what else could we ask for?" Janice and I snuggled up with a couple of good books and enjoyed the storm.

When we dug out Sunday, we drove around and looked at the damage created by the heavy, wet snow. Mother nature has her way of pruning the weak branches.

Buddy's awake

If you were reading last fall you will remember that we had an assassin in the neighborhood. He killed two bears and a buck. Our friendly neighbor hood bear, Buddy, went missing. We were afraid Buddy too, may have been murdered. Today we received GREAT news. Buddy has come out of hibernation and has been sighted. We are all overjoyed.

On a different note....Mike's Eagle Scout project went off without a hitch. We're almost there. The only thing left is his board of review. Once that is complete we will plan a party. Of course, you are all invited.

On My Honor, I Will Do My Best

The Good Lord has blessed me and my wife with two great sons. They are shown here with their cousin, Kelcey, last summer. I have tried not to brag or make a big deal over their accomplishments. I am just really proud of who they are and what they do. As far as my part, I have tried my best to be a good father and raise my sons so they can walk proud.
Our oldest son, Nathan (in the middle), is 21 and a music composition major at the University of Colorado. Last month he presented his first public performance of an original composition. He has been using a computer to write and preform the composition. We did not see him preform. He simply hit the start key on his computer and walked away. His partner played the solo violin part while Nate's computer played the accompaniment. I must admit, it almost put me in tears. It was beautiful.
With that in mind, I must mention two things: Nate's second language is Japanese (he's been to Japan twice) and he is an Eagle Scout.
Michael (on the right) is my younger son. He is 18 and a senior at Boulder High School. Along with finishing high school, Michael is completing the requirements for his Eagle Scout. I'm sure some of the parents out there can relate, I didn't think he was going to make it. He was right on track to complete the task until "the fumes" set in. Perfume and gas fumes. A girl and a car! I though a heart attack was imminent. He has to complete his Eagle project before his 18th birthday (April 21th). I must admit that I worry too much. True to form, he was planning and preparing for this for quite some time. We will be completing his project the Sunday (rain or shine). This is a big deal for me...to have both son's as Eagle Scouts.
Mike's second language is also Japanese. I will say that when we all get together for dinner, the conversation can be interesting and mostly in a language I don't understand.

Sunshine Ant Man

I should know better than to stop by the Mayor's house. Chris always has a Margarita ready and waiting. Most of the time the top is already off a cold beer. Chris enjoys telling a good story and I love hearing them.

Several years ago there was a Sunshine neighbor known as "The Ant Man". I don't know if anybody knew his real name, he was just "The Ant Man". Chris has been around here for a long time, therefor he either knows everyone in the neighbor hood or knows of them. Most of the nick-names have started in Chris' living room or back deck. I'm sure the "Ant Man" name had to start with Chris.

Where did the name come from? Now I might be a little fuzzy with this legend because, after all, Chris likes to tell his stories after we have consumed a fair amount of alcohol. It seems that our old neighbor was often seen hauling "stuff" up to his house in his small pick-up truck. Often it was overloaded to the point that "stuff" would fall off the truck and be left on the side of the road. Chris said he resembled a worker ant, always carrying more than it seemed possible. He thought he was trying to build his house with scrap lumber and anything he could find for free, just as long as he could tie it down.

No one was brave enough to approach "The Ant Man", for he was a recluse and did not even acknowledge anybody. He was often known to fire his rifle at passing wildlife. We know he did a lot of shooting. We found a tree full of bullets when we cut up some firewood taken from his property.

One day the man just left, leaving a pile of "stuff" for the next owner to clean up. Evidently the neighbor hood was getting a little too crowded for him.