My Princess and My Castle...

Teri....

• Internet Get Well balloons--free--what a deal! Now I just need a laptop to take to her so she can see what I got her..

• Spoke to her via phone prior to arriving at 830 a.m. She said she slept very well, had a good liquid breakfast and was pretty much pain free. Also, she added she was catheter-free. SHUCKS, I wanted to take a quart of cranberry juice and pour it into the discharge container and watch the nurses reaction when she noted the change! (I told you all I needed prayer).

• When I arrived, she was just getting ready to go the potty, which I understand is a good sign. She walked in with minimal assistance and returned to sit down in the chair to hang out with me and watch TV for several hours. Her pain remained insignificant, so they weened her off the morphine and she is now on Percoset. The drugs combined with her first full meal (chicken quesadillas) we believe was going to be a great nap recipe, so Austin and I left her for a few hours. She should go on her 1st significant walk after the nap.

• She is being well taken care of in Denver's newest hospital. They have an admirable vision statement "to become the Best in Nation in compassionate care" which they are truly striving for. BUT, what is up with the hospital gowns? I mean seriously--my wife looks great in anything she wears, but is the only option the "Vicky Secret Full Moon" gown? I get cold chills just looking at her.
  

• Dr. is thinking possible discharge (there is that word again) tomorrow afternoon. I guess one of the true 'back to normal' indicators for this procedure is having a bowel movement. So, when I return tonight, I am taking her some M&Ms as a reward and have my best fatherly "you are such a big girl" voice rehearsed.
  

• Forgot to mention, Teri was happy to hear surgeon did perform the Bikini cut. Of course, that prompted me to think--down the road if I need to have my prostate tampered with,what do I ask for-- "Speedo" cut, "Male Dancer" cut? Help me out with the terminology.
  

On the home front....

• First words out my17 year olds mouth this a.m.--"YOUUU made coffee?"..

• Before starting some housecleaning, I did some internet searching on the benefits of dust to the human body and got--"Your search produced no results"---WHAT!! Google is NOT my friend..

• To Teri's beloved "Ruby Moms" and friends--she had, as of this morning, 391 emails in her mailbox from your group--your task is to get the number up to 1,000 by Wednesday afternoon--the more she has to read, the less she will notice my sub-standard home cleaning..

• And for the BIG NEWS, first check out the photo below...I am not even kidding you, my first wifely order, I mean suggestion, was that I pull the linens from the dryer which she had done prior to surgery and fold them. Lo and behold, what you see in the photo was the first thing that stared at me as I peered into the dryer. Like Paul Revere exalting the British are coming, I came upstairs whooping and a hollering "I found the fibroids, I found the fibroids". I called her immediately to share the revelation. Her response, those are "dryer balls". After giving myself a Lance Armstrong testicular inspection, I then blurted out--- "D R Y E RRRRR BALLS?" Well my lovely Blog followers, a definition is forthcoming on my next update.
  

Clearly your prayers have worked for the love of my life, but I am still a work in progress...til next time....

Yes !

(5) Texas 38, Colorado 14

Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog....

"Dad--over here!"

"Check this out!"

"Do you see what I see above our back fence?"

"And just think--mom thinks I am going blind cause I am 12 years old-I showed her--huh!!"

Yup, the Shelly-Belly is still irritated this new backyard raccoon won't come down and play..

High-Fives

:) Austin ran a PR (personal record) for his 5K cross country meet at 20:07 ---I told him he has "breaking 20 minutes" in him, couple more meets to go!

:) Teri added oil to her car for the 1st time since I have known her (1978)..

Now aren't those worth celebrating......

Piggy-backing....

...on last week's thoughts, link to another blogger's link and call it good--here you go ...........

A Perfect Weekend Defined...

Univ of Colorado 17 West Virginia 14

University of Texas 52 Rice 10

Denver Broncos 34 New Orleans Saints 32

Dallas Cowboys 27 Green Bay Packers 16

Yup, the four teams I follow are a combined 12-0 in their 1st three weeks of play!!

She Has Passed Me By.....

The easiest way to blog is to link to someone else, so here you go ....Teri has learned from the best :)

Your humble blogger.....

Lonesome Dove

146 acre site 35 miles northeast of Denver is where Cam and I arrived at 630 am today to take in some mourning dove hunting. On opening day 10 days ago, there were 100 hunters sharing an acre each. When we arrived, we were the only ones around.

The closest thing to see a real dove were the six decoys Cam had placed above his head...


Trying to stay awake-- thank goodness for the thermos of coffee nearby....

The main deterrent--a cold front moving in from the North and a bit breezy kept the birds away..based upon our discussion with the DOW officer, we suspect our dove friends have continued their migration to the South...

Cam returning from blasting some practice bird, perhaps a swallow of some sorts....

We still had a great time hanging out together for several hours in the flatlands of Colorado. I told Cam if he ever hunted near Aunt Sissy's and Uncle Jon's 4,000 acres of leased land he would never return to bird hunt in Colorado. Oh the memories of South Texas bird hunting in September, there were many great ones!

Happy Birthday !

The queen of the house turns......Happy Birthday! To celebrate, we are going here to enjoy a few special day calories and then out to Red Lobster for dinner. Did I ever share we are both gaining weight?

From the Inside Out

Folks are always excited when I tell them I work for a 911 center with the usual comment of "Wow, that must be exciting"! My standard response has always been "Well, 80% boredom, 20% panic---we get paid for the panic".

I just thought I would share my past week, nothing special at all--no Columbine High School tragedy, no Democratic Convention, etc.- just the average week in an emergency call center. Some calls tragic, a few serious, a share that are humorous and many confirming the notion of the 'dumbing of America'. None of this information is embellished or exaggerated, it truly is an inside peek of this past week.

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911 caller: Yes, can I have your non-emergency phone number?

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911 caller: I just returned from walking my dog and my 45 year old boyfriend is dead in the shower.

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911 caller: I need paramedics because I just stabbed two people.
Response: You stabbed two people?
911 caller: Yes, I am schizophrenic living on the streets and two teen boys were trying to take my wallet and I stabbed both of them in the chest.

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911 caller (frantic): I need someone out here now, I see two huge reindeer!
Response: Mam, out here we call those elk.

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911 caller: My name is Bill and I need to report my $5,000 crown has been stolen.
Response: Sir, your crown has been stolen?
911 caller: Yes, I am your State's Drag Queen Champion and I am missing my gold crown.

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911 Caller: Can you send an officer by my house, I have a raccoon stuck in my back yard tree and I need him removed.

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911 caller: I need paramedics immediately. My 2 year old son was at the top of my stairs and fell backwards down to the bottom and has gone into a seizure and is vomiting.

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911 caller: Yes, I am sitting in my office looking out the window into a field and I see something. I am not sure what it is, but if you could have Animal Control respond as it is either a dog or a puma.

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Officer is dispatched on a hearing impaired 85 year old who is clearly disoriented and probably in need of care. When we check on the officer's status, he responds: "Well, she has her hearing aid in but can't hear me and I am standing 3 feet from her. But yet she is claiming she is hearing all kinds of voices in her head".

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Caller: Can you have Animal Control check the north side of the reservoir. I see a pelican who looks like it has swallowed an extension cord, part of it is hanging out of its mouth and the cord is trailing it when he flies.

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911 Caller: I need an ambulance as I have just been stabbed.
Response: Do you know who stabbed you?
911 Caller: Yes, I thought it was a chick. She was standing on the corner and I just told her she looked hot and then HE said he was a transvestite and for some reason didn't appreciate the compliment and turned around and stabbed me.

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911 Caller: Yes, I work at a tanning salon and I just went into the liquor store next door and their only employee on duty--well---she is passed out drunk on the floor.

So there you go, a sampler platter from this past week's 911 archives. Hope you enjoyed and, if nothing else, you know that every single gray hair I have has been earned in honest.

Til next time.....

New Ride!

Good things come to those who wait. After perusing Craigslist for more than a month, Austin hit a home run when his found this! Mint condition 1991 Nissan Extended Cab 4x4 with the V6 engine it and only 99K miles on it. A divorcee had pretty much owned it since new and had it always garaged. She essentially only used it on bad weather days. A great find!

His Honda is an automatic, so he is just working on perfecting his 5 speed skills. In the mean time, we are in the process of perhaps moving as many as 4 other vehicles by year's end as part of early planning for Texas move. We will keep you posted as we know how much it is to buy and sell used cars, don't we!

Da Gazelle

Austin kicks it in to pass one last runner before finishing his first cross country meet of the season! He finished the 5K at 21:59, a few seconds slower than last year, but it was 15 degrees warmer this season. Tough course as there are 2 significant climbs that are no fun in the heat. There is one period in September where he races 5 times in a 12 day stretch. Somewhere along the line he hopes to pass his personal best of last year which was right around 20:30. We will keep you posted....

D.N.C.

Well, Denver will be in the worldwide spotlight as the Democratic National Convention comes to town. Working in law enforcement, it is a big deal. Our agency alone is loaning out 135 officers who will be assigned to the Pepsi Center working 12 hrs shifts through Thursday night. Personally, it is sad that we are spending $90 million dollars (40 mill to host it and 50 million dollar grant for security) for what amounts to a stuff-coat party. Maybe it is just me, but doesn't cancer research, to name just one, need a few more pennies for research? And yes, I would say the same about the R.N.C. that starts in Minneapolis after the D.N.C. closes its doors.

Regardless, Denver is hopping, including Rocky Mtn Metro Airport where I cycled out to see Cam, who turned 20 years old yesterday, working an 18 hour shift. As the photos verify, he does actually work. Teri drove out a bit later to get a glimpse.

A Gulfstream III dropping a load of passengers. Cam said it was some Senator's staff, but he could not recall who.

Cam marshalling up the plane.

Ted Turner is in town....

Cam exiting the tug as the reposition the jet out of the way for the week.

A couple of Blackhawks will be stationed at our nearby airport and will be circling the Denver metro area looking for aircraft that should NOT be airborne. Airspace for about a 10 mile radius will be very restricted with orders to "escort" those who violate from now until Thursday night.

We are praying for an uneventful week!

Personal Record....

Amidst the Olympics and all the heart-warming stories, I thought I would share one of my own achievements. I am now ONE POUND away from my all time weight record, as in body mass, not weight lifting. I think that qualifies me for a silver medal!

I weighed 221 lbs. in late 2003 when I began my marathon training and got down to 195 lbs by race day Valentines 2004. Actually, I got deathly ill with an untreated sinus infection so was down to 184 at my Dr.s visit in April. So, what began the demise? I think it was depression--the onset when I was told at the marathon that at my weight I qualified for the "Clydesdale" division, the highest category, in terms of race day weight. Well, why didn't they just put me in the "Runners Who Create Their Own Pot Holes" category. Instead of gel snacks, protein bars and shoe laces in my race day goodie bag, perhaps some inner thigh lubricant and my own personal CPR guide would have sufficed. Being called a Clydesdale has made it so tough to watch Super Bowls and all of those Budweiser commercials. Perhaps I just need to trade our lab mix in for a Dalmatian and I will be all set.

So, moving forward. Is there such thing as reverse-Bulimia or contra-Anorexia. You know--you look in the mirror and you are convinced you are NOT overweight. Instead of heading to the toilet to hurl, you head to the fridge to fry you up a burrito. I mean there is a diagnosis for everything else in this world, so I have to be on to something here.

What is the true gauge? Go try a BMI (body mass index) calculator like this one and see what your results are. Once again, I earn the Silver medal as I am in the Overweight category. A couple more bowls of ice cream and the Gold is mine as I would be Obese. At 6ft 2", my high normal weight should be around 195 lbs. Forget that. Holy cow (no pun intended), what would I weigh if I didn't work out?

So, the creative side of my brain has a solution. Using the same BMI calculator and plugging in 220 lbs, to be 'normal weight', I need to be 6ft 7" tall. I now have a goal to add 5 vertical inches by December 31st.

Off to Google to find me a plan....

Retirement looming...

With all of my recent weather related posts, I am starting to think retirement must be looming. After all, isn't The Weather Channel ones favorite channel when you are relegated to the Lazy Boy and the remote control?

What a past 24hrs...we have gone from the projected "3rd driest year" in Denver's weather history to "above annual rainfall" pace....soooo weird.....

Friday starts the deluge of moisture.....

Pretty much 60 straight hours...

Liquid gold...

A revived back yard....humm, is it time to call the Realtor??

Sunday noon, off on my bike ride.. return to normalcy....boats abound in Standley Lake

General aviation returns to the skies.....

Cam on 'break' from his refueler job at the airport as his dad has delivered his mail via the bike...

Yes, the 'white tops' in the foreground appeared over the weekend--SNOW at about 11,000 ft.---Fall is in the air!

Extremes....

Well, as we have clearly posted this year, extreme moves in the weather have been the calling for 2008. While the previous post was "Hot Dog", today has gone to the other end of the pendulum. We set a 128 year old record for the "coldest high temperature on this date" hitting only 60 degrees, and that was at 3am. The rest of the day it just kept getting colder. Teri's car at 1pm recorded the temp at 49 degrees---yes, on August 15th! RAIN, sweet rain, all day long, probably nearing an inch in the gauge. Weekend pretty much calls for the same, SO looking forward to a cycle ride under these conditions!

All else is quiet and well...looking forward to my 4 day weekend...and my favorite football game tomorrow nite--Donkeys vs. Da Boys!

Hot Dog

After 12 years, the lab hound mix has finally figured out the cooling system....cool wood floors on her belly and her head right above the floor vent--her new favorite spot for Summer time relaxation. She can also lifeguard the backyard at the same time checking through the patio door for birds and squirrels whom she has unsuccessfully tried to capture.

Sorry, slow newsday....

47 days!

....since the skies last parted over Arvada, CO!

I arrived home amidst darkening clouds and rising humidity and decided to taunt the heavens by leaving open my truck windows-- it paid dividends!

Gutter gusher!

Street bath....

.75 of an inch in 45 minutes--perfect downpour!

Stuff...

• The record breaking "consecutive days above 90" ends today! It was trounced with 23 consecutive days versus the prior of 18 days, eclipsing a record set over 100 years ago. Unfortunately, moisture, or lack of, is still on pace for the driest year ever. June 20th, yes 6 weeks ago, was the last measurable rainfall we had in our subdivision.
• Austin treated himself to his own 17th birthday gift by buying a new (to him) I-phone. Now that my friends is some slick technology. I mentioned 17 was a 'meaningless' birthday year but Austin indicated he is now able to see Rated R movies. So, Cameron, as a big brother example, wants to take him to see a Rated R movie (things parents don't want to hear).
  
• We had lunch with Cameron and his girlfriend yesterday. They (things parents don't want to hear) moved in together along with two of Cameron's high school friends. The foursome are renting a home in Broomfield and have signed a one year lease. Crystal ball is forecasting some interesting stories. Next Monday all four sets of parents are invited for a BBQ--pretty much "Meet the Fockers II"..
  
• Been a couple months since Teri and I enjoyed coffee at Five Bucks, so we hung out about an hour and chatted about our lovely marriage-- conversation went about 59 minutes too long--just kidding. We actually discussed our two kids and our involvement in their future, needed the coffee to keep us awake.
  
• I accomplished a 1st on my bike today--after 2,500 miles of traversing the last few years, I was curious as to whether I could hit 40 mph on what is essentially is a mountain bike. Evidence of one of two things: 1) I have a degree from Pan American or 2) faith in God. I lived to type about it. Also evidence that 215 lbs. pointed downhill does create some energy.
  
• As you can see by the photos, our Fall Ebay inventory yearns for cooler weather. We are well supplied as we have continued shopping all Summer for our most profitable items.

• Off to enjoy the gorgeous weather, current noon time temperature for our Texas friends: 74!
  

A Weekend Laugh....

As one who loves pranks, this meets my highest of standards...enjoy.....