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How’s Life, Ricochet?
Every so often, when the culture or political wars get so out of hand that even this political nerd wants to ignore it all and settle down with the cat, I throw out a “how’s life” post for Facebook. The idea is to catch up on the important stuff: kids, grandkids, parents, pets, shiny new jobs, an old job that’s driving you crazy, recipes, what-have-you.
The lovely blonde suggested a similar post for Ricochet. So, Rico-peeps, what’s new with your life outside of politics, policy, and culture wars? Have cute pet pictures? Pictures of the grandkids with watermelon all over their faces? Do you have good news to share, or need a shoulder to lean on after a summer that ought to be nuked from orbit?
As for me: I’m enjoying a very summery day (temperatures in the mid-80s). We’re going to Kimball’s for ice cream and the driving range before it closes for the season.
Post by request for @rightangles.
Published in General
Wow, so much cool stuff going on!
Me? After a surprise work trip to Iceland (other than a pin in my map, nowhere near as exciting as it sounds), I got to finish installing, staining, and polyurethaning the stair treads in the sunken living room that we replaced the carpet with laminate in, back in June.
Today, I woke up at 4:45 (I am not a morning person) and got on several planes, missing watching my NFL team lose in overtime), and ended up in Florida.
Where I remembered belatedly that Florida has toll roads! But, amazingly, I had enough change for all the tolls, and all the various “Hey, let’s hold on to that money for you” things hotels and rental car companies pull was less than expected, so I’m happily watching football and reading how great everyone else’s lives are going.
Oh! And I sold some bitcoins (actually, a small percentage of a single bitcoin I mined years ago and forgot about) for a hundred bucks.
So I got that going for me.
It’s been hot out. I’ve been hiding in my air-conditioned cave. Completed the split of the next four volumes in my series into five volumes.
When I returned to work a week ago last Wednesday, from the Montana Meetup, I discovered that when I was gone, my boss gave his notice, and that Friday would be his last day. I was devastated. I loved my boss, and I knew he liked and appreciated me. He gave me all sorts of consideration, letting me work overtime without question, and signing all of my “over my signature authority” POs with very little question. Our company seems to us peons to be in crisis. Good employees are leaving right and left, including the President, the VP of Operations, the Director of Supply Chain, the Stock Room and Shipping Manager, and many engineers. Little or no effort seems to be made to prevent them from leaving. We look at each other and say, “What am I still doing here?”. I stick around because at my advanced age my prospects would be very poor, and I actually like the work (and my 10-year anniversary is in January). The Powers That Be don’t seem to be very concerned about all the defections. Our Purchasing Department will be getting a new boss, maybe, if he can tie up all his loose ends. This is typical. He is currently Supply Chain Manager at a sister company in Idaho. He commutes there from Minneapolis where his family is. Now, he will be commuting to there and to our place both! No wonder people leave this company.
On a lighter note, here is a picture from the day after the Montana meetup, on our way home. My favorite basalt cliffs of the Columbia Gorge, just outside Wenatchee.
Taken from the passenger-side window of the moving car.
Sabrdance on the driving range. He’s a natural.
Deer at McConnell Springs Park.
Sabrdance at fencing.
At one distillery tour (our third date), I wafted the aromas of moonshine at my nose, rather than just sticking my snout into it. Upon seeing a picture of Sabr just sticking his nose into the booze, one of his best friends chastised him for his bad chem lab technique. Since then, “wafting” the booze (and rye, etc.) we are asked to smell has become a running joke. Here’s Sabr, trying to not laugh as he wafts but failing.
Snooks and I went for a walk in the Lucius Burch Natural Area. After a mile we remarked on how many mosquitos there were. As the cloud grew, we walked faster. We were soon jogging, which usually allows you to leave the mosquitos behind. But they kept up with us today, which they usually don’t do. We ended up cutting the outing short and instead of walking the four mile loop, we turned around and raced back to the car, so we only got a three-mile outing, but at a faster pace than we had intended.
We just got off the phone with happy new news. Our “extra son” and his wife are now expecting their second child. (He was a classmate of younger son, was orphaned during high school and moved in with us. We never adopted him, but he is ours.)
Now, if you can only teach him how to post pictures.
Actually -yeah -I don’t know why they came out small. I don’t think I’ve had that problem with posting screenshots. And they don’t look like that on my computer.
Try the size option.
We lived in Des Plaines until I was 10.
Hey, I took this train last November with the family and visited a certain sock we both know. I assume you’ll be doing the same.
This is the first time I recall seeing the word frappe since I moved away from Boston.
I took this picture down by the beach today because the green and blue together make a pleasing combination with sailboats and the Santa Monica mountains in the distance.
Just a little upriver of where the Des Plaines and the Kankakee become the Illinois River. The eagles have been moving up the Illinois in recent years. There are peregrine falcons again in the bluffs in Joliet.
There are bald eagles around but I think they are few. The one I saw didn’t have the white head, but I understand that takes a few years to arrive. Also per StartPage sometimes Goldens show here but they are rare. On the other hand, just at the moment I am sitting on the front deck watching hummingbirds feed.
Nothing new in our life, just the usual rut of work and school.
Unless the AK my son got for his 18th birthday counts. He was quite excited to receive it last week. Yesterday he broke it down, cleaned and oiled it, and when a couple new upgrades come in we’ll take it to the range Thursday.
My second niece was born a week ago. That makes six nephews and nieces now.
I’ve got an eagle too, but he rarely stops where I can get a good look at him. When the other birds disappear, I know. It was raining feathers a couple weeks ago after his meal. He’s just a little guy, about a foot tall.
Yesterday, I was walking a neighbor’s dog. When I sneezed, she took that as the gunshot that starts the race. If only it was that easy to make politicians run away.
I can see my house from here!
This past weekend I went to my 30th high school reunion–the first reunion I’ve attended. (I hadn’t even realized my class was having reunions. Looking back, that probably should’ve been a warning sign….) Turns out that deep inside, I am still a shy, tongue-tied sixteen-year-old girl. I truly cannot remember a time in recent memory when I have felt as socially awkward as I did at the reunion. Folks who know me now wouldn’t have recognized me.
And just like that, I am out of the reunion-attending business. First and last. One and done. My husband had to remind me that I have actually, y’know, accomplished stuff in my life, and I’m, like, content, which is better than being a great conversationalist. I guess. Theoretically.
The only bright spot in a bleak night: Upon my asking the standard, “So…what do you do?” a former classmate grimaced and answered, “I’m a dentist.” When I beamed and replied, “Really?! I love going to the dentist!” he blinked at me for a second and then burst out laughing. He said that was the first time in nearly 25 years he’d gotten that response. :D
I like going to the dentist, too. I entertain them a lot. Why make it hard for everyone with a bad attitude?
Not Awesome.
It’s amazing: being with some family or among people who knew you when you were young, and you revert. I wish I could break that habit.
I don’t much bother with high school reunions or law school reunions. (Common thread: the insane gossip and how everyone spent the entire time up in each other’s business.) On the other hand, I’ve been on and am currently on reunion committees for my university. Maybe it’s partly because I love almost everyone I met who went there.
Today I changed my work password to a variation of “7 weeks.” That is the time until I take early retirement and devote more time to music.
Thank you, traditional pension and 401k.
I finally finished and turned in my charter school application (with three hours to spare from the deadline). Two years of work, let’s hope it gets through.
It was a whirlwind summer:
Our son got married to a great girl – almost the whole extended family was there and it was a great time. Being father of the groom is a much easier gig than father of the bride. I handed out three boxes of Padillas.
My wife’s nephew got married – we got to see the entire other side of the family – and I gave out two more boxes of cigars.
Then, for the first time, my brother and his wife and my sister and her husband went on a joint vacation with Mrs. O’Shea and me for two weeks to England and Sweden. And we had a spectacular time. The last time we were in Europe was 1980!
While we were gone, our daughter, son-in-law and my two grandsons (4 and 1) moved in with us temporarily (?). It was no surprise, as they are between houses and trying to save a little dough.
Apparently, living with us is going well, as she is now expecting a third!
So now, I am ready for a calm fall and winter.
What a nice thought for a post. Things are well. Actually my eight year old son had his first day in the Church’s Children’s Choir yesterday, and he was so darn cute. And i quietly video taped it. I don’t know how to upload here, so I’m going to direct you to my blog if anyone wants to see him sing. Here.
Either that, or your house is boring … :P
His voice is quite nice. Yours? Well, you know the truth already.
Also loved the accommodation to get him up to the lectern.
Thanks. I know the truth.
That’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure.
God made both the nightingale and the crow……