Thanksgiving

I blew right through last Sunday's posting as we were flying from Boise to Tampa. Because of our Thanksgoving trip I'll be posting a week later. Until then, happy Thanksgiving!

In a Rut... uh... Rush. Yeah... In a Rush!

This entry is a quickie to let everyone know that I'm still among the living. I've got to be down in Boise around 10 AM to see my mother for a little while, go out to breakfast and then at 1 PM I'll be helping our union fold, label, stamp and stuff envelopes for our regular mailing of ballots this time of year.

For once I'm not on the ballot, and will not be editing the newsletter for the next term (or hopefully ever again).

It's the middle of November... I haven't put the postal shorts away yet. With sunny days and temperatures in the 50's, why would I want to start wearing "cold weather" pants yet?

And th... th... th... that's all for this week folks!

We've Fallen and We Can't Get Up!

Leaves are falling all over Boise. People's lawns have disappeared under blankets of fallen leaves, except for those yards who have perfectionists tending to them 24 hours a day. They so much as hear a leaf scream as it lets go of the tree and they're out there with a rake a leaf sack to capture the intruder.

The streets sometimes disappear as well, when all the leaves seem to let go in unison. And they always manage to get in the storm drains and clog up the works. The city has regular crews that have to go around in a truck that has a high pressure hose that they run down the drains to clear out the blockages.

Soon the leaves will be gone, and winter will set in. Instead of the colors that were so predominant just a couple of weeks ago, we'll have skeleton-like branches clawing toward the sky in hopes of finding the sun, which is often hidden under a flat blanket of clouds. The greyness gets a little old sometimes, but when springtime finally gets here and the flowering trees and bushes come rushing back to life with a palette of springtime hues, it always makes the wait through the cold months seem more worthwhile.

Sometimes living with four seasons can be inconvenient, but the true beauty of life's cycles just can't be matched living closer to the tropic zones. I guess I'll just have to mumble through the cold days when the snow flies, because with the snow-pack comes the water needed for the other three seasons and the beauty that makes each one distinct and vibrant.

A Change of Season

It snowed once in early in October, and then the weather rebounded with temperatures in the 60's... often the upper 60's. We've had our little resurgence of summer, and now the season appears to be changing just as fast as the leaves are falling. In the photo that accompanies this entry, there were green, yellow and red leaves all on one tree -- due to the overcast conditions the photo didn't do the colors justice!

Yesterday afternoon it started to rain. It continued to do so on and off throughout the night. Today the clouds look like they've won the battle and any hope of blue sky making an appearance has been dashed. The temperatures are supposed to hit the 50's today, and possibly tomorrow before they slide into the 40's to finish the week off.

Rain is predicted for most of the week. We knew it had to happen sometime, and this year we actually had decent weather longer than normal, so... I guess it's time for a change of season!

The Final Countdown

Between Valerie and myself, one of us has been the editor of our local union's newsletter since about 1990. This morning I was working on the layout of the next newsletter, and stopped to realize that after this one I'll have two more to put out -- and then I'm done with it.

Nominations for union officers came up over the last two meetings, and I declined to accept the nomination. Frankly I'm glad that it's almost over with as this extra little job has always managed to steal a good portion of what would normally be a day off. Not that it hasn't been fun, and -- yes -- it was a paid position, but I've lost the desire and the interest to keep doing it.

It wasn't as tough when we lived in the Boise area, but since we moved to Garden Valley in 2000 the drive down and back is at the minimum a 100 mile round trip. It's become a chore that I no longer look forward to doing, and thankfully it will be passed along to fresh blood soon enough.

I wonder if I'll find something else to take its place, or just give up on any kind of writing altogether? I've got this mostly unread blog going on its one-year commitment, but after the year is up, then what? I've got an idea for a knitting blog, that instead of featuring the daily rantings of one person would actually enlist the stories of other people worldwide on why they knit. People who might have a tale to tell -- once -- and then they'd be done, unlike the person who is doing a daily journal. Perhaps this theme might catch on or perhaps it won't, but it might be interesting to see.

I need to talk to a couple other computer literate knitters first, because if something like this becomes a hit... I might find myself needing help just keeping up with it. Plus, if there's a way to turn a hobby into something that generates a little cash flow... who am I to say "no"?

A Good Weekend

Every six weeks Valerie and I get Friday, Saturday and Sunday off from the Post Office. We are fortunate that the routes we have are both on the same rotation, so we have the same work schedule. This doesn't always mean that she gets the day off, as she's on the overtime list and this weekend she wound up working both her Friday and Saturday, leaving only Sunday to rest and recover.

But, now that my mother is living in Boise, there is always something to do when a little spare time pops up and Valerie is off slaying postal dragons. And so it was that this weekend we spent a little time seeing the sights.

This past Friday my mom and I piled into the car and made a run to Costco, a place I wind up going for lunch supplies and a few other items that tend to come in large quantities. We took a less than direct line of travel, and went driving through some neighborhoods looking at the various fall colors, including a hilltop view of downtown Boise and the entire Treasure Valley from part of my mail route.

After Valerie got home from work we all got in the car and drove north to McCall for dinner at one of my favorite places, "The Mill". The scenery was incredible as the sun set over the mountains ending what had been a warm fall day.

Saturday dawned and after making mochas for my mom and myself, we set out to return to her apartment. We didn't go the direct, paved way but instead drove through the mountains starting on Alder Creek road and winding our way to Idaho City, and then drove back toward Boise along State Highway 21.

As an added treat we stopped in (unexpectedly) at the Idaho Sewing & Vacuum Center where my cousin Gail works. She hadn't seen her "Aunt Nina" in many years, and was beside herself when she recognised who had just come in the store. Facial expression can say a lot, and when someone lights up with the joy of reunion you've witnessed one of the greatest expressions you'll ever see.

How Much Longer?

It must be nice to be a cat, spending most of your time snoozing away on anything that's soft and cozy. The little cat pictured here is "Kittle"; she's 15, diabetic and causing me to wonder how much longer she's going to be around.

She can't keep dry food down anymore, and when we feed her canned food she'll usually lap up the juices, and occasionally pick at the food. She's been losing weight, and doesn't get up to greet us when we get home at night like she used to do in her healthier days.

There are times I'm tempted to take her into the vet for the "final" time... and then the next day she'll seem to be perfectly fine, purring loudly whenever she's near us. I'm hoping that nature will take it's course before we feel we have to come to a decision of that nature. This has been our favorite cat... and making a choice like that wouldn't be an easy one.

How the West Was Moved...

This week's installment is brought to you by U-Haul... truly a moving experience. (The photo was taken looking out the passenger's window and we descended a long grade into Lauglin, Nevada.)

My mother has made the move from Arizona to Idaho, and somehow survived the ordeal. She decided to opt out of the "easy way" of getting here (flying) and chose to be the navigator in our 14 foot boxed van. Two days and 850 miles later we were in Boise. But I shouldn't end the story before I begin it...

One of the reasons Mom chose to ride on the ground was the opportunity to "see the sights" -- something that can be a bit challenging from 38,000 feet. Getting her in and out of the van wasn't easy, but they are a little more accessible than they were a few years ago. Still, even with help climbing in and out of one of those vehicles can be tough on older joints and her knees were screaming a new song after a couple days of this routine.
We opted out of going over Hoover Dam because of the security requirements: they wanted a "walkable aisle" in the van, and the right to inspect anything they needed to (and we were responsible for repackaging it). Having read that on the website, I figured the 25 miles around would be a lot easier than hoping to find an inspector who was in a good mood and didn't feel we were a threat to the security of America. So we took the spur from Kingman, Arizona into Laughlin, Nevada and then headed north to Las Vegas.

We had talked about hitting a buffet for lunch while in Las Vegas, and to me there is none better than the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio. (Well, there probably are better ones, but to a non-Nevadan this one is pretty amazing.) I pulled off of Interstate 15 on W. Tropicana Avenue, south of where I could see the Rio and thought that I'd then travel one of the side streets to the hotel. This faulty reasoning is where the trouble began.

The street I wanted to use (South Valley View Blvd.) didn't go through; it seems that a railroad track intersects that street between Tropicana and West Flamingo (where the Rio is located). Valley View dead ends right by the rail line. Great.

I thought we'd head a couple of blocks east and try again. Polaris Avenue yielded the same result; dead end at the track. Now I could get back on the Interstate (which was thick with traffic and scary in a U-Haul) or I could head out further west on Tropicana until I hit another major street and try heading north again.

After crossing under a bridge with the railroad above us I knew it was safe to turn right, and Arville St. took us all the way to Flamingo, and then another right and it was off to the Rio. We had to circle the entire complex to find a parking area the was empty enough to park the U-Haul and then it was off to the casino, Mom in her wheelchair and me providing the horsepower behind her. Needless to say that the buffet was in the section of the casino furthest from where we had to park!

Lunch was good, with more food choices than a person could possibly consume in one (or five?) sittings. We then loaded up and got out of Las Vegas as fast as possible. Road construction was everywhere, and vehicles with very wide loads were blocking both lanes in a crowded and narrow part of the freeway as they slowly lumbered up the road. I was very happy to get that mess behind me!

We stayed in Ely, Nevada at the Hotel Nevada. It's actually a fairly nice place for an OLD building, and the showers seem to be their claim to fame. They're hot one minute and cold the next and then back to hot again. Guests are warned that this is going to happen, and that it's part of the "charm" of an old building with antique plumbing.

The following morning we were up and out of there before sunrise heading ever northward toward Idaho. There were a couple of areas where road construction was delaying traffic, but I got there just as the pilot truck was getting ready to lead people through in the direction we were travelling, so we lost no time having to wait.

We arrived in Boise about 2:30 in the afternoon and then spent the evening at our house in Garden Valley. The following morning a crew of my misfit friends helped up unload the van, and moved Mom into her new apartment. There wasn't much room for her with all the boxes, but over the past few days Valerie and I have been working to reduce that load and make the place livable.

I got her computer up and running yesterday so she has contact with the "outside world" once again, and on Friday we took her new power chair outside for it's maiden voyage: a trip to a branch of her bank which is just about a block away from where she's living.

All in all, I'd say "Mission Accomplished!"

In Arizona

The plane pictured here is one of Pterodactyl Airlines (actually Great Lakes Airlines) finest transports - a Beechcraft 1900-D. It seats a whole 19 passengers, although there were only two of us on board from Phoenix to Prescott, AZ on Wednesday, the 24th of September. From Prescott they were flying to Ontario, California -- with absolutely no passengers on board. (Not very cost effective, is it?)

It seems that the cat I took to the vet had a urinary tract infection and a respiratory infection. They gave him some antibiotics that Valerie has to feed him twice daily. It's some pink crap that she has to stick a dropped half way down his throat to get him to swallow it. For 16 years old he puts up one heckuva good fight to NOT get his medicine.

We're preparing for my mother's move next Monday, when we set off from Prescott to Boise, Idaho in a U-Haul moving van. Ah, the joys of the open road await. Her house looks much different with everything stacked in boxes in one corner of the living room, or else having already been given away to other people who wanted some "stuff".

A crew from her church will be there Sunday afternoon to load the van, and then bright and early Monday we'll leave Prescott for the last time. Another chapter has come to a close, yet another one waits to be written.

It's Going to Be a Long Week...

I'm back... but not with a vengeance. Just back. I mentioned that last Sunday we took a bike ride in Boise and wound up at "Joe's Crab Shack" along the Boise River; this is a picture of the view from our table.

Prior to this post is one called "Testing". Sure, I probably could have just deleted the thing and have moved on, but laziness has its benefits (in other words, that's one less thing I have to do). What it was all about was a test of my new cell phone, a "Blackberry Curve 8330". Even thought these phones have a ridiculously small keyboard on them, they still have internet access and, therefore, I can use it to post to the blog when traveling (if for some reason my laptop is not with me). I'll still need to try taking a picture using the phone, and then uploading it to this blog site before I can call my test 100% successful.

On Wednesday of this week I'll fly one-way to Arizona. Yes, that's right... I'm leaving Valerie for another woman. No sense in getting a round trip ticket for this little adventure. My mother is in the process of getting her household goods packed and will be my navigator as we travel by U-Haul moving van back to Boise beginning on the 29 of September. There's a one bedroom apartment (handicapped accessible) that has come open and she'll be moving in on the 1st of October. From then on anytime her computer gives her troubles I won't be able to use the excuse of "I'd have to be there to see what it's doing" -- I'll just have to stop by after work and fix it!

In the cat market... our oldest cat Ralph has suddenly started peeing in a certain area in our bedroom. This leads to speculation of why he suddenly is exhibiting this behavior (when he's never had a problem with the cat box before). Perhaps he's experiencing kidney shutdown, as he isn't drinking like he used to and he (like our other cat) is diabetic. Or could it be kitty alzheimer's, where suddenly he's too stupid to remember where the cat box is? I fear that Monday he will be taking a ride to the vet with me... and at 16 years old and whizzing on the rug, this might turn into one of those "one way" rides.