Dear Family and Friends

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings and salutations everyone and Happy Fathers Day to all of those for whom the term applies. I figured it was time to repent of my “slacker” ways and get a letter out to all of you. Let’s see, the last time we spoke was in February. “Oodles” have transpired since that time. For one I now hold a Masters degree. It has always been a dream of mine to be a professional librarian and it feels fulfilling to complete such a long held goal. I spent so much time in the library as a kid and as such such institutions have always played a special role in my life.

Like of many of you I have discovered and embraced Social Computing over the past several years and am grateful for the opportunity it has blessed me with to reconnect with old friends. It is such a powerful and unifying tool, allowing the world to grow smaller, of which I am a big fan of.

A couple of weeks ago I had to do what was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life. Snowflake, who was the loyal family dog of eighteen years, had a horrible accident, lying down in some fire coals burning her paws and parts of her mouth. The poor thing was already suffering with three bad legs, deafness and bad eyesight. The accident was the fault of no one, just an honest mistake made by a loving dog. The poor thing had lived a fruitful, joyous life and was simply tired, having given all she had to those she loved and to fulfilling the sense of adventure and enthusiasm she had.

The night of the accident I gave her a blessing and I had the strong impression that it was time for her to go and she had lived a good life. I blessed her that her pain would be minimal and that she would have the strength to endure this trial. Most of all I blessed her to know that she was loved. We took her to the vet the next day and he felt we should give her a chance. In my heart though I knew her time was short. After about a week the poor thing was in pain, a shadow of her former self. My heart went out to her and my only desire was to put an end to her pain and suffering. I gave her one last treat, loved her and the wrapped her in her blanket that my Mother had given her for Christmas. She enjoyed the ride to the Humane Society, especially the breeze but she was tired. As I handed her over to be put to sleep she looked at me with her loving eyes and with a smile as if to say thank you. Afterwards as I placed the wrapped, lifeless body into the back of the Explorer the tears came and stayed for awhile. I still say goodnight to her and think of her playfulness, but miss her still.

It has been a running joke for quite awhile that we should get a kitten. Every time I would go to Petsmart I would make sure to visit the cats. Several times we saw ads for free kittens but whenever we would call the kittens would already be gone. I even saw some in front of Wal-Mart one day but figured I should do my shopping first only to find the kittens gone afterwards. Finally, we were blessed to call on an ad that still had some kittens. They were located on a farm eight miles to the east of Eaton. It was worth the drive. We now possess a wonderfully energetic tiger cat named conveniently enough, Tiger. He is a playful and loving little fellow who is helping to ease the pain of the departure of Snowflake.

On other fronts, the vegetable garden is doing very well after a “herky, jerky” Spring weather season. I have been the primary keeper of the garden for about eight years and have loved every minute of it and learned so much. A bit of a gentleman farmer I must say. I enjoy working in the yard and planting not only the veggies, but also flowers and an array of all things that grow. I love the canning and bottling that goes with it too.

My time right now is mostly spent looking for a professional position. I am sure there is more school in my future as I was especially like to further my studies in history. Most Academic positions have the benefit of free classes so that is what I am hoping for but, if not I wouldn’t mind a public library position near a college. In the meantime I read, listen, watch and observe just about everything I can get my hands on or access to. I have a personal goal to always be reading a work of classic fiction and something non fiction that gives me a greater sense of clarity and understanding and haven been very consistent in that goal over the past several years. Two years ago I made the goal to read a biography of each of the Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints going backwards and am currently set to begin the Biography of Heber J. Grant.

With that I bid each of you adieu and hope life is treating you well. Know of the love I have for each of you.

Love,

Steve

This is Tiger.

This is a picture of Snowflake's grave. I left a tennis ball for her to play with. I also buried her with her squeaky toy.

Fresh Fruit, Corn on the Cob and other Musings

Musings! I love that word! A friend of mine used it the other day and I just coudn't wait to use it any longer. Some words are like a pair of old comfortable socks: No matter how worn or,let's just say colorful, they fit just right. Goldilocks wasn't the only one who was particular. Truth be told, she was just a woman who knew what she wanted.

Nothing tastes better than the bounty of fruits and vegetables that can be found come Spring and Summer. Fresh Strawberries are my personal favorite followed closely by a juice peach. You know the type of peach I'm talking about: The kind where the juice runs down your chin as you take a bite and the flavor explodes as you reach close to nirvana. The other day I bought a fresh pineapple and cut it up. Mixed it together with some cantalope and watermelon. Heaven!

Haven't had any cob corn yet. Everytime I pass the bin at the grocery store people are ripping through it like ravenous wolves. I secretly thing they are just preparing for Christmas shopping. I like my cob with some melted butter, a smittering of red pepper flakes and maybe, if I am feeling dangerous, a dash of tabasco sauce. (I must admit I grow habaneros each year to make habanero jam, a pleasure that is near and dear to my heart.)

The Big Bad Wolf

One of my favorite towns in Northern Colorado is Windsor. There is just something about the place and people. Everyone I have ever encountered are friendly and have a salt of the earth quality. I've always told myself if I settled here that I would make my home in Windsor. I recently have been volunteering at the Windsor Severence Public Library, a library I would make special trips to Windsor for because I liked it so much. As such, I was left with a heavy heart for those who suffered at the hands of this week's twister. If any community has the heart to come back strong it is in Windsor. My thoughts and prayers are will all of those who suffered loss at the hands of Mother Nature.

Windor Tornado Footage