Cousins Reunion

On my mother's side of the family, there were 26 cousins. Aunt Phyllis & Uncle Ray lived in Washington so we didn't get to see them much, but the rest of us were pretty close growing up. It seems like we always hit Thatcher together. Well, it had been a long time since we got together. Attempts have been made, but nothing ever came of them. So finally Paul took control. He picked a time and arranged for a place (Mark's) for us to meet. There are 23 of us cousins left, and 10 of us made it to the reunion. A splendid time was had by all. It was great to see those that made it. We missed the ones that didn't make it. We talked about them.

I'm baaack...

It hasn't been as long as I thought since I last was here. Anyway, I got disgusted with Facebook so I deactivated my account there. That, along with being in Thatcher, should give me plenty of time to keep up with the blog. So I will try to do better. I already have some requests, so I will get to those soon.

Life in Thatcher is...different. Much different than what I have been used to for the last 20 or 30 years. And much different than it was when I was a kid and would come and visit. It will be interesting to see how things go.

Bread!

The place where I work was kind enough to give us 12 days off. Unpaid. So I thought I would go to Thatcher for a visit. I have been doing all sorts of fun projects that needed doing. 

I also brought along my sewing machine but discovered when I got here that what I thought was my current project in the case was just a piece of the fabric. That will have to wait until next time.

I talked my mother into showing me how to shape loaves for bread. We all know what disasters my first attempts on my own were. I am happy to report that I learned well. My bread actually looks like bread should. And it tastes pretty yummy to boot. There may be hope after all!

Turn The Page

There are a lot of changes coming in my mostly peaceful existence. I think that most of them will be good.

First, I am moving. I love the place where I live, but I was making quite a bit more money when I moved here than I am now. It is a struggle to make ends meet and any unexpected expenses can wreak havoc. So with the help of my cousin Paul, I have found a place that is not quite as big, not quite as nice but is 25% cheaper. That will help.

Second, my employment is winding down to its demise. I took a job as a temporary worker about 14 months or so ago. At the time they said the job would probably last 2 to 3 months. The factory where I work is moving their operations to Malaysia. There have been many difficulties with the move and it has been postponed several times. Thus the 14 or so months rather than 2 or 3 months of employment. Now they are saying January is it.

Third, and as a consequence of #2, I will be going back to school. The government has a program called "Trade Adjustment Allowance" that will pay for my retraining since my job is going overseas. I have just started the process of jumping through all of the bureaucratic hoops required. I'm leaning towards a webmaster certification. I hope that it is a growing field and that I will be able to stay employed once I complete the training. Actually, I hope to prosper rather than just get by. We shall see.

I Love Public Transit

I love public transit! You get to see so many interesting things and meet so many fascinating people. The other day, there was a couple sitting waiting for the bus when I got to the stop. He was kind of jumpy, maybe a little hyperactive. Perhaps in an altered state of consciousness. Anyway, he was explaining to his girlfriend that the rate of acceleration when you fall is 32 feet per second (Close, but no cigar.) and the speed of light is 186,000 miles per hour (Not even close.). Then he started trying to figure out how far you would have to fall to attain the speed of light. Guess he's never heard of terminal velocity. She got up and went to the Quick Trip.

The Good Son

In the breakroom at work the other night, one of the ladies was eating a bag of CornNuts Chips Salsa y Limón. They left a reddish, powdery residue on her fingers, much like Cheetos dust. She complained about them staining her fingers. One of the young men got up and cranked out some paper towels for her. She thanked him and proceeded to clean up her hands as best she could. She noted that while better, her fingers still just weren't clean. The same young man got up again, got her some more paper towels, grabbed one of the styrofoam cups next to the coffee machine and filled it with hot water from the spigot on the coffee maker. She gushed about it. She told him "Your mother raised a fine, caring, considerate, polite son!"

In a loud, strident voice I said "So did mine!"

Everybody stopped what they were doing and looked at me.

I said "He lives in Colorado."

Old Friends

I had the privilege of spending a couple of days with three beautiful women. It was fantastic, a lot of fun! They talked a lot while I mostly listened and laughed. There was some cigar smoking, some guitar playing, a few serious discussions. But mostly there was love and laughter.

Susan, Lisa, some lucky guy, Karen.

Karen

Susan

Lisa

Funny how they are all still vibrant and beautiful and I look like an old guy.

Thank you, lovely ladies, for allowing me to tag along. I had the bestest time. Those of you from far away should come and see us more often. You that lives here should see me more often. Old friends are the best!