Our World

Category: Pets

Can’t have a section that doesn’t contain pets

  • Day 087 of 2026 – March 28th

    Day 087 of 2026 – March 28th

    Yes, I am a bad blogger, I missed yesterday(Day 086 of 2026) for some reason. I just ran out of time. Anyway, today started off early for a Saturday morning. I got up my normal time and did the dog out, snack, and watch them nap routine.

    Jesse got up early as he is doing the No Kings rally today with an old friend of ours. But, first I needed to get the dogs out for their walk as I have a PT appointment today for my shoulder.

    After I got back from their wal, Jesse got all of his protest stuff together and went to pick up Jennifer and I relaxed for another hour and went down the YouTube rabbit hole. I also started a Virtual Box installation of Ubuntu on my laptop. There are a few amatuer radio things that I would like to try but Windows is not behaving all that well with some of the tools.

    I wasn’t able to finish the installation before I had to leave for my appointment. This involves crating Res and Climber, and putting the extra Houdini latches onto Climber’s crate. And off I went to UC Health. Where I sit now waiting for my appointment.

    Reed V, my physical therapist, decided to try dry needles (acupuncture) with some electrical pulses, almost like a TEMS unit to loosen up my shoulder muscles. Felt really good. Interestingly enough the right side was in worse shape then the left side. And the right side is not the group we have been focusing on. We set another appointment for mid May, but I will need to evaluate if I am going to keep that. There are other people in much more need of Reed’s time and expertise than I am. PT resources are limited and I feel really guilty taking his time when I have a feeling I can manage this on my own now that I know what is happening.

    On the way back I drove over to Vesa fitness on Quincy Avenue because I have been playing around with joining them to improve the pool situation. This is a big no! I couldn’t even find a parking space in their lot. I doubt very seriously that this will he an improvement on scheduling.

    Got home from that and gave the dogs some outdoor time. Climber is eating grass for some reason. Res is sunbathing, he loves being outside.

    And then I had to break up the races around the yard. Res went inside, but Climber wanted to do some more zoomies.

    And then it’s time for me to work on the irrigation system. I found the leak! It really helps when you use PVC glue to put pipes together. Come on folks!

    No wonder why water use was high last year. Its a good thing I was abandoning that section anyways as that is where the micro and drip system will start. I still have to bury the connections, but I am considering putting an access cover here so I can find this in the future.

    I have one more of these I need to do because we have another water leak right about here:

    And based in what I found in the last pit, I can tell you exactly what is happening here as well. Also this is going to become drip and micro sprayers as well because I am not going to be watering just rock.

    While I was working outside Res and Climber decided to come outside for some more supervised sun bathing.

    Time to do laundry and try to do something about getting my HF antenna a little higher off the ground. I decided to put one of our poles from Florida up, but not extended all the way. It is not anchored into the ground but just tied to the fence post next to it. Really not the way I want to leave it. I need a good post on two sides of it that I can anchor to. I am sort of hoping this is stable enough for the moment. While I was working on this, Climber decided to dig a bit, this is something new.

    I think I am just about done with the outdoor stuff for today. The dogs will be walked around 4pm, maybe Jesse will be home by then. In the meantime I am going to sit down and see if I can make this Bluetooth connection on the Ubuntu virtual box work. Nope, still not working properly. I give up until tomorrow.

    Jesse got home and it was walk time with the dogs, took them around the park. Poor Climber got scared again as there was a very loud car and then there was a fire truck, and then there was more cars, and the there was her ultimate nemisis…. pickle ball. Ouch, she pulled all the way home.

    We had dinner, Jesse is off to the store. And I think I am going to call it quits for the day. We will see you all tomorrow.

    Day 087 of 2026 – March 28th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 083 of 2026 – March 24th

    Very busy day today, but also a very rewarding day. Got up around 6:30am MT with the dogs, did the outs, the ins, and the snacks. Sat down with my coffee and previewed my email for the day. Not too bad first thing in the morning. After I heard Jesse get up I migrated to my downstairs office and got the day started. Downstairs office is important as I have two additional screens for my laptop and it gives me the real-estate I need to work in this paperless environment.

    Spent most of my morning working on pricing requests and finishing that large pricing project that has been lingering. It’s DONE! (For now) and submitted. I think I did it right, I can support all my numbers and I was somewhere between the engineer and the contractor when I finished everything, and that is always a good place to be. And, in between those projects I also had some tech support issues that came up.

    I was able to get away today and spend some time in the pool. Thankfully I had a good workout and was able to get my mile swim in. I also decided to toss out that workout written by someone else and do my own thing, this has always worked for me in the past, I don’t think I cam going to change it. I am about 11 weeks out from the start of the Mountain Swim Series and I need to be ready. The goal is a 5K (3.12 miles) with 0 rest breaks and as much freestyle as possible, using breakstroke to give me my sighting and rest breaks. I am not sure how will this will go, but if I can do that I should not have any issues with the 2.4 mile swim in June.

    Got back to my desk in about an hour (including swim time) and spent the rest of the day getting caught up with my exploding list of cause of loss determinations, pricing, tech support, resolution reviews, and so on. I spent a little bit of extra time making sure everything was caught up at the end of the day because I am taking tomorrow off. I want to do some exploring. Where you ask? Well, let’s wait until tomorrow evening and I will let you know.

    Anyways, I am here, relaxing with the dogs, and enjoying my evening before a day off.

    Res and Climber say, “See you tomorrow”, they do not know they are staying home for the day while I go out. Maybe next time I will take one of them with me, but not this time as I haven’t been there before.

    Who’s the innocent dog? You get one guess. The easier question may be who’s the overgrown puppy?

    See you tomorrow!

    Day 083 of 2026 – March 24th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 081 of 2026 – March 22nd

    Day 081 of 2026 – March 22nd

    We had a busy but good day today. I got up as normal around 7AM which is normal for a weekend. My internal alarm does not vary too much between weekdays and weekends, so it’s normal. I let the dogs out, gave them their treats, and sat down with my coffee and email. I was again surprised to find not too much. Why surprised? We did our Winter 2026 software release and app update at work and I was expecting some fall-out. One or two emails, but not the quantity I expected at all.

    Anyways, once Jesse got up I started the dog walk process. First comes Res, who is for the most part such a good boy on his walks. His only issue is that he wants to sniff every tree and respond to all the Pee Mail left by other dogs along the way. Yeh, that takes a while. But, he decided to go past our normal turn around point and we did almost 3 miles today. I was surprised he wanted to go that far but it was a little cooler than normal.

    After Res it’s Climber’s turn. She started out her walk great, but when we got to the end of the park, she wanted to cross the street and do our normal walk past the credit union. Nope, today we were turning left because I wanted her to do a different walk. But, what no one realizes is that while this plan was well thought out. Climber is stubborn. For the next 1/4 mile it was almost like purposely missing a turn on Google Maps. “Make a U-turn” 15,000 times and then finally “Re-routing”. It took us to get to our 3/4 mile point before Climber realized that we were trying something new and then she decided, “cool – let’s go!”

    When all was said and done Climber and I did a little over 4 miles. And, then she ran around the house like the puppy she pretends to be before Jesse and I had breakfast. Climber has unlimited energy. After a great egg, sausage, and croissant breakfast, Jesse went out to the yard to blow the leaves off the yard, while I went and did my Sunday swim at the rec center. I walked the 2.25 miles down and back, did a 1000yd swim in-between. I had wanted to get my steps in for one of the Garmin challenges, but I also wanted to get back into the pool, this was the easy solution for both. Tomorrow will most likely be a “pool only” workout because of time and not wanting to overdo it, which is always a danger.

    I got back from my workout and then went outside and joined Jesse in Spring yard cleanup. Today was the day to put the irrigation line that I laid out yesterday under the rock so the dogs don’t trip over it or the squirrels don’t eat it. As I may have mentioned yesterday we think there is going to be some serious water rationing this year. By reducing the spread and gallons per minute of the irrigation for the gardens we can decrease our water usage. We really like the micro-mist irrigation and have used it before in Florida.

    Jesse ended up helping me put the rack back into the trenches I had dug as this was really a two person job, and then it was time to wrap it up for the afternoon. It doesn’t all have to get done on a single day. After a little bit of down time it was time to take the dogs for their evening walk, dinner for them, and then dinner for us.

    Now we are done for the day, sitting down and relaxing for the evening. And with that another day is done. We will see you tomorrow. Goodnight!

    Day 081 of 2026 – March 22nd

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 079 of 2026 – March 20th

    Day 079 of 2026 – March 20th

    Today started off as most others did. Got up my normal time, let the dogs in and out and in and out. Climber must have had an emergency, she never goes out twice in the morning. Res was having a good morning, he woofed at me to hurry up in the bedroom before I brought them downstairs, there may or may not have been a play-bow involved. As I said, he was having a good day.

    After I found out I forgot to set the timer for the coffee maker last night and started that, I worked through my email and got the rest of the project in Visio I was working on yesterday pretty much done for the first version. I was happy with the initial version. I know I am going to have to make some changes further down the line, but that’s OK. Everyone including my manager expects that. My boss is one of the best I have ever worked for, provides guidance when needed, will tell me if I mess up, will tell me if I do something great, and is more likely to take a hands off approach unless there could be legal consequences to material made public, all of which I appreciate.

    I got out for my lunch break about 11:00 and went and did a 7 mile walk today. I am having trouble getting my 10K steps per day in without spending a bunch of time with walks. I will finish this month doing it this way but am going to change things up in April and do smaller walks as breaks. If I do 4 walks around the park I can get my 6 miles or so in. I am also still considering the rec center walk with a swim in the middle, but I have to have enough time in the day to do that. I am trying very hard not to drive places if I really don’t have to. The price of gas has gotten ridiculous again.

    I got to see my Prairie Dogs again at the bottom of Power Line Trail. There are hundreds of them out here just sunbathing and looking our of their holes and digging more tunnels. They are so cute.

    Total distance: 7.04 mi
    Max elevation: 5646 ft
    Min elevation: 5461 ft
    Total climbing: 461 ft
    Total descent: -461 ft
    Average speed: 4.64 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 124
    Average temperature: 30.5
    Total time: 01:33:16

    I am taking a day off next week and am going to go explore Red Rock Park. That should be fun, I know many years ago my brother took me there when I visited him, but I have not had a chance to go back since. And, it really is not that far from the house here, drive out in the morning, spend most of the day, and then home in the afternoon. There is a hike I want to do there. I really do need to get back into the pool as well because the Mountain Swim Series keeps getting closer.

    I may next week trade off some swimming for my steps also, I am not sure yet, I need to talk with my PT tomorrow. There is a chance that I will also decide to hold off another week or so to give my shoulder a chance to heal a little more. I really messed it up when I was shoveling snow that last heavy snow we had. It was too heavy for the snow blower and we needed to make some space in the back yard for the dogs. This last snow we just left it. I really wanted the water on the lawn and we are going to be under some serious water rationing this Summer. A little bit concerned about that.

    Back to work for the rest of the afternoon. I was able to finish most of my pricing, I have one large pricing project left that I would like to get done by Monday, but if it goes over a bit it won’t hurt anyone. It’s a two claim in one project, one for electrical pricing, and one for the HVAC pricing. The electrical pricing will be the difficult one as I have to work from photos and an adjuster’s documentation. It is so much easier when I can go to the site and see it as I am pricing it. The HVAC file is easier as it’s based on sq ft and use of the building. I’ll get it done.

    Anyway, I am here watching the Aves on TV playing Chicago, hockey is the only team sport I will watch. Unfortunately ticket prices are so expensive I can’t afford to go see them live. TV has to do. And, I am watching the dogs nap. Not sure how long that will work.

    And Jesse just got home from Costco, he only had 4 items in the shopping bag. Sort of amazing, and with that I think I am going to call it a day. Tomorrow I have a PT appointment in the morning, and then I am going to go for my Saturday walk and explore a park that I haven’t had a chance to explode yet, and then I am going to maybe go to REI or Sketches and see if I can find a decent pair of hiking/trail shoes that won’t break the bank. And then this weekend I have a bunch of other things I want to get done around the yard.

    Goodnight all! See you tomorrow.

    Day 079 of 2026 – March 20th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 078 of 2026 – March 19th

    Day 078 of 2026 – March 19th

    Started off the day at my normal time, getting up around 6:30am and letting the dogs out and giving them their treats, and then watching them do their post snack, pre-walk morning nap while I was having my first cup of coffee and checking my email for anything urgent. It started off as a pretty calm day, and pretty much remained that way. It was already about 50 degrees this morning.

    I took my lunch about 10:30AM [I work on an Eastern Time schedule so it was 12:30PM ET] and went out for my long walk/hike that I am trying to do every day. My stride length is so long that it takes about 6.25 miles to get my 10,000 steps in. Then anything extra I walk during the day is just excess. On my walk today I saw the cutest and friendliest whippets, 3 of them and one of them looked a lot like Peanut and jumped up and gave me a few kisses.

    Then I saw some geese in one of the creeks, it looked like one of them is the fun police sitting up on the bank and overseeing the children.

    Then I finished up by heading up the hills on Power Line trail and back to the house. Took a little longer than I wanted to, but I will make up the time later in the evening by catching up on some training and procedural documentation that I am trying to get done. Wasn’t a bad hike at all, reasonable time and some elevation.

    Total distance: 6.46 mi
    Max elevation: 5657 ft
    Min elevation: 5509 ft
    Total climbing: 407 ft
    Total descent: -407 ft
    Average speed: 4.35 mi/h
    Average cadence: 58
    Average heart rate: 119
    Average temperature:
    Total time: 01:30:45

    I sat back down at my desk and spent another four hours getting my work done. At around 2:30PM I cam back upstairs and started letting the dogs out and in for their sunbathing time while I was working on email, pricing, and document review. It’s going to be really tempting this Summer to setup a table outside that I can work on while supervising the dogs in the yard. Anyways, both Climber and Res enjoyed some outside time. Climber has a leash attached to her because we are still working on “yard manners” when they are out together. Climber likes to get Res worked up and at time it gets wild enough that we worry about vet visits from someone falling. We don’t think they would ever go after each other, so that is not the concern. Anyways, they enjoyed their outside time.

    After some out time they had their afternoon walk in the park, about 1/2 a mile and then it was time for dinner (for them and then us) and relaxation time for everyone except me. I still needed to do my resistance band workout to try and get my shoulder stronger so that I can perhaps eventually stop having this shoulder discomfort/pain that I am having.

    I am still looking forward to Mountain Swim Series starting on June 14th and I really need to get back into the pool for a little bit. I am considering combining my walk and pool time tomorrow by driving down to the rec center doing a 3.2 mile walk to meet my Garmin walking challenge for March and then swim for 20-30 minutes and then continue on with my day.

    This afternoon we broke temperature records and it isn’t even Spring for another few days.

    And I think that will be it on my computer today, I am trying to cut back on screen time before bedtime. Today was a good day, there was no reason to complain about anything. I was able to solve several problems, I was able to use past skills in my current position. I never thought I would use Visio again, and yet, I spent a few hours this evening re-learning Visio. The biggest change is that now it’s a web version rather than the desktop version I was always used to. I didn’t forget that much which is a good thing. So, not only am I grateful for the nice weather, my health, my ability to judge my own fitness, Jesse, Res, and Climber, I can be thankful for things I taught myself years ago that keep coming back in my current role.

    Goodnight everyone and I will talk to you tomorrow.

    Day 078 of 2026 – March 19th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 073 of 2026 – March 14th

    Day 073 of 2026 – March 14th

    It was a nice Saturday, not only with what I was able to get done, but it was a beautiful day in general. I got up a little later than normal, around 7:15am and did the morning routine with the dogs. First Res goes out while Climber scavenges for any left over crumbs of bones from last nights snacks, and the Res comes in and Climber goes out.

    I was able to spend a little bit of time reading and catching up on my personal email. It’s never ending and when Jesse got up we had another cup of coffee and then I took Res our for a solo morning walk. I like taking them individually at least once a weekend so that we can work on leash manners and I get a little time with each of them so I can get a better idea that everything is right with them. Res did about a 2.5 mile walk. Of course about a mile away from the house he did not feel like walking anymore.

    Total distance: 2.67 mi
    Max elevation: 5655 ft
    Min elevation: 5560 ft
    Total climbing: 281 ft
    Total descent: -275 ft
    Average speed: 3.72 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 96
    Average temperature: 26.7
    Total time: 00:45:51

    Once I brought Res back from his walk it was Climbers’ turn. She gets a little longer walk, the goal with Climber is to keep her motivated and also try to tire her out. Nope, you cannot tire an overgrown puppy out. But, I tried. Climber did about 3.2 miles with a bunch of hills.

    Total distance: 3.08 mi
    Max elevation: 5648 ft
    Min elevation: 5556 ft
    Total climbing: 400 ft
    Total descent: -390 ft
    Average speed: 3.61 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 95
    Average temperature: 27.8
    Total time: 00:53:42

    After I got Climber home we had a great breakfast and then it was my turn for my longer walk/hike. I decided not to do the pool today because my shoulder still didn’t feel all that great when I was laying on it this morning. So, I parked at the rec center and went East along the power lines up into the Aurora Highlands. The goal was to get some hill work in as I am trying to build endurance. I did the no-name trail, swung up along Commerce Drive, and then back down to the rec center. About 6.3 miles total, which wasn’t all that bad. I was not going for speed on this one, I was trying to figure out hydration. It was the first time that I carried my Camel Back since about five years ago. I think it helped.

    I am still working towards the Mountain Swim series that is now 13 weeks out. My shoulder is the great unknown at this point. It is a 2 mile swim and if my shoulder can not handle that in advance I may not be able to do the swim. But, let’s stay positive for the moment and continue to get into shape for that. I need to lose 5 more pounds. Today’s weigh in was at 221.3 pounds, with 7.3% body fat (I am doubting that number), 195 pounds of muscle, and about 60 pounds of water. My BMI is still a little high, around 27.8, but I am not a fan of BMI, I think it keeps people too skinny. I am just about at my best weight, as I said, 5 more pounds down. I am not all that worried about it, but I would like to be able to fit into my wet suite.

    Yaw:213.07106,Pitch:-8.703760286169942,Roll:2.4701494816793974
    Yaw:167.99226,Pitch:-30.760468995375312,Roll:-1.30971783888333
    Yaw:249.27217,Pitch:-3.1414844455062347,Roll:-2.012562484599414
    Yaw:237.41953,Pitch:-0.5940134223635406,Roll:-2.028460242879362
    Yaw:47.578976,Pitch:-6.033408448402616,Roll:-1.124493634013504
    Total distance: 6.61 mi
    Max elevation: 5770 ft
    Min elevation: 5550 ft
    Total climbing: 714 ft
    Total descent: -696 ft
    Average speed: 4.17 mi/h
    Average cadence: 57
    Average heart rate: 119
    Average temperature:
    Total time: 01:37:25

    After my walk I did need to go to Lowe’s real quick. I had to get a converter to go from the output of the Jackrey solar batteries which has a 50 Amp Range style plug, to the generator connection plug that under the electrical panel. The voltages match, the phases match, but for some reason Jackrey came out with a plug style that you can only connect a range to. I just do not understand why they didn’t go with a true twist lock type connection.

    This evening Jesse fire up the flat top for the season and we had hamburgers for dinner along with a pasta salad. The burgers are always so good when they are done on the flat top outside. Jesse grills them, then puts onion on the top, covered with cheese. By the time it is done it is all melted together and so good. Add some pickles and barbecue sauce and it gets better.

    And with that the day is over. I did get a chance to try and figure out what is happening with my amateur (ham) radio station, I am just having all sorts of transmit audio issues. I am starting to think it’s a permissions issue. I cannot write to any output port. Reading works pretty will but writing (output audio) is just a problem. The thing that drives me nuts is that this all used to work, I think I am going to have to fire up the old server and see what I did differently. I am not 100% sure I have all the old configuration anymore, but I can try.

    The antenna extender poles arrived today so we may be able to fix the UHF/VHF station. The antenna is too close to the roof and I can’t get the bottom spokes the way they are supposed to be. We will see if that fixes the APRS side of things. (APRS stands for Automatic Packet Reporting System), it is based on packet radio, but has a lot of additional functionality. The older packet operators hate it, but it is one of the fastest growing parts of ham radio. Short messages with location that digital repeaters can forward.

    Now it is time to relax and watch some TV and catch up on some Internet Things. Like this blog post. See, a positive day, things to be thankful for, and continuing to work towards an upcoming event. Not a bad day.

    Before I leave I want to share some photos from our backyard. While it is going to be really cold tomorrow, the Spring flowers, the crocuses and lilies are starting to come up. It’s going to soon be time to fix the irrigation system, and make the changes I want to make this year.

    Day 073 of 2026 – March 14th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 072 of 2026 – March 13th

    Today started off as normal, up before the sun came up, let the dogs out – they go out by themselves or I would be refereeing a game of chase, in the dark, in a yard with raised planters, rocks, retaining walls, and steps. Yup, not happening. So got them all taken care of, then sat down for my morning “stroll” through my to-do list, email, and pricing requests.

    After Jesse got up and I was able to spread out at my desk I got a rather large pricing project done and submitted. That one was a major hurdle as I was not sure if I had enough information, but I did. Then I spent the rest of the day on various work stuff. Jesse had some appointments this afternoon so I went out after work for my walk.

    I really did not get a chance to do a hard workout as I am still feeling my travel a bit. I think I am either going to go swim tomorrow or I am going to go up the the higher trails off to the east of the rec center and get some hill workouts in. We will see what I feel like in the morning. The photograph above is from the power line trail looking off to the West. I like the mountains.

    Total distance: 3.26 mi
    Max elevation: 5652 ft
    Min elevation: 5557 ft
    Total climbing: 330 ft
    Total descent: -331 ft
    Average speed: 4.03 mi/h
    Average cadence:
    Average heart rate: 100
    Average temperature: 25.4
    Total time: 00:49:20

    Anyways got back from my walk and it was almost time to take the dogs for their evening walks. It was a nice day in the park today, a little windy but still nice. We are supposed to get up in the high 70s tomorrow, but then Mother Nature has a surprise for us on Sunday (or so the weather people are telling us). We need rain. We really need rain.

    Had Pizza for dinner, frozen pizza, but Jesse adds toppings and spices to it so it turns out good, and they are a good cheap “cheat” meal. Jesse had to run to Costco after dinner since he will not go on weekends, they are just too busy. So, I am sitting here going through my personal list of emails and spam, and writing a little about today.

    Climber is laying down trying to take the fur off one of their toys, and Res is pretending that he doesn’t want to jump in and help her. Oops. that didn’t last long, they are now both napping.

    Yaw:239.80942,Pitch:-29.904538412241227,Roll:-2.4066560509069745
    Yaw:288.28818,Pitch:-27.773142221115727,Roll:8.577604263201202
    Yaw:324.31003,Pitch:-27.321376618992097,Roll:2.084974320164349

    I spent some time today trying to figure out a training plan for the Mountain Lake Swim series in June. I think I can do it but I am not sure that I am going to be able to follow someone else’s training plans. I think I messed up my shoulder by trying to break the routine I know and understand. I need to get back in the pool and get back into the routine again. It’s been a week out of the water and that kills my stamina. I also think I have lost the water weight that I gained while I was traveling this last week. I always put on between 7 to 10 pounds when I travel and this trip was no different. Came back 7.5 pounds heavy, but thankfully I have already lost all but 2 pounds and I figure those will be gone tomorrow.

    Today was a pretty positive day, nothing to complain about, and I wrote about a future event and expressed my thankfulness for my health, Jesse, my dogs, and where we live. And especially when we moved.

    Day 072 of 2026 – March 13th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 067 of 2026 – March 8th

    Day 067 of 2026 – March 8th

    What a day! It was the first day of Daylight Savings Time for 2026 so everyone lost an hour of sleep. My awesome body alarm got be up normal time, about 6:45 or so in the new time, which does go along with my waking up around 5:45 standard time. Of course the dogs were all confused, Res looked at me like I lost my ever beloved mind. Climber was like, “Cool!! Let’s go”.

    I came downstairs, did the morning snacks and outs for the dogs and then sat down and had my cup of coffee. I did have to do a quick check on my work email to make sure none of the techs that had appointments today needed anything. Then I finally had time to do the firmware update on my handheld radio that needed attention. That is not an easy thing to do so I was putting it off until I could find some time to do it. I am still not sure it is working properly after the update, I will need to figure that out in the next few days.

    I spent a few minutes catching up on social media. The photograph in the front of today’s post came up in my memories. These are always neat to see, but a little sad as well. Each of the dogs in the photo were part of our original pack, from right to left we have Ranger (Army Ranger), standing over Peanut (BL Merry Go Round), then we have Mindy (Puzzle Patch) laying down, then Lady (Midnight Lady) is in mid-stretch, and Leona (Dazzle Leona Lee) just being Leona. Peanut was Jesse’s dog, Ranger was everyone’s dog, Mindy was most definitely mine – Mindy and I had a connection that went beyond anything I ever experienced. She alerted (with no training) an any health issue, and she also knew the moment my plane touched down in Florida and would go lay by the garage door waiting for me. Lady was probably my dog, she remembered me from her farm days, and Leona was just Leona. She was a sweet dog, but really just lived her own life. She was attached to her sister (Lady and Leona were litter-mates).

    After Jesse got up I went and took the dogs for their walk, I did lone walks today. Res got a little over a mile and a half. I think he may have scraped a toe in the yard this morning and I think it was starting to bother him. Climber actually took me on a walk, she knew exactly where she wanted to go and I did have to provide some guidance to make sure she didn’t get too crazy with her wants. We did almost 3 miles, and she was fine when she decided that it was time to head home.

    After I got back with them and had breakfast I decided to go out and do my own walk/hike to see what I could find after our snow. It was challenging in some places because some sidewalks were not clear so I had to walk on the curb or the edge of the road. But, I went down to the Toll Gate Trail and walked 7.27 miles. I didn’t push it and did OK. The goal was to get some vertical elevation in as well as catch up on my steps. I was going to walk to the rec center and spend some time in the gym, but after I saw what a nice day it was outside I decided to just stick with the hike and go longer than I normally do.

    Total distance: 7.26 mi
    Max elevation: 5661 ft
    Min elevation: 5483 ft
    Total climbing: 434 ft
    Total descent: -428 ft
    Average speed: 4.01 mi/h
    Average cadence: 56
    Average heart rate: 106
    Average temperature:
    Total time: 01:55:52

    In one area the trail crosses near a little dam and the ducks are already in the water looking for food.

    After I got home from my walk FedEx received the second part of our Jackry battery backup system. It has a different plug that I need to figure out how to adapt to the generator connection that is connected to the house transfer switch. I need the 30Amp 240V from the photo below, I think I will need to top outlet (the one that says AC 120V/240V 30A). The plug itself is rated for 50Amps which is what the problem is. I may have to add a second outlet for the battery system, I really do not want to do that though, it’s really not the right way to do it.

    Jesse is going to let them charge over the next two days while I am out of town, we can charge from the solar panels but it is a time consuming process, but as Jesse put it, “The sun is free – plugging it in costs me money.”

    Then I got a notification in on my phone reminding me to check into the hotel. I like the digital keys and if I check in in advance I usually get a digital key and don’t have to deal with the front desk. The issue is that even though Hilton advertises this as a feature for the high reward club members, the local hotel has a choice not to use it. They claim “software issues are preventing it” but the reality is that they want to swipe your credit card locally instead of charging it through corporate Hilton. Well, when I went to check in I was informed by the AI robot that the digital check in could not be processed. So, I chatted the hotel and was told, pretty rudely I might admit, that the hotel does not do digital check-in and I can check in at the desk when I get there. So, I saved the company 100.00 for my stay and changed to the Holiday Inn Express that is actually a little closer, and canceled my Hilton reservation. I actually prefer IHG hotels, but have been using Hilton more due to the digital keys. Oh well, I am slowly re-evaluating that.

    I did spend a little time working this afternoon, I had to finish some app testing for our upcoming app release and it’s a good thing I checked because I did find some problems between the iPhone version and the Android version. I have to send some videos and screen captures to my manager so that maybe he can get it fixed. It’s not a major deal but it will cause the results from the two app versions to be different in a time where we are trying to keep things uniform. I tested the Electrical Service Panel, Electrical Wiring, Electrical Outlets, Water Heater, and the Refrigerator workflows. I know, I am not supposed to work on a Sunday, but I am running tight on creating training material and now I have enough that I can finish some work on my flight tomorrow and that makes me much less stressed.

    And we had a good shrimp/salmon/rice dinner and I finished packing for my trip tomorrow. I always end up over-packing by a day or two, but I never know when an extra day is going to be added onto my trip. I am also now trying to be a little more careful on job sites so I am taking work-boots with me now. And, I am taking my resistance bands so I can do my workouts in my hotel room.

    Before I forget:
    Looking Forward: I am on track for my June 14th Mountain Swim event. I know not to push it with my shoulder and I have other endurance activities I can do to stay on track.

    Staying Positive: Still doing good on staying positive about things. Everyday there are little hurdles to go over, but there are always good solutions. It’s just a matter of finding them.

    Things I am Thankful/Grateful For: My health, which is for the most part really good, and I am still working on getting back into shape after some pretty severe issues. Jesse, who is always here and takes care of me always, and The Pack when I am traveling. And having a good job with some really great team members.

    Anyways, we are all here for the evening, relaxing, and getting our minds ready for the upcoming week. I hope everyone has a good evening and I will see you tomorrow.

    Day 067 of 2026 – March 8th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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  • Day 066 of 2026 – March 7th

    Day 066 of 2026 – March 7th

    We are melting…… This morning started off with our walk in the park, I took the dogs one at a time as I wasn’t to sure how they would react to the snow and in some spots the ice. They did pretty well. Res found a icy spot and almost fell, but Climber did OK.

    The part has a whole different look when it has just snowed. So clean and white.

    Came back, had some breakfast and then went to the rec center to get a swim in, I also did a 2 mile walk on the indoor track. I finished up with some weights, I can’t stand lifting, but I am starting to think that might be what’s missing in my routine. Today I only did 1000 yards in the pool because my shoulder has been bothering me, so I figured what the hell, I might as well go up and see what is available for me to work out on. Yup, unfortunately I am going to have to do more of that. I really need to figure out how much of this I can replicate with body weight and band exercises as the gym equipment in hotels is unreliable and I need something that I can count on. I will have to do some research.

    I need to make sure that my shoulder is in shape for the Mountain Lake Swim in June. I have been saying all along that the shoulder is the one thing that could knock me out of it. But, so far so good, I just have to back of the pool for a little bit and let the shoulder settle down a bit. I probably need to go to a 3 or 4 day a week swim and work on my dryland on the other days. I do have a tendency to overdo things a bit physically. I am going to be traveling M-W so this may be a good break. I am not sure I will be able to find a public pool near where I will be.

    Spent the rest of the afternoon doing some things around the house. Laundry always has to be done, and then Jesse and I put together the new Jackrey backup power (solar and battery) that we ordered. It was only at a 29% charge when it arrived so we set it up in the backyard so that it could charge and then eventually (when the other part shows up) we can connect to the house and test it. I will probably add a few battery packs to it eventually to give us longer time and I would like at least 24 hours of use on battery if needed.

    Anyways, Res and Climber are settled in for the evening. I think I got everything done that I needed to get done before next week starts. I do want to update the firmware on my handheld radio, a few new features that I would like to be able to use, including some new APRS functions that I am looking forward to trying.

    So, with these photographs of Res and Climber, I let you go. Please stop by, comment, say hello.

    Day 066 of 2026 – March 7th

    18394 East Arkansas Avenue, Aurora, CO
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  • Day 065 of 2026 – March 6th

    Day 065 of 2026 – March 6th

    I got up this morning at my normal time and it was cloudy but there was no snow on the ground. Well……. that didn’t last long. Colorado finally decided to start participating in Winter. Where’s our trophy? Anyways by the time Jesse went to go walk the dogs there was already over an inch in the grass.

    As always I worked for a good portion of the morning and then went and got my hour in the pool. I got in just about a mile and a half. I am still so unsure of these workouts written by others. I am not sure if it is really preparing me properly for the distance I need to swim. I understand the points of all of the sets, but just feel that they are not doing what they should. I also do have a little concern about my shoulder.

    It wasn’t a bad swim, and I had the pool basically to myself because of the weather, but I just wasn’t feeling it today. And, my times are not really getting better….. need to figure out what was up with that. My endurance is improving but my times are not. I think I need to work more on endurance right now. I have to get up to a 5K in a single swim, if I accomplish that I know I will be able to complete the first swim of the Mountain Lake Swim Series 2026 in June. My should is my worrying unknown.

    Anyways, came back home and found one of our neighbors had shoveled the sidewalk all the way around the cule’d sack (or however you spell that), so I got out and did our driveway and the porch steps. He was nice enough to shovel a path to the front door. Anyways, the snow is really heavy this time, almost like New England snow.

    And then came back and worked the rest of the day. After that was finished I let Res and Climber out in the yard because I was sure they had to go out something awful.

    Res, took very ginger steps into the white stuff before he realized what it was and it wouldn’t hurt him and then he decided to just have some fun! He went under his pine tree for some protection from the “falling sky”. And then it was Climber’s turn. Climber does not have a care in the world and she got out in it, did a few laps, fell on her butt, and then took care of business and back into the house we went.

    Sorry, It’s the only picture I could get, I didn’t have my phone outside with me. And then I decided that I had to start working on getting snow out of the yard. This is heavy and the normal snow thrower we use is not doing that great with it. I don’t think this is going to last that long anyways, snow does not like upper 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s.

    I got about 1/3 of the back yard shoveled but my shoulder is taking the brunt of that. I may have strained it again, it is going to take a heating pad tonight.

    I was good today, no complaining, and I remain grateful for my technical background which allows me to do my job, the move to Colorado because things keep getting crazier in Florida, and some of my doctors who continue to try to figure out why I keep having some heart related “issues”.

    Anyways, that’s it for the evening. Stay out of a snow bank, and I will see you all tomorrow.

    Day 065 of 2026 – March 6th

    18394 E Arkansas Ave, Aurora, CO 80017, USA
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