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?
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The trees are starting to bud here in Aurora, CO. Day started as it normally does, get up, dogs out, dogs snack, my coffee, Jesse’s coffee, log into work and see what trouble I can get into. Today didn’t end up too bad, I was able to talk with a bunch of technicians I needed to and I got some app testing done. Just want to point out that the photograph on this page is probably the most photographed and uploaded location photograph in our system. I use it for every single test claim that I do. Fun fact over.
I was able to get to the rec center for lunch today, a little late, but it still worked out well. The pool was almost empty and I was able to get in a really great workout. I think this is one of the first times I have followed someone else’s workout plan and it worked out pretty well. I did 2100 yards and I started increasing my freestyle to get ready for the June start of the Mountain Swim Series.
I have to work on speed a bit. It is really sad that some of my breaststroke lengths have almost the same times as freestyle. That is a hard one for me to see since freestyle is supposed to be a faster stroke. I do need to make sure I can do a full 2 miles in freestyle, so that is something I am going to work on. But, I was happy with it overall. I think I will probably do the same workout tomorrow.
When I got back I finished out my day with some pricing, some cause of loss determinations and a few more technician calls. All in all a good day. Then I had some rest/relaxation time. Which of the dogs shown below was the good dawg?
ResClimber
And you only get one guess. Yeh, Climber has been challenging for the last few days. It’s time to really work on it and calm her down a bit. Part of the problem is that she has not been getting long walks and I have not been playing ball with her in the yard. I have been a bit concerned about her pulled muscle and have been trying very hard to keep her calmer. I think I have to go back to play time with her in the next few days. Res even snarked at her yesterday as she was pulling on his last nerve.
I did take the proverbial plunge this evening and registered for the Solstice Sunrise Swim 2026 ( and I chose the 2.4 mile option with wet suit. It commits me and I was able to get in before the registration fees went up. I know that it’s going to be a challenge, but it will be a good challenge. It will be my first open water swim since August 2018 when I did the Pan American Open Water Championships. I did the 5K swim in 1:57:52.60 (https://my.raceresult.com/103945/#1_1D1153) in the 50-54 age group. I am now in the 10 year older age group, and this will be a lake swim, a bit different than an ocean swim.
Anyways, that takes care of my looking forward activity, it’s all about my June goals. For my Positive Outlook (no complaining) I think I did pretty good today. As to my being thankful list:
Colorado weather this year has been awesome. I just hope it continues without a deep freeze so that we don’t loose any blooms that may be starting on the apple tree.
Our pack, Res and Climber, they may drive me nuts occasionally, but overall they are really good dogs.
A steady job (as far as I know), and a manager that does believe in training.
My wide skill-set and experiences that make me who I am today.
My love of water, the one place in the world that I really feel “at home” and I miss when I do not get to swim for a while.
I think that just about does it for today. So, good night and I will talk to you tomorrow.
And it’s another Thursday and almost the end of this short month. It’s always strange to have a 28 day month instead of 30/31 days. I woke up this morning around 4:30am, of course that has to do with being on Eastern Time for the last few days, I was able to fall back asleep until our normal 6:20am getting up (or should I say mine). Got up, got the dogs out, and our coffee made.
Sat down and logged into work, before I even had a single cup of coffee I already had a technician trying to reach me. I didn’t answer him and sent him a text that I would call him after I had my first cup of coffee as I was on Mountain Time. He was having login issues, for some reason the iPhone attempts to pre-fill password blanks on Safari and this is very confusing for some people, the correct thing to do is delete that out and select your own secure passwords. That way you are not tied to the Apple Infrastructure.
Just realized I forgot to tell everyone that I did receive a promotion at work. I was brought in as a Technical Field Manager about 5 years ago. Over the years I have been more and more in a support role with technicians and processing. I have added the online education component to my world, and technician procedural and technical training. So, as of February 1st (though we just finalized all the paperwork on Monday) I am the Operations Support Manager for StrikeCheck and HVACi, all part of Alpine Intel. I am happy with the role.
I went out for my morning workout, did a little over 5 miles, and finished another one of the monthly challenges for Garmin. I like the Garmin challenges as it keeps me motivated to push myself.
Total distance: 5.91 mi Max elevation: 5652 ft Min elevation: 5474 ft Total climbing: 686 ft Total descent: -683 ft Average speed: 4.29 mi/h Average cadence: 57 Average heart rate: 114 Average temperature: 23.6 Total time: 01:23:32
I have completed all of the February swimming challenges and then a majority of the February Walking and Health Challenges. Today I finished the one that has been eluding me, the Running Climb (vertical distance during runs). I did the power line trail today from the bottom to the top and fixed that issue. The photograph below is looking up towards the top of Power Line Trail, I had already done an equal climb from the bottom to the point I was standing.
I have made an honest effort on the February running challenges but had to cut back on that as we may be having some weird heart issues (not deadly, really not that dangerous, just irregular – it has been diagnosed, now we have to figure out if it’s worth doing something about). But, I am happy with the challenges I have completed.
I took Climber out to play in the backyard a little bit today and she was doing great, but when she went to the backdoor and stood there waiting to go in she held up her right front paw and started yelping. We crated Res real fast (we do not want a dog fight) and got her inside. She was back to normal almost immediately. I am having a really tough time figuring out what is going on with her. She was perfectly fine until she stopped. And then 5 minutes later after some water and laying down she was fine again as well. This is just really strange.
So, Res got a lone walk today, I wasn’t going to take a chance on taking her and having a problem in the middle of the park. I am starting to think she has something going on with her back, but I am not at the vet visit point yet as it could be something simple as needing some crate rest and no running.
Right now everyone is napping for the evening.
I will leave this open on my laptop to see if there is anything else I want to add for today, probably not, but maybe. Anyways, that’s it for today. I will talk with you all tomorrow.
