Although we have never had it tested, we have hard water. The residue builds up, particularly on dishes and cookware.

Over the last few months it seemed to be getting worse. Dishes were not getting as clean as in the past. Looking over the dishwasher it became apparent that the washer was limed up. Time for a new one.

This project spiraled into a major PITA. I had originally purchased a scratch-and-dent unit that, when I got it home and began to unpack it, had internal damage not visible on first inspection. Back to the store. (70 mile round trip each time,)

The shop gave me a discount on a new Bosch unit but did not have the color (black) that Pam wanted in stock. Ordered one in.

Back to the store to pick up the Bosch a few days later, after calling to confirm it had arrived. Store personnel had trouble finding it but eventually did locate it. Handed me a receipt. Got home, wrong receipt. Called next day. “We will e-mail you a copy of the receipt.” Two days later, still no receipt. Called again, received a receipt in a matter of minutes.

OK. Saturday morning, begin the install. Remove the old unit after turning off the power and disconnecting the water inlet and drain hoses. Hmm…water inlet does not look to be long enough to connect to the new machine, which has the water inlet further to the front of the machine. Broke the old plastic shut-off valve trying to remove the old water line.

Off to Grand Junction, which has the nearest hardware store. Bought some new fittings and hose. Returned home, fought to get the remains of the old valve removed. During this time water to the entire house is shut off. Dug out the Dremel tool with cut-off wheel and finally removed the valve.

The rest of the job proceeded OK. Installed the new (all metal) valve, water line, drain hose, and reconnected the electric. Pam is reading the operating manual. Machine does not take liquid soap, only “detergent tabs.” I had not bought any. Machine came with a couple samples which will get us through the next couple days.

It turned out I used the tool I purchased when I was working on the “shower from hell” last year, a SharkBytes crimping tool and crimping rings. Although the new water line uses threaded connections, the new valve had to be attached to the existing plumbing using the SharkBytes compression fittings.

So, now more than a week after I started this project, we have an operating dishwasher again.

Here are a few photos taken during the replacement process:

Pretty much the “excitement” for the past week.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

Note to self — when ordering replacement appliances at the “new” retirement house (whenever/where ever that might be), pay for delivery, install and testing.

Happy Trails.

Yesterday (Saturday) we finally received some snow, enough to cover the lawns, driveways, and sidewalks. At that, it was only about 2 inches or so but enough for me to get out the John Deere garden tractor and blade and do some plowing.

The snow was light but, due to the past warm weather, there was a layer of slush on top of paved surfaces. The snow, instead of coming off the blade in a steady flow, came of in chunks.

Snow was in the air most of the day but stopped accumulating by mid-morning as the temperatures hovered in the low 30 degree range. Not a bad day, but one where inside activities seemed to be a better choice. Here I am reading a book with a couple cats keeping me company:

That is London by my leg and Cirrus on my lap. My cup of tea is on the side table and Bru is napping on the couch in the background. It was just a good day to relax.

Today will be “chore day” as I will make a small shopping run and get fuel for the cars. So far the day is bright and sunny but more storms are coming later today (Sunday) and lasting through Tuesday.

This past week I had to change a headlight in the Honda; the low beam bulb on the driver’s side had burned out. To make the repair I had to remove part of the inner fender liner. These newer cars don’t make maintenance easy! I am still using the headlights on the commute in and sometimes on the way home, depending on the weather, so I need to have the lights working. This was not a difficult job but still a pain. I broke a couple of the plastic rivets that hold the liner in place; one of my stops today will be at an auto parts store to see if I can find replacements.

You may notice a change in how these posts are made, starting with this one and going forward. Photos will be closer to full-size but you can still click on them to bring up a larger image. This is due to a new editing program I am using. (The new editor is called “Gutenberg”.) It should be easier to insert photos, photo galleries, and videos using Gutenberg but a few changes from past practices will be involved.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

When one’s big excitement for the week is the half hour to the grocery store and the half hour back, nothing for the blog there.

Happy Trails.

There are a few things to cover this time. First up, this humorous photo of a dog playing with a sprinkler inside the house caught my eye. Dog is having a great time. Good thing the floor is tile, though.

Pam continues to do some packing. Below is her doll collection waiting to be carefully boxed:

The biggest problem, when we do get ready to move, is how and on what schedule to relocate the animals. That will be a real challenge, particularly the cats.

Taxes are done and sent off to be processed. We will get some money back from both Federal and State as Pam’s unemployment-to-retirement dropped us into a lower tax bracket. Refunds will be a first for us in over a decade; we’ve always had to pay at tax time, both Federal and State. I’m always glad when that task is over for the year. (Pam filled out the short form. Retirement time has its advantages.)

I-70 through Glenwood Canyon was closed for most of a day due to rockslides this past week.

Both east- and westbound lanes were closed. Eastbound opened first, followed by one lane westbound after many hours of work. (View above is of the westbound lanes.) Some of the boulders had to be split with dynamite into manageable sizes. All repairs, including road surface damage, will take a few weeks. Yes, we have a few travel challenges that are unique to western Colorado!

Fuel prices have dropped, as they normally do every year at this time. We are paying around $2.10 per gallon for regular. It would be nice if prices stayed that low but, sure as spring temperatures, prices will go up in the coming weeks.

Weather has been mild with lows in the teens and twenties and highs in the upper thirties and low forties. Storms are common, though, this time of year and conditions can change rapidly. A few mornings have had traffic moving at about 25 mph instead of 65 mph through canyon areas where the sun does not hit the road until late in the day. A few more storms are forecast for the upcoming week, but mostly rain as temperatures will not fall much.

As for my weekdays, routine is the word.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

I’m packing.  Exactly where and exactly when relocation occurs is still a mystery. (One thing I do know, moving expenses are no longer tax deductible.)

Happy Trails.

After a stretch of decent weather, today has turned a bit nasty. Rain mixed with snow pellets, driven by gusty winds, makes this a good day to stay inside.

I had tried to get out for my daily walk but mistimed the incoming storm and got soaked as a result. I returned home early, changed into dry clothes, and am sipping on a nice hot cup of tea as I type. At least it’s not below freezing, although colder temperatures are on the way later this week.

Both of us are [still!] recovering from colds, which seem to be hanging on much longer than normal. Hopefully the next week will see us over this bad spell. Below is a photo of Pam relaxing on the glider with London on her lap, JoJo getting a tummy rub, and Cirrus sitting on the cat post. Note Pam is holding the TV remote control. This is not Pam’s normal posture but recovering from the household cold has limited some of her energy.

The Midwest house hunt continues, but online listings are down this time of year. The houses we are gravitating toward are in small towns; we’d like to find an appropriate retirement house on some acreage close to town. One with room for my toys and the dogs to run in a fenced area.

Pam has started packing our infrequently used items, such as holiday glassware. She says it gives her the feeling of forward movement toward relocating, with that much less to dust in the meantime. I picked up ten U-Haul small boxes ($1.07 each with tax) and retrieved a box of bubble pack from the garage attic to help this project along.

I raked the lawn yesterday. Leaves had blown up along the fence lines, making the place look a bit messy. Today’s wind may reverse some of the cleaning but the lawn looked good for a day! I was surprised to see the town’s compost site, where I drop off leaves and grass clippings, still being used by several residents.

The groundhog Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow which is supposed to mean an early spring. I sure hope this is the case!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

Scotland weather today. Memories…

Happy Trails.

Tax and cold season has started. I missed a couple day’s work this past week due to a bad cold which, unfortunately, Pam picked up from me and is now suffering through.

For the life of me I can’t see any reason for phlegm. Or mucus. Nasty stuff!

Tax season has begun. We are starting to get various statements and tax notices (property tax) for our home and our lot. We will get a break this year on our home property tax due to a “Senior Exemption.”

Our annual property tax is around $257.00. This year our payments will be half of the normal amount:

We don’t know how the county can afford this credit, but I had applied for it last year since I turned 66  in 2018. (Property owner has to be over 65.) While the savings of $128.00 per year will not be a windfall, it’s a psychological boost. Just think: Property taxes of $128.52 per year!

No wonder Midwest property taxes look so high to us!  This comes while Pam is house-hunting, and one of the things she checks is taxes on the various properties. Not only is our Colorado tax rate very low compared to other states, the 50% reduction is unheard of. Most of the Midwest properties Pam has viewed have tax burdens of $150.00 per month on up to several hundred dollars per month. This has to be accounted for when we calculate potential monthly payments, to determine if we can afford a specific property into retirement or not.

As a side note, property taxes on The Lot (seven acres in Park County) have gone up every year and are now approaching $100.00 per acre. Our tax bill for The Lot is considerably higher than for our home in Mesa County. This tax increase is mostly due to recent referenda passed relating to fire protection and emergency response services in Park County’s rural areas.

Income tax preparation will be a bit different this year due to Pam’s retirement in 2018. The State of Colorado offers an exemption for a portion of retirement income — plus our gross income will drop; we should be in a lower (we hope) tax bracket. We’ll have to be sharp to claim exemptions we now qualify for to minimize our tax burden. Another retirement challenge!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

Temps are not below zero, at least.  Almost inevitable that when Fields has hacking coughs around our fairly-compact square footage, I will get whatever he has — no matter how much I clean door knobs, light switches, cupboard doors etc.  Murphy’s Law.

Happy Trails.

 

Our oldest dog, Blondie, is writing today’s blog. Here’s what she has to say:

Dogs that live in the Fields household have a pretty good life.

After all, our humans care for our every need. Have to get up at 3:00 a.m. to go outside? No problem — just whine until Pam wakes up and takes you out. Hungry? Breakfast in the morning, snack in the afternoon, dinner at night. Diet is a mix of dry dog food (ordered online from Chewy) and canned dog foods. Occasionally cooked green beens and sweet potatoes (fresh, of course) add some variety.

The biggest stress is deciding where to sleep. Will it be couch #1, Pam’s bed, or couch #2? Do we have to whine to “encourage” a human to move a cat so we can sleep where we want?

You see, all is not roses. Sometimes, when we’re outside, we have to bark at the door to be let back into the house (if the door concierge is slow to respond). When there is a lot of foot traffic on the sidewalk, Pam won’t let us in the front yard to bark at everything we see. Jer works, so his at-home time is limited, time he could be spending playing tug-of-war with me or petting us. Sometimes we have to howl the song of our people. <sigh>

Then there are those trips to the vet and groomer. Bru just hates them even though she looks so much better after her hair has been cut. I don’t need to get my [short] hair cut, but my nails are less saber-like after the groomer’s attention. Jo looks much sleeker after her appointments. I guess we have to tolerate medical and grooming attention.

Thinking about those summer trips to The Lot —  Jo enjoys them if she is given the freedom to run. There is enough space to let her greyhound blood let loose and she runs at top speed. Bru and I tolerate these four-hour-each-way trips.  The car offers some good sunny sleeping spots, but mostly the  benefit is getting away from those darn cats for a while.

Yep, a dog’s life in the Fields household is pretty darn good. Food, grooming, medical care, travel, a yard to run in, things to bark at, places to sleep, companionship. Now if the cats would quit sleeping in my spots…

Back to Jer to finish this post.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

After I finished painting the quilt square, I started working on what I call my “hearts” project.  My challenge was to use only sewing items I have on hand – fabric, trims, buttons, quilt batting – to make a bunch of cloth heart ornaments for a holiday tree this coming December.  I ordered an artificial tree from Balsam Hill during their off-season sale; maybe we won’t want to cut a fresh tree every year. The artificial “heart tree” could stay up until Valentines Day, if we have a house (by this December) big enough to leave it out.

Projects are what I do to pass the cold winter away.  That is, when I’m not the door concierge, or getting up at 3:00 a.m. for doggie potty breaks…

Happy Trails.

 

This weekend is Playoff Weekend for pro football. None of the teams we would routinely root for has made it this far. I watch some of the games and generally root for the underdogs but really don’t have a lot invested in the outcomes. It will be interesting to see who makes it to the Super Bowl this year.

There wasn’t much going on at the home front this past week. Some snow fell, enough for me to plow with the garden tractor, but it has since warmed up and melted all but the most stubborn patches of snow and ice where the sun hits. Shady areas are still white. There are 10% – 30% chances of flurries this upcoming week but accumulations will be (hopefully) minor. The high country has received more precipitation, welcome by skiers and good for spring water, but down here we are enjoying typically mild temperatures for this time of year — daytime highs in the low to mid 30 degree range and nights in the high teens to low twenties.

I worked on my web site and added a “Chipper” gallery with links to a couple videos. During these winter days I will be looking at updating other galleries and possibly adding a few more video clips from my library. For example, I added a link to the “Howling Dogs” clip on the Dogs page. Pam laughs at these changes, noting that most folks reading these posts are not that interested in my chipper, but – hey – it keeps me busy when I can’t get outside much.

Otherwise life is pretty routine. Pam continues to view potential retirement homes online and I have started a few projects at work. Weekends have a few minor activities – I moved the vehicles out of the garage and swept / shop-vacuumed the place – and took a 42 mile ATV ride out on Wild Horse Mesa to play in the snow for a bit. Now and then I wash the car at a U-Spray place. This is typical winter weekend stuff.  Not real exciting…

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

Same-o, same-o.  About a minute more daylight every day. Stay warm.

Happy Trails.

We hope everyone had a good New Year’s Day!

As has been my habit in past first-of-the-year posts, I would like to begin with a short review of 2018 before I get into recent news and events.

The biggest news of 2018 was Pam’s retirement. I can report that she does not miss the long daily commute and likes the time she has to work on projects and taking care of our pets.

The retirement house hunt continued with two trips (May and October) back to the Midwest to meet realtors and view some properties. “The One” has not appeared yet but we continue the search.

Son Toby bought a home in South Bend and was promoted to a crew supervisor position. He seems happy with this. We met with him and a few of his friends on our May trip east; his friends are a varied and friendly group. It looks like he has settled into a routine that suits him.

Daughter Felicity traveled to England and Wales in 2018. She still works for a couple of on-line companies and managed to get overseas for a bit. Travel is her thing. On return to the US she found a studio apartment in Vancouver, Washington, to use as a home base until her next adventure. She would like to get to Australia and New Zealand in 2019. We hope she can swing it.

According to Pam’s notes, we managed 20 visits to The Lot in 2018. Much was accomplished in cleaning up and salvaging firewood. We concentrated in an area we call The Aspen Grove and it is great to be able to walk this area now after the dead and down trees have been removed. Chips were spread on several of our walking paths and we hope they settle in over the winter, resulting in easy-to-walk trails next year.

I was kept busy with working at The Lot, travels back to the Midwest, and my regular job. One project, recently completed, was to redo almost all of my web site pages to move my Galleries and videos off my old hosting service onto the one that hosts this blog page.

Now onto current items.

Pam has been working  on her “barn quilt square” and it is looking pretty good:

Based on a 24″ x 24″  framed canvas foundation, the paint is acrylic.The square is hanging on our front door and can bee seen from the road. It makes for a cheery entrance.

My mother, now in a care facility, appears to be fading according to my brother Jon. Not unexpected but sad just the same. It remains unclear if she can recover enough to move back home but I suspect she will be in the care facility for some time.

I have new projects at work and plans for The Lot are being formulated; more clearing and chipping is in the works. 2019 promises to be another busy year.

As I write this it is snowing fairly hard. The forecast is for 3 – 5 inches of snow today, making this one of the heavier snow falls of the season to date. I’ll be out later shoveling the deck and ramp then firing up the John Deere and using the snow blade to clear off the driveway and sidewalks. Tomorrow it will be back to work.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

Retirement.  At last.  Looking for the fun and fulfillment that eluded me in my working years.

Happy Trails.

Fourteen degrees.That was the temperature in Fairplay (Saturday) as I took a trip to The Lot to check on the RV trailer and storage shed.

It had been a couple of months since I was at The Lot, shutting down for the winter season. I thought it was a good time to check to see if mice had made their way into The Box – they have not.

Even though the temperature was cold, it was a gorgeous winter day. The sky was clear and the sunshine bright off the fresh winter snow. Below are a few photos I took during the outing.

I was surprised to be able to make it up the driveway in the car, without four wheel drive. The heavy snow months in the mountains – January and February – are still to come.

Here is a view down the drive and looking out over South Park:

Even the higher parts of The Lot, those facing south or southwest, didn’t have a heavy blanket of snow:

And, to those who received one of our Solstice cards, this view of The Nook may be a bit familiar:

While the air was dead calm at The Lot, a breeze was blowing light snow across Elkhorn Ranch Road a few miles away:

It was a good day to be in the mountains and I was relieved to find zero evidence that rodents had taken up residence in The Box. After walking around The Lot a bit, and distributing some odds and ends of bread products for the chipmunks and squirrels, I jumped back in the car and headed home.

I have a few days off for  New Year’s break. Tomorrow we’ll begin to take down outdoor decorations in advance of an approaching storm. This holiday season seemed to fly by very quickly!

Have a good New Year’s Day, everyone.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

My New Year’s Resolution is plain (but not-so-simple) — locate and purchase that retirement property in the Midwest.

Happy Trails.

 

Well. We had a bit of an “episode” that landed Pam in the ER for a few hours. She was having chest pains but attributed the discomfort to heartburn — until her right hand started to tingle. Time to get her heart checked out.

After a couple hours of tests and chest x-ray, the doctor determined the chance this was a cardio event was very low. Nothing in the blood tests indicated the heart was involved. However, the cause of the pain couldn’t be identified.

We returned home and, over the next few days, the pain subsided (although it is not completely gone as of this writing). Not the best way to spent the week before Christmas…

Adding to the troubles, I found the Honda needs about $1,500.00 in repairs. The radiator is seeping a bit of fluid and at least one ball joint (front suspension) is making noises and needs to be replaced. Additionally, we want to get the routine service done; the car turned over 100,000 miles a few weeks back. Repairs have been scheduled for January 3rd. The car is drivable until then.

Work was not immune; an installation job that should have taken less than a day stretched into four days, as the vendor had shipped the wrong hardware. The upgrade is still not over. The servers are back on-line but I am short four network ports that are used for redundancy and I am not happy about it. The situation will not be fully rectified until after the first of the year, due to vacations and the holidays.

On the bright side, my jaw is healing from the tooth extraction. Absence of pain is a good thing.

I worked on my galleries and have finished converting them. Should you find a gallery or link that does not work, please let me know so I can get it fixed. This project took many hours but I am no longer at the mercy of the old hosting service (and their new business model).

In other family news, daughter Felicity is in a new studio apartment and is settling in — for now. She would like to visit Australia and New Zealand next year and is looking for a house-sit in that part of the world.

Toby is settling into his new home; this will be his first year as a homeowner and he seems to be satisfied with that.

My mother is going into a care facility for some rehab after she had liquid removed from around her lungs and heart. An estate guardian has been appointed to help run the day-to-day operation of her affairs. Mom is upset that she will not be home this Christmas but she needs a level of care that can’t be arranged in a home setting.

Christmas is only a few days away and it looks like we won’t have snow this year. Long-range forecast has dry conditions, with a high on Christmas Day of 41 degrees. (Snow and colder temperatures are in the forecast for the 26th and following days.)  I don’t mind it as these conditions make commuting much easier, but my Midwest upbringing finds it a bit odd.

We hope everyone enjoyed the Solstice and has a Merry Christmas!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in.

Pam’s Two Cents  Worth:

I probably wouldn’t have brought in the medical personnel if I hadn’t gone online to check out my symptoms on MedDoc.  According to online information, heart episodes can be mimicked by heartburn or flu symptoms in post-menopausal women (me). Day 1 no big deal, Day 2 somewhat concerned, Day 3 the whole “tight band of pain” thing was getting old. Since I had been running [slightly] high blood pressure in the last five years while working at the stressful (and sedentary) community college job — well, better safe than sorry, right?

Now I have a lovely photo of my lungs and more information about my heart chemicals than I care to know.  They asked to see my Medicare card at check-in, first time for that.  Altogether a surreal (and expensive) experience. And still no definitive answer on what caused it all. I’m not going to be a very good “old person,” I can see that already. First time wearing a hospital identification band in 32 years.

The Solstice on the 21st was partly cloudy here, but I did catch a glimpse of the full moon.  The Solstice and full moon will not occur together again in my lifetime.

Happy Trails.