study abroad newsflash

I hear about what is going on with the study abroad program in Siberia primarily via urgent text messages from Yulia, the woman on the ground. Today's announced that one of the students had been in a bus accident, but was ok, but with a sore back and asked me to call the insurance to confirm procedures. 

I called to follow up with her and it turns out the student was injured not so much by the car crashing into the bus he was on, but by the humungous Russian man who fell on him as a result of the car crashing into the bus. Hope we are covered for that...

Back from Colorado

Here are some pictures of our trip. Fortunately, Catherine grabbed the camera and took pictures of our fireworks on the driveway.

Craig playing guitar to his mom.

The new puppy.

expectations

today i bought my first selection of adult incontinence products. two trips so two cashier moments. i kept expecting that the cashier and i would have a kind of moment. you know, a sort of knowing commiseration. i don't know why i thought that would happen. but it didn't. i could have been buying hamburgers or toilet cleaner. i, however, now know that that product aisle is as replete with choices as feminine hygiene.

Let's just say

...aging is not for the faint of heart.
And while we're at it, let's just say that this part of Colorado isn't either. Wow. It's rural and conservative. Stopped at Murdochs (which looks like a sort of Home Depot) and does sell all that kind of stuff, but also has an impressive selection of gun safes, equine corraling, training and feed products, large compressors (i don't actually know what one is - but the pictures suggest that once you have one of these babies you can run your power tools in remote places for hours) and so on. I had to pick up some screws for the deck replacement project that Brent began and Craig is to finish. There is so much maintenance to do and no one up to doing it anymore. Sam may get to experience a ride on mower before the weekend is out.

traveling home help

we are off tomorrow to spend the long weekend caring for Craig's mother who fell recently and fractured her tailbone. His dad went to see his brother in Florida a couple of weeks ago and while there had a heart attack so isn't back yet. Not a serious heart attack - we did just see pictures of them deep sea fishing a few days later -- but he is enjoying different medical care and a change of scene and seems in no rush to leave. Meanwhile, my mother-in-law bought herself a puppy right before her fall and among other things she cannot do is house train it... Should be a fun four days. Depending on the grim factor, may or may not post pictures...

The Real Desert

People always say we live in a desert here. We are admonished not to over water etc. But just back from Tucson which is real desert. Beautiful. Would love to see it when it is in full bloom. Here are some pictures.





Then again, things like this land on you:

evening picnic

Headed up our local canyon for an impromptu picnic and campfire this evening. Here are some pictures.