I have made a commitment to be committed to my commitments, whatever they may be. Especially if one of them is completing the microblogvember challenge.
Our family has developed a nice ritual for Black Friday. Inspired by #OptOutside we don’t do any shopping, but take a nice hike instead. Going to be hard to keep that alive this year with a torn meniscus, but we will see.
Happy Thanksgiving! What is your favored turkey cooking method? I spatchcock it and put it on my kamado joe. It retains all the moisture and comes out very juicy. I’ve dubbed this “Yoga Turkey”
All the Things I am Thankful for
I thought it would be fun to share a text and picture blog post of all of the things I am thankful for! So here goes, the list is pretty long.
My Grandkids!
Although I am still relatively new to the grandpa game, I love Hannes and Maren a ton! If this isn’t the coolest picture of a brand new big brother I really don’t know what is.
My family!
This was taken before number 2 grandkid was conceived, at our lake house in wisconsin. I think the comma after conceived is important…
My Wife
My adventure partner, my companion, my everything! I don’t know who else would put up with me after all of these years. COVID times may have curtailed our ability to see the rest of the world, but it definitely increased our desire to see the amazing country we live in. Get yourself a camper and see the USA! This particular picture was taken at Zion National Park. I could post hundreds of other selfies of us from the USA to Morocco to Istanbul to Vietnam, to every other continent (except Antarctica)!
I am thankful that wherever we are we are happy to be there. We have the amazing fortune to have three homes. I know, it’s kind of embarassing, and soon enough we will not want to maintain three residences.
Indio, California
We have made so many good friends here in Indio! From the golf course to the pickleball court to the stage! We are so happy here, and look forward to many more years of "retirement" here at HP. Even though we were not with our kids this year we were lucky enough to invite another couple from pickleball to join us for dinner. We often joke that Heritage Palms is "summer camp" for adults over 55, but it is pretty true, there are so many activities and small groups to get to know.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
When we downsized from our house in Decorah to an 1800 square foot condo in Minneapolis we wer over the moon. Theaters, restaurants, sports venues, mass transit, were all within blocks of us. And when we want to be somewhere else we lock the door, leave the car in the secure, heated garage, and are on our way! COVID made us question the ownership of this particular property, but we love every night we are there.
Luck, Wisconsin
we built our cabin in Luck in 1999 as a place for our family to gather, and I’m happy it has worked out as a place where we gather with our kids and grandkids when we are around. I’m also really happy that this is a place where our kids and their spouses and children gather without us when we are avoiding the cold and enjoying California.
My Career
I’m thankful that I love what I do, and that I control my own schedule. How many people get to do what they love, and get paid for it? How many can do it on their own time schedule? I am the main person behind Runestone Academy, and every day I am helping more than 60,000 students learn math and computer science. But I can still play golf in the mornings with my friends, or ride bike, or play pickleball, or just have a cup of coffee and read the news or watch soccer or do the crossword puzzle.
Our Friends
I am thankful for our friends! Oh! I am so thankful for our friends! I do not even want to start this! But this guy and his wife are our oldest and dearest friends. College roommates, God parents to our kids, travel companions, you name it. This picture was taken on our 30th anniversary trip together. We take a trip every 5 years (sometimes every 4 AND 5 years) to celebrate our anniversaries. I feel like this is such a wonderful and unique tradition.
I am sorry that I have not named everyone that is important to me. That list and post would be much longer. I just started this post on a lark, and have only now realized the gravity of (not) naming everyone. I hope you know who you are and how important you are to me.
The danger of a post like this is that ten minutes from now I will think of something or someone that I missed. I am so sorry!
an update on microblogvember progress, I have made 23/23 days now! This has been fun and has introduced me to a lot of new people. I like this platform.
just for fun, I made today’s microblogvember word “graze” my first guess on today’s wordle. It worked out just fine.
Wordle 521 3/6
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🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
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This morning we have a frost delay. My tee time is now 9:30 instead of 8:30. A frost delay… you would think that I see ice out my window or at least tiny little crystals on the grass. In the desert a relatively balmy 46 degrees is enough to create a frost delay, but not ice.
Well, game one of world cup 2022 is in the books. I’m looking forward to some conversation about ⚽️ here on micro.blog over the next weeks. It is going to be some early mornings here in Pacific time! PS - I am picking team USA to advance out of their group!
I was saddened to read that elon restored the account of the former guy. I sincerely hope we are not in for a repeat of the insanity!
Watching the celebration of life for Rick Torgerson, who led Luther College and is someone I truly respect and honor.
His son quoted Dr. Seuss: “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” Live Well everyone, enjoy today.
Last fall I rode my bike the length of the Mississippi I only had to change a flat tire five times along the way.
Just curious, who here remembers playing the game “Barrel of Monkeys” when they were a kid? I certainly do. A little searching tells me that before the ironic phrase “more fun than a barrel of monkeys evolved” from a wagon-load of monkeys.
I sent in my absentee ballot after checking it twice. But myvote.wi.gov has no record of me voting in this last election. I am worried that I am a disenfranchised voter. It was a close Senate race and this really makes me mad.
Todays microblogvember word brought back fun memories of choir warmups. “Aluminum Linoleum Aluminum Linoleum” up and down the scale.
Not my words, but these James Taylor lyrics work:
There’s something in the way she moves Or looks my way, or calls my name That seems to leave this troubled world behind If I’m feeling down and blue Or troubled by some foolish game She always seems to make me change my mind
Went to the Margaritaville pickleball tournament this afternoon (Nationals)! I have to adjust my whole concept of what it means to play the game at a high level. It was a great way to spend the afternoon and I’m totally inspired to hit the courts.
Just checked the News - I like the Time headline: “Good Job America. You Didn’t Destroy Democracy.” Truly a relief, as I was honestly worried. There are more elections ahead and nothing is certain, but our democracy is something we should always strive to preserve.
I have a suspicion that supper will be a little late since I forgot to take the pork out of the freezer. I’m thinking that I can make up a lot of lost time by using the instantpot. We are having carnitas, in case you are interested.
Continuity camera inspired the purchase of a stand for what looks like another mini-display next to my main monitor. I kind of wish universal controls worked on the iPhone. – Ummm the array of pain relievers on display on my desk may require further explanation.
