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Loosing my Rocks

It has been awhile since and update – real long while… but that is how it goes.  In the past month we have been to Oklahoma to check on properties and make sure the local doctors there are well taken care of.   Life of the aged, fewer friends and more doctors.

These have nothing to do with either Doctors or friends but in Stillwater there is a  “special”   school that does a little “old time “ teaching. 

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And they have class there-

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Well a least recess and activities to match.  most dress in “period” clothing too. 

While in Stillwater we usually meet up with friends, have meals out and get around to see the changes but this was a bit odd at first, closer look it is normal but first look

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They parked on the roof!, well I guess they do have a 4 story parking garage.

Back in Colorado we did make a recent trip down to Canon for a Big Burger World green chili burger and went to the river park to enjoy that… while there I saw this face

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Seems to be pleased with my choice of spots?

While we were waiting on the lunch special we all heard a big ‘”scratch”.  Well they were working on the entrance to the BBW and had a lot of gravel and a ridge entering and this guy had modified a little too much for that drive way…

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Too low, too much and scoop them up like this… although a closer look makes me think maybe he has bumped that front end a few times more (notice wrinkle in fender)? I am not sure what benefit that front gives other than good for collecting gravel.

I have been busy, finally, working on a few yard items.  Living in the pine forest is just as bad as the post oaks.  No overload of leaves but we do get plenty of pine needles and the pines shed limbs’ just like the post oaks in Oklahoma so I have to clear them out more for fire hazard than anything else.  The great thing is we usually  only mow a small part of the yard and only then maybe twice a year… but still have to pick up and clean up and then haul off.  Fortunate there is a free site that turns all that into mulch out in Blackforest so we haul a load out when we get enough.

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Looks like a mountain but is actually just the pushed up dump of small limbs and needles with trees behind…

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I only have a box trailer out here so I have to haul it in that but works just the same, little more work to unload than the flat bed but I don’t have to worry about tying it down and not spreading it all over the roads either..ha!  Of which getting to the site we had to dodge multiple pieces left on the roads…

I also have worked on the front area a little at the house because “I was loosing my rocks”.  Well not really loosing but they seem to sink in, move out or just plain walk off? Anyway I had to get two loads of rocks and mulch to upgrade the front area a little, I should do a lot more but I am not sure I really want to.  Anyway I have done these.

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Fresh layer of mulch and rocks on this side, thinking about a bench over there? not sure if there of on the other side?

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Also butchered the front bushes on this side as they are getting way too tall and thin.  Hoping this will let them fill back in and bush out a little lower and I put in that small water feature.  Nice to set out and listen to the water running into the pool.  Oh and out here it is cool enough in the evenings to set out, not like Oklahoma in the summer.  Anyway it sounds “calming” and I do have it on a Wi-Fi controlled, timed switch.  Oh and part of the new rocks had to be put on this side as well.

Yesterday I went out with a friend to Castlewood Canyon park.  He wanted to operate Ham Radio there for a “Parks on the Air” and I just wanted to watch and see a bit more of the canyon.  It was fun too.

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He threw a weighted line of the tree, then strung out an EndFed antenna to the table in front.

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Some of the signals were weak but he operated for about 45 minutes and made over 12 contacts , could of had way more but it satisfied his interest for the time there.

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Just tapping out CW , low power and contacts all over the US – missed the one from Hungary as the band faded out too soon.  Was a nice day out anyway although we were only there maybe 2 hours.

Today I went down to the local Bass Pro shop as they have started having monthly “car shows” in their big parking lot.  This one was decently attended but the bulk of participants were Vetts and Tesla’s…ha! although the overall was pretty eclectic – I saw big old 4X4’s down to numerous EV’s and even a couple of Maserati’s

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Oh and James Bond in his Aston Martin

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Never know what  or who you will see out here.

So closes up the month.  No big excitement , seems I like it that way anymore, not big changes either.  Although I starting to wonder about the economics and local housing situation.  Houses here have bumped up 30% in the past year, some don’t even get listed as they sell immediately and if listed it turns into a bidding war and of all thinks, just today I had someone come to the door saying they just got a contract on their house a few blocks away and was looking for a ‘”Ranch style” house now to stay in the neighborhood?  Maybe I should have shot out a really big price, but then I would be in the same boat, looking for something else where it seems there isn’t much to even offer on.   I may be wrong but at some point I think this thing is going to pop.  It has run to fast too far, but maybe not.  If not we sure will be lucky and property rich, although the taxes up here can be raised each year and they are based on ‘”selling value” so our taxes are going up 30% as well.  “Win some, Loose some”

WD0AJG