Time sure flies!
We just celebrated the changing of a new year, and already we're half way into February.
So far so good. We've only had two mornings where there's been ice on the water troughs. No frozen pipes – although I think that's because I've figured out that I need to shut the water off to those pipes so there is no water in there to freeze to begin with – HA!. We have snow all around us, in the mountains to the east and north. It's been cold, but nothing like last year, at least not so far.
The work we had done to our well, well, I'm not sure. I realize that we had to do the work so we would know what is not happening. We know that the equipment is good, so that's not the problem. Unfortunately, it's the actual well itself that seems to be the problem. Since we moved in almost 2 years ago, there have been 5 new homes built in close proximity to our home, and two more had families move in. They are also on wells, and must be pulling their water from the same underground source, which is causing our well to not produce what it has been in the past. So, we've had to have water trucked in 2 times so far this year. From the looks of it – according to my daily monitoring of the situation (because the well is in my backyard) we will have to have water trucked in at least once a month and probably more often than that during the summer months.
Chapman BMW is really going to move into their new store! March 2nd is the scheduled "Big Day", they've even got ads in the local newspaper about it, so it must be really happening. Finally! We are hopeful that this will help the store do better. The location that they are in now is on a road that is becoming a ghost town as more and more dealerships close up shop and move to other locations, if not close for good due to the economy. This new store is a real work of art, and it will be nice to see Bob in a new building with state-of-the-art everything, instead of the little old place he's been in. Although, even though he's been in the tinky little place, he's managed to post sales numbers that are more than the other "big guys" in North Scottsdale – who have been in their "Brand New" building for a couple of years now. It's got to be The Bob.
Lenny is back in action after his surgery in September. We've been on some really good rides. I've been out with a girlfriend on rides with just her and I, and that's been a lot of fun. I ride down to her place, and then we ride out into the Tonto and into this wash where we are able to run the horses for about 2 miles. Cantering is not something I'm used to doing on my gaited horse, but once we get going and into a rhythm, there is no stopping us. It's just as addicting as his gait. It's a blast. We get out into the forest pretty far, where you can no longer see rooftops; it's like being in the middle of nowhere.
Natalie has been taking lots of pictures with her film camera that my mother gave her. She really likes taking pictures in black and white, and has taken some pretty good ones. She wants to buy a digital body to go along with all the great lenses that she got with the camera, so that she can have the ability to look at the picture immediately instead of having to wait to develop film – you know, the whole hour it takes… It was funny having to explain to her how film works, that she could only take 24 shots per roll ("Why, it says 400 on it?") But she's getting it. She's taken a couple that I would like to enlarge and frame.
She's also doing great on her new softball team, The Desert Wolves. The girls just won their first tournament for the year. They've come close a couple of time, but had been struggling lately, so yesterdays win was a big one. They run ruled the first 4 games they played, and then won the championship game 10-3. Natalie pitched against her old team, Team Intensity, and won that game 16-0. She was in the "zone", and loved every second of it.
And she's been given an opportunity to take some summer school classes at ASU, something she's pretty excited about. She has to take some tests to see if she qualifies as a "gifted" student first, so she's got some studying to do!
Bobby is applying to business schools, one of them being here at ASU. It would be great to have him out here with us, not that I think he would be moving back home, but if he did we would love that. He hasn't moved home since moving out when he was 18 and going into the college dorms at Long Beach State. Even though we're quite a commute to the college, we're cheaper than rent. The other schools are in So Cal near him (USC & UCI) and then Texas and Pennsylvania. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ASU.
Patrick is doing well, just got a raise at his weekend job and is getting the hang of his day job. His roommate and best friend since grade school is getting married soon, so we know Pat is going to be going through some changes too.
I've been writing and working at a pretty steady pace. Networking on all the sites has helped bring in projects, so I'm staying busy. The hardest part is staying focused and getting the work done before the deadline starts breathing down my neck, which doesn't help! But when the weather is as beautiful as it has been, all I want to do is be outside and in the saddle!
Tomorrow we're going to the Arabian show. Some friends from California are in town for it, so we'll go visit them. And they want to come out and see "the ranch" (so I better vacuum!)
OK, I'll get this posted and then get some new pictures up. I'll add them to the dot photo account, which is the second tab on your right.
Happy February!
