(20120410)
That I have wanted to write a "Blog" is something I have known for quite some time now. The concept has always fascinated me. I have spent a fair amount of my free time over the last few years reading other people's blogs and taking in what they have to say and, more importantly, the way that they choose to say it. I remember thinking to myself early on that this idea of making story driven posts for all of the world to observe and take in was really going to become the "thing" of the future. Long before I really even fully grasped the concept of blogging, it was clear in my mind that I believed that I have the personality and the skills necessary to be able to do it, whether successfully or not is a whole other matter but, I'm determined to try!
One of the things I have come to learn early on in my attempts at this particular blog is that coming up with interesting source material is a good bit more difficult than I had originally anticpated. I will admit to initially being naieve in thoughts that I could consistantly produce ideas and concepts that people would actually be interested to read with any regularity. This realization has led me to a different way of thinking. Perhaps, it would be better for me to write about whatever I feel like with the idea that the writting is what is making me happy and not so much with the focus on whether anyone else will ever read or care about what I have put out? In rationally thinking about this, it seems to make the most sense to me and should, in theory free me from spending as much time worrying about whether anyone actually cares. Not that I don't worry about that, trust me I do but, in not spending as much time thinking about what other's may think, surely I would free myself up to write about what I feel in a way that may enhance the enjoyment I receive from the simple act of writting.
So, to sum it up, less time spent worrying and more time spent writting. While everyone might not necessarily agree with whatever I post next, I will at least know that I am doing it for reasons that satisfy me. Feel free to come along for the ride and observe what I write or, feel free to bail now before it all gets strange..... ;)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
New Storage Features in VMware vSphere 5
(20120322)
For those of you studying for your VMware VCP5 certification, there is a really nice series of articles over at the VMware: VMware vSphere Blog ow.ly/9Oo9s giving a useful overview of a lot of the new storage features that have been added to the new version of VMware vSphere 5.
For those of you not so technically inclined, VMware vSphere is an operating system that is installed to a server class computer that allows that server to treat a collection of Processors, Memory, and Hard Disk space as a sort of "combined group" of resources that can then be used to make simulated computers and the necessary networks to run them. I know that sounds like a big mouthful and you are right, it is. Basically it's computer software that allows you to make other virtual computers. It is pretty complicated but once you begin to understand the general gist of things, the awesomeness of the concept really grabs you.
If there is interest, I could write a few posts at the laymans level that would explain the general concepts and would perhaps illustrate to those of you who are not "technical" on a daily basis, the benefits of this software.
Let me know in the comments if you have any interest in seeing these kinds of posts.
Thanks
For those of you studying for your VMware VCP5 certification, there is a really nice series of articles over at the VMware: VMware vSphere Blog ow.ly/9Oo9s giving a useful overview of a lot of the new storage features that have been added to the new version of VMware vSphere 5.
For those of you not so technically inclined, VMware vSphere is an operating system that is installed to a server class computer that allows that server to treat a collection of Processors, Memory, and Hard Disk space as a sort of "combined group" of resources that can then be used to make simulated computers and the necessary networks to run them. I know that sounds like a big mouthful and you are right, it is. Basically it's computer software that allows you to make other virtual computers. It is pretty complicated but once you begin to understand the general gist of things, the awesomeness of the concept really grabs you.
If there is interest, I could write a few posts at the laymans level that would explain the general concepts and would perhaps illustrate to those of you who are not "technical" on a daily basis, the benefits of this software.
Let me know in the comments if you have any interest in seeing these kinds of posts.
Thanks
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Loose thoughts and ramblings
(20120313)
I've recently been overwhelmed with real life issues that I've needed to tackle and had a few thoughts that I wanted to share.
Recently, my Mother was admitted to the hospital for strong symptoms of what she believed at the time to be a flu or stomach virus. As it turns out, what was really going on was that she had had an undetected heart attack and was also suffering from acute congestive heart failure syndrome. Needless to say, this condition has hit our family very hard and there have been lots of sleepless nights recently as we have had to handle the testing and diagnosis' that have come as a result.
One thing that I wanted to mention about all of this is how thankful I am for the support that has been shown to me by my family, extended family, friends, and co-workers. By nature I am now, and have pretty much always been, a solitary person. Usually, I enjoy quiet time and being alone to process my thoughts but, at a time like this, I have to acknowledge how much this support has meant to me and how much it has helped me to endure this situation.
Let me start with my co-workers. While it is true that most of us are so involved in our own projects and tasks that we hardly have time to spend engaging with each other and developing real relationships, it is also true that I am blessed to work with a group of people that so readily offer kind words and thoughts and cooperation with respects to covering workloads and schedules. I could not have logistically handled this situation without your generous efforts. Thanks!
Next, let me mention my friends. As I mentioned before, I am a mostly solitary person and as such, I do not tend to develop a lot of friendships. The friends that I do have though are some of the best people I could ever want to have arround me and involved in my daily life. Your telephone calls to just "check-up" on me and your shoulders to lean on when I was dealing with all of this have not gone unnoticed. You guys are the best "buds" a guy could ever ask for and I tresure your friendships, even if I don't always show it.
For my extended family, The Boones, I can never, ever, adequately relate to you how much I love and appreciate you all. Your prayers, thoughts, offers to help in any way possible, and just general love and acceptance are something that I have never previously known to this level. From the first day that I met you, you all have taken me in as one of your family and treated me with the utmost of dignity, respect, love, and acceptance that any man could ever ask for. In addition, you have taken my Mother in as one of your own as well without even the slightest bit of hesitation. Again, I can not possibly tell you how deeply that has touched her nor, how much your treatment of us has deeply reached us both. I appreciate the times that we get to spend together and your kindness in always checking in on how things have been going during this situation. The lunch that we shared at SweetWater Tavern was just a very small way to express my gratitude to you for your concern for us.
Finally, to my immediate family, thank you so much for carrying me through one of the worst times that I have ever experienced in my entire life. For you guys, I wanted to reflect on a thought I recently expressed. I recently observed to you my thought that "It seems like human beings are not naturally meant to take care of their parents". It strikes me as interesting that for most people, you spend the early part of your life taking direction and guidance from your parents in order that you may begin and eventually execute a decent life. What also strikes me as interesting is that at some point as life goes on, those roles reverse and it is the "child" who takes on the care and guidance of the "parent" as their lifes journey nears its end. In thinking about all of this, I have realized that that line where the roles begin to flip is not necessarily a finite point in time but rather a growing, living series of events that eventually presents itself. The events of the last several weeks have shown me that, for me, that point in time with respects to my relationship with my Mother is fast approaching. It has also shown me that, as I pointed out, the series of events that leads up to that time is beginning anew with you all.
My own daughter has been a strengthening presence for me and has encouraged me thorughout all of the past few weeks. For her spirit and tenacity and great love, I am eternally greatful. Thanks Macy.
For my wife, there is no other way to say it except to say it directly. Without you, I could not successfully handle any of what life has recently added to our pot. You are the strength that I do not posess when dealing with matters of this level of gravity. You are the voice of calm, the motivation of faith, and the bounty of positivity that in all ways complements me. I admire your strength in the face of what at times has seemed like total failure. I know I can speak for my Mother in saying that we are both so grateful for your presence in our life!
Love to you all.
I've recently been overwhelmed with real life issues that I've needed to tackle and had a few thoughts that I wanted to share.
Recently, my Mother was admitted to the hospital for strong symptoms of what she believed at the time to be a flu or stomach virus. As it turns out, what was really going on was that she had had an undetected heart attack and was also suffering from acute congestive heart failure syndrome. Needless to say, this condition has hit our family very hard and there have been lots of sleepless nights recently as we have had to handle the testing and diagnosis' that have come as a result.
One thing that I wanted to mention about all of this is how thankful I am for the support that has been shown to me by my family, extended family, friends, and co-workers. By nature I am now, and have pretty much always been, a solitary person. Usually, I enjoy quiet time and being alone to process my thoughts but, at a time like this, I have to acknowledge how much this support has meant to me and how much it has helped me to endure this situation.
Let me start with my co-workers. While it is true that most of us are so involved in our own projects and tasks that we hardly have time to spend engaging with each other and developing real relationships, it is also true that I am blessed to work with a group of people that so readily offer kind words and thoughts and cooperation with respects to covering workloads and schedules. I could not have logistically handled this situation without your generous efforts. Thanks!
Next, let me mention my friends. As I mentioned before, I am a mostly solitary person and as such, I do not tend to develop a lot of friendships. The friends that I do have though are some of the best people I could ever want to have arround me and involved in my daily life. Your telephone calls to just "check-up" on me and your shoulders to lean on when I was dealing with all of this have not gone unnoticed. You guys are the best "buds" a guy could ever ask for and I tresure your friendships, even if I don't always show it.
For my extended family, The Boones, I can never, ever, adequately relate to you how much I love and appreciate you all. Your prayers, thoughts, offers to help in any way possible, and just general love and acceptance are something that I have never previously known to this level. From the first day that I met you, you all have taken me in as one of your family and treated me with the utmost of dignity, respect, love, and acceptance that any man could ever ask for. In addition, you have taken my Mother in as one of your own as well without even the slightest bit of hesitation. Again, I can not possibly tell you how deeply that has touched her nor, how much your treatment of us has deeply reached us both. I appreciate the times that we get to spend together and your kindness in always checking in on how things have been going during this situation. The lunch that we shared at SweetWater Tavern was just a very small way to express my gratitude to you for your concern for us.
Finally, to my immediate family, thank you so much for carrying me through one of the worst times that I have ever experienced in my entire life. For you guys, I wanted to reflect on a thought I recently expressed. I recently observed to you my thought that "It seems like human beings are not naturally meant to take care of their parents". It strikes me as interesting that for most people, you spend the early part of your life taking direction and guidance from your parents in order that you may begin and eventually execute a decent life. What also strikes me as interesting is that at some point as life goes on, those roles reverse and it is the "child" who takes on the care and guidance of the "parent" as their lifes journey nears its end. In thinking about all of this, I have realized that that line where the roles begin to flip is not necessarily a finite point in time but rather a growing, living series of events that eventually presents itself. The events of the last several weeks have shown me that, for me, that point in time with respects to my relationship with my Mother is fast approaching. It has also shown me that, as I pointed out, the series of events that leads up to that time is beginning anew with you all.
My own daughter has been a strengthening presence for me and has encouraged me thorughout all of the past few weeks. For her spirit and tenacity and great love, I am eternally greatful. Thanks Macy.
For my wife, there is no other way to say it except to say it directly. Without you, I could not successfully handle any of what life has recently added to our pot. You are the strength that I do not posess when dealing with matters of this level of gravity. You are the voice of calm, the motivation of faith, and the bounty of positivity that in all ways complements me. I admire your strength in the face of what at times has seemed like total failure. I know I can speak for my Mother in saying that we are both so grateful for your presence in our life!
Love to you all.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Choices
(20120215)
Recently I've come to find a bit more time on my hands than I usually have available to me which has given me some much needed time to evaluate where I've been in my life, where I am now, and where I am potentially going. These are not the things that I normally spend much time debating as I generally tend to view life with a "take it as it comes" sort of perspective however; I must admit that even I can recognize the fact that if I spent more time evaluating and planning, I might be in a much better position.
In terms of where I have been, I have had my shares of ups and downs through the early years of my life. In my younger days, I tended to make decisions "on the fly". Things that came my way generally came in batches and were most usually dispatched with little to no hard evaluation. The results of this style ultimately created the base of who I am even to this day. It is possible that maybe that's not the greatest thing but, overall I don't think it has all turned out so bad. Did I make some bad choices, oh yeah, most certainly. Did they seem like bad choices at the time I was making them, I'd like to think that I remember that answer as no. Does this need to decide on the fly influence the way I approach some aspects of my life today, most certainly!
I've never really tended to be the kind of person who spends time wringing my hands over the choices I've made in the past as generally, I feel that there isn't much that can be done in retrospect to adjust those choices. I just don't think that even if I had to the chance to go back and choose all over again, that I would have made any different choice based on the circumstances and information that was available to me at that time. We all do the best we can with the information and resources that we have available to us at the time and I'm no different in that respect.
As time has slowly passed and I have come into my adult years, my decison making process has evolved a bit more towards more cautious evaluation. In my mind, this is only natural. I have much more to lose now should I make the wrong decision(s). The circumstances have changed considerably. I now have a wife and a daughter that rely on me to be a provider, a husband, and a father. I have a mortgage company that relies on me to send them their money each month. Utility providers start to get a little surly if they haven't heard from me or seen my check in the mail around the 3rd or 4th of every month. My homeowners association gets crazy shortly after they feel like my lawn has grown a quarter inch past the 2 inches of growth that they find uniformly acceptable! The point here is that with all of these emerging situations and responsibilities, the need to evaluate decisions and choices has greatly increased.
Going forward, there are certainly many more choices and decision points ahead which will require an even greater level of debate and consideration. I am at a point right now where I can certainly anticipate some major changes to my career path forthcoming as well as, to my daughter's education path, and my overall economic posture in the troubling economy which we are now enduring. Looking at all of this from a very high level, I am able to anticipate that some of these changes may not be for the best part in the immediate future but may wind up being judged as the best path for the long term. This need to evaluate decisions with longer term consequences in sight is where I need practice. As I mentioned earlier, I have always been the take it as it comes sort when it comes to decisions but now, all of that is considerably different and I must evolve to a more refined process that considers not only the "What will this get me now?" portion but the, "If I make this choice now, how will it affect me in the longer run?" portion.
If only there were some magic crystal ball to gaze into to assure me that I was making the right decisions now for not only mine but, my faily's future. I suppose if there were such a thing though, life wouldn't be the wonderful mystery that it is. That I will need to practice making these decisions and that I will most certainly not always make the right choice is a given. What I hope is that my "gut" and my past practice of usually trusting it, will carry us forward into new and better experiences.
Of course, it couldn't hurt to throw in a prayer or two here and there.
All things through faith!
Recently I've come to find a bit more time on my hands than I usually have available to me which has given me some much needed time to evaluate where I've been in my life, where I am now, and where I am potentially going. These are not the things that I normally spend much time debating as I generally tend to view life with a "take it as it comes" sort of perspective however; I must admit that even I can recognize the fact that if I spent more time evaluating and planning, I might be in a much better position.
In terms of where I have been, I have had my shares of ups and downs through the early years of my life. In my younger days, I tended to make decisions "on the fly". Things that came my way generally came in batches and were most usually dispatched with little to no hard evaluation. The results of this style ultimately created the base of who I am even to this day. It is possible that maybe that's not the greatest thing but, overall I don't think it has all turned out so bad. Did I make some bad choices, oh yeah, most certainly. Did they seem like bad choices at the time I was making them, I'd like to think that I remember that answer as no. Does this need to decide on the fly influence the way I approach some aspects of my life today, most certainly!
I've never really tended to be the kind of person who spends time wringing my hands over the choices I've made in the past as generally, I feel that there isn't much that can be done in retrospect to adjust those choices. I just don't think that even if I had to the chance to go back and choose all over again, that I would have made any different choice based on the circumstances and information that was available to me at that time. We all do the best we can with the information and resources that we have available to us at the time and I'm no different in that respect.
As time has slowly passed and I have come into my adult years, my decison making process has evolved a bit more towards more cautious evaluation. In my mind, this is only natural. I have much more to lose now should I make the wrong decision(s). The circumstances have changed considerably. I now have a wife and a daughter that rely on me to be a provider, a husband, and a father. I have a mortgage company that relies on me to send them their money each month. Utility providers start to get a little surly if they haven't heard from me or seen my check in the mail around the 3rd or 4th of every month. My homeowners association gets crazy shortly after they feel like my lawn has grown a quarter inch past the 2 inches of growth that they find uniformly acceptable! The point here is that with all of these emerging situations and responsibilities, the need to evaluate decisions and choices has greatly increased.
Going forward, there are certainly many more choices and decision points ahead which will require an even greater level of debate and consideration. I am at a point right now where I can certainly anticipate some major changes to my career path forthcoming as well as, to my daughter's education path, and my overall economic posture in the troubling economy which we are now enduring. Looking at all of this from a very high level, I am able to anticipate that some of these changes may not be for the best part in the immediate future but may wind up being judged as the best path for the long term. This need to evaluate decisions with longer term consequences in sight is where I need practice. As I mentioned earlier, I have always been the take it as it comes sort when it comes to decisions but now, all of that is considerably different and I must evolve to a more refined process that considers not only the "What will this get me now?" portion but the, "If I make this choice now, how will it affect me in the longer run?" portion.
If only there were some magic crystal ball to gaze into to assure me that I was making the right decisions now for not only mine but, my faily's future. I suppose if there were such a thing though, life wouldn't be the wonderful mystery that it is. That I will need to practice making these decisions and that I will most certainly not always make the right choice is a given. What I hope is that my "gut" and my past practice of usually trusting it, will carry us forward into new and better experiences.
Of course, it couldn't hurt to throw in a prayer or two here and there.
All things through faith!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The things that might not be
(20120207)
Each day I get out of bed in the early morning hours to get ready for another adventure. Some of these days, I go to work. Some of these days, I enjoy my weekend. Some of these days, it's not the overall activity that makes the difference so much as it is the thoughts that come to me in that time. The one thing that I find in common with almost all of my days recently is that the thoughts that make the most difference to me are of things that might or might not be.
What will today bring? Will I like it? Will it make me a better friend, colleague, parent, or spouse? How will I know? Will I be aware enough to realize the good or potential bad that is right in front of me? So many questions, all of them good but, none of them always so quantifiable.
Everywhere you look nowadays, we are constantly bombarded with words and images from the mass media that tell us to buy this, use that, go here, do this thing or the other but, how often do we take a conscious moment to stop and really think about what the real underlying message of all of this noise might be? When was the last time you stopped yourself and thought, "Do I really need this? Do I really think that is the way cool people look or act? Maybe I'm happy with my overall body image and weight and I don't need to stop eating real food to slog down another can or two of Slim-Fast!".
I would encourage everyone to take a moment or two each day to stop, clear your mind of all of the immediate, and to contemplate for a moment or two the things, images, words, and ideas that are invading your almost every waking moment and consider whether or not those ideas are the things that you truly in your heart of heart's want and need for you and your family or, on the other hand....
If they are just the things that might not be......
Each day I get out of bed in the early morning hours to get ready for another adventure. Some of these days, I go to work. Some of these days, I enjoy my weekend. Some of these days, it's not the overall activity that makes the difference so much as it is the thoughts that come to me in that time. The one thing that I find in common with almost all of my days recently is that the thoughts that make the most difference to me are of things that might or might not be.
What will today bring? Will I like it? Will it make me a better friend, colleague, parent, or spouse? How will I know? Will I be aware enough to realize the good or potential bad that is right in front of me? So many questions, all of them good but, none of them always so quantifiable.
Everywhere you look nowadays, we are constantly bombarded with words and images from the mass media that tell us to buy this, use that, go here, do this thing or the other but, how often do we take a conscious moment to stop and really think about what the real underlying message of all of this noise might be? When was the last time you stopped yourself and thought, "Do I really need this? Do I really think that is the way cool people look or act? Maybe I'm happy with my overall body image and weight and I don't need to stop eating real food to slog down another can or two of Slim-Fast!".
I would encourage everyone to take a moment or two each day to stop, clear your mind of all of the immediate, and to contemplate for a moment or two the things, images, words, and ideas that are invading your almost every waking moment and consider whether or not those ideas are the things that you truly in your heart of heart's want and need for you and your family or, on the other hand....
If they are just the things that might not be......
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
So much to do, so little time.
It never ceases to amaze me that I can never quite seem to get everything I'm "supposed" to do in any given day, done.
To say that life in today's society is filled with so much to keep us all busy is a given and certainly I am no different than anyone else in this matter. I've had a decent amount of time to think about this concept lately and I thought it might be useful to jot down a few thoughts and feelings I had to remind myself in the future of where I've been in the past.
A typical day for me usually starts around 5 a.m. when the unpleasant shrieking of the alarm clock pulls me unwillingly back into this plane of existence for another fun filled day. To say that this is the least pleasant part of my daily routine is a clear understatement! Now I'll tell you right up front, I'm a bit of a snooze button abuser! Yes, shocking, I know but, who amongst us isn't? So, right there is the first time waster, I mean after a good 2 or 3 whacks at the button I get to settle back into the pillow for a glorious 9 more minutes of what best could be described as "Almost getting back to sleep just in time to be yanked right back into reality with a hard and fast jerk!". Kinda makes me wonder why I bother snoozing at all!
After having wasted a good 15-20 minutes of the beginning of my day wrestling with the clock, I manage to pull myself up out of the wrack and head off to shower and prep for the day. After the prep, there's a moment or two to dress and then kiss the wife goodbye before heading out to wake up the Teenager to get her started on her daily journey. (That's a whole different story for another time!) (Time Wasted ~ 15-20 minutes)
Now comes the start of the glory of my daily routine, and by glory I mean, that thing that will test my resolve, validate my insane desire to be subjected to dealing with the commuter portion of the human race, and that will test my patience in a way that only the people that are actually forced to do this can understand. That thing is my daily commute! Included in this commute is at least an hour on the DC Metro Trains and roughly about three hours a day in a car. For those that ride Metro or know someone that do, I thank you for your pity in advance! (Time wasted: ~4 hrs.)
Of course, I expect absolutely zero sympathy from anyone for the next portion of my day which all of us who have yet to hit the Lotto share, work. I'm fairly lucky in that, for the most part, my work usually stimulates me and gets me through the day fairly quickly however; which one of us wouldn't rather be lying on a beach in the Bahamas sipping on a nice cold tropical drink than spending even 5 minutes at work? (Hey look, there's one guy in the back that didn't raise his hand!! "Hey buddy, what's yer problem?!! Get with the program and get out here on the sand!") (Time Wasted ~ 8hrs.)
Once the evening commute is completed it becomes time to complete that day's chores and running around. Play practices, school meetings, trips to the hardware store for miscellaneous "weekend" repair jobs that I'm probably never going to get to ("Sorry honey."), and anything else under the sun that can eat up the precious small amount of time that I have left in the day, seem to be the normal order of things. (Time Wasted ~ 3-4 hrs.)
At this point you, like me, have likely come to the conclusion that there just aren't enough hours in the day to accommodate all of this stuff. Not that startling a revelation I know, but to me, the real question is "Why do we do it?" All of the running around, commuting, working, prepping, snoozing, what's the point?
Wouldn't it be better if we could somehow find a way to balance all of this noise out and to tune our lives to a more peaceful and pleasant song that would facilitate things like time with family, enjoying pursuit of our hobbies and interests without guilt, and just appreciating what life has to offer us on a daily basis?
I wonder how fast I would get bored with that!! ;)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Snow thoughts
(20120123)
This past weekend went by in, what felt like, a blink of the eye. There was a company New Year's party to attend, errands to be handled, naps to be had, and we even threw in a little bit of a snowstorm late Friday night.
I got to spend a little bit of time on Saturday morning getting acquainted with my newly purchased yet slightly used snow blower. On the good front, my back is grateful to my wallet in a most wondrous fashion. (Really you two, get a room!) On the downside, I quickly discovered that heavily water laden snow and early morning-after cold fronts conspire together in a most evil way so as to construct a sort of slush, slash polar ice-cap that is all but impenetrable to my new toy. So, while I got to use the new blower to clear off a decent percentage of my driveway and nearby sidewalks, I also got to re-experience the joy that is shoveling snow and scrapping ice! For the record, I think I'll pass on the shoveling in the future if at all possible thank you!! ;)
During my time outside on Saturday morning I got to thinking. I am a relatively sure that there must be some possible way to avoid this whole mess of digging, scrapping, snow-blowing, salting, and general bodily torture that is known as winter. I mean after all, my wife and I did manage to go through the effort of raising a new human being into her teenage years. Certainly there must be something that could be done to "offload" a bit of this experience onto a self professed "lover" of winter and "All things SNOW"? Hmmm...
As the blower cheerfully ground its way through the upper most levels of newly fallen snow that covered the nearby sidewalks, I casually gazed back towards the house and up towards the window of my teenagers bedroom window. I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, I wish I could sleep-in till all hours of the afternoon and then get up just in time to go sledding and then over to my pals house for Cocoa and Tea!". I imagined that if I had such a luxury, perhaps I would still like winter and snow as I surely must have in my youth.
Upon my second pass at the sidewalks to get to the underlying and previously mentioned ice, I patiently shoved the blower up the walk to the sound of the whirring blade on the machine. CHUG, CHUG, Brrrr.. So much ice filled up the eject chute of the machine that the engine quickly cut out. "Grrrr", I thought to myself as I cleaned out the chute and quickly restarted the machine. If only I had a helper who could go in front of me to break up the ice. If only! Another gaze up to the window only showed me the same tightly closed curtains. "Nope", no help would be forthcoming from that direction.
Eventually, I finished up the snow cleanup duties giving my work a final admiring glance. "Not a bad job for an old guy!” I thought to myself. I put away the snow-blower and hung up the shovel in the garage and then, proceeded to head inside to sit down and catch my breath. The clock inside the kitchen reminded me that I had been outside cleaning the snow for over an hour and a half. No wonder I felt so tired. "I gotta get out of this Winter Wonderland", I quickly thought to myself.
I headed upstairs to get cleaned up from my work and to get ready for the rest of what Saturday was to provide me still thinking that that crazy kid was still in bed. As I hit the top stair of the flight, I heard my daughter's dog stir within her room. I figured that it was so late that he was probably dying to have his morning walk. Of course, as soon as I opened the door to her room, a short and tan flash shot past me at ankle level. Just like that, Moo-Shu (our Pug) was down the stairs and making a dash for his water dish and bowl full of breakfast I had left for him, like he had been water and food starved for a hundred years.
That's when I saw it. The sweet sleeping face of one of the most precious things in the world to me was slightly exposed from the quilt that had been drawn up around her shoulders and wrapped her like a mummy’s wrap. All thoughts of grabbing her by her toes and dragging her out of her bed to help me do snow duties quickly disappeared from my thoughts and were as quickly replaced by an admiration and love that I have never been able to fully explain to anyone who does not already have kids of their own. Just then, she slightly stirred from her sleep in order to adjust her position to a more comfortable angle. I quickly took a step back, shutting the door to her room on my way out. No cleanup duties for you today. Sleep till you wake. Enjoy youth and winter for a few more restful delights.
This past weekend went by in, what felt like, a blink of the eye. There was a company New Year's party to attend, errands to be handled, naps to be had, and we even threw in a little bit of a snowstorm late Friday night.
I got to spend a little bit of time on Saturday morning getting acquainted with my newly purchased yet slightly used snow blower. On the good front, my back is grateful to my wallet in a most wondrous fashion. (Really you two, get a room!) On the downside, I quickly discovered that heavily water laden snow and early morning-after cold fronts conspire together in a most evil way so as to construct a sort of slush, slash polar ice-cap that is all but impenetrable to my new toy. So, while I got to use the new blower to clear off a decent percentage of my driveway and nearby sidewalks, I also got to re-experience the joy that is shoveling snow and scrapping ice! For the record, I think I'll pass on the shoveling in the future if at all possible thank you!! ;)
During my time outside on Saturday morning I got to thinking. I am a relatively sure that there must be some possible way to avoid this whole mess of digging, scrapping, snow-blowing, salting, and general bodily torture that is known as winter. I mean after all, my wife and I did manage to go through the effort of raising a new human being into her teenage years. Certainly there must be something that could be done to "offload" a bit of this experience onto a self professed "lover" of winter and "All things SNOW"? Hmmm...
As the blower cheerfully ground its way through the upper most levels of newly fallen snow that covered the nearby sidewalks, I casually gazed back towards the house and up towards the window of my teenagers bedroom window. I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, I wish I could sleep-in till all hours of the afternoon and then get up just in time to go sledding and then over to my pals house for Cocoa and Tea!". I imagined that if I had such a luxury, perhaps I would still like winter and snow as I surely must have in my youth.
Upon my second pass at the sidewalks to get to the underlying and previously mentioned ice, I patiently shoved the blower up the walk to the sound of the whirring blade on the machine. CHUG, CHUG, Brrrr.. So much ice filled up the eject chute of the machine that the engine quickly cut out. "Grrrr", I thought to myself as I cleaned out the chute and quickly restarted the machine. If only I had a helper who could go in front of me to break up the ice. If only! Another gaze up to the window only showed me the same tightly closed curtains. "Nope", no help would be forthcoming from that direction.
Eventually, I finished up the snow cleanup duties giving my work a final admiring glance. "Not a bad job for an old guy!” I thought to myself. I put away the snow-blower and hung up the shovel in the garage and then, proceeded to head inside to sit down and catch my breath. The clock inside the kitchen reminded me that I had been outside cleaning the snow for over an hour and a half. No wonder I felt so tired. "I gotta get out of this Winter Wonderland", I quickly thought to myself.
I headed upstairs to get cleaned up from my work and to get ready for the rest of what Saturday was to provide me still thinking that that crazy kid was still in bed. As I hit the top stair of the flight, I heard my daughter's dog stir within her room. I figured that it was so late that he was probably dying to have his morning walk. Of course, as soon as I opened the door to her room, a short and tan flash shot past me at ankle level. Just like that, Moo-Shu (our Pug) was down the stairs and making a dash for his water dish and bowl full of breakfast I had left for him, like he had been water and food starved for a hundred years.
That's when I saw it. The sweet sleeping face of one of the most precious things in the world to me was slightly exposed from the quilt that had been drawn up around her shoulders and wrapped her like a mummy’s wrap. All thoughts of grabbing her by her toes and dragging her out of her bed to help me do snow duties quickly disappeared from my thoughts and were as quickly replaced by an admiration and love that I have never been able to fully explain to anyone who does not already have kids of their own. Just then, she slightly stirred from her sleep in order to adjust her position to a more comfortable angle. I quickly took a step back, shutting the door to her room on my way out. No cleanup duties for you today. Sleep till you wake. Enjoy youth and winter for a few more restful delights.
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