A Monumental Fish Story....

We recently bought a home in Monument Colorado. It came with many features we really like: a big enough yard for our dogs, plenty of inside space and a really nice quiet neighborhood. It regretfully came equipped with one feature we don't like so well: the monumental fish tank - complete with three hungry fish. Seems the previous owners didn't want to move a 1,000 lb. tank, so it "came with the deal" so to speak.
I am not a fish lover...in fact I can't stand them. The "tank" is over 4' long, 2 1/2' tall and must have a bazillion gallons of murky green water in it. I am amazed the three fish have lived through the ordeal - one is almost pan frying size..hmmm. Anyway, my wife thought maybe she would look up on the net to see if there was a SPCA type organization for fish....you know, find a loving home for the slimy little guys. None to be found.
So we started pitching the idea of free fish, tank and all accompanying equipment to neighbors, co-workers and passers by the neighborhood. Ahaa, a taker! My neighbor happens to have a 6 year old daughter who loves fish! Only problem is they didn't have a suitable place to put the mammoth tank...so they had a stand custom built and it's finally ready (my neighbor doesn't think the "free fish & tank offer" is so free after paying for the stand) ...oh boy, I only have to listen to the water pump going agggrumph, agggrumph all night long for a few more nights - Hooray!
Update: August 26th...they are finally gone...all was totally quiet until 2AM when the local pack of coyotes and a few fox in the neighborhood decided to have a "bark-off"...geez.

Rocky

Cindy Sheehan's Life Turned Upside Down...

Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a 24 yr. old Iraq War casualty, has another cross to bear now.....her husband has filed for divorce. His attorney will not respond to calls made by news outlets eager for a ratings buster story to crop up and I hope he doesn't...it's really none of our business.
Cindy has been protesting for 10 days or so at President Bush's ranch in Crawford Texas. She has been joined by over 100 Anti War demonstrators and she is sounding a lot like the Michael Moore's of the world when interviewed.
I've never lost a child before in an accident or a war and have no idea how it would affect my mental health. Hopefully, I would get some help to deal with the incredible grief and anger created by such a sudden and brutal event. I don't know if Cindy has received any counseling; however, I don't believe that the hard left ideals put out by many of the co-protesters in Crawford will do much to help her get on with her life...her son is gone now...God rest his soul, and hopefully someday she will find a bit of peace as well.

Randolph Scott

A tent or a doublewide? 

The Great Monarch Pass Campout!

We used to to go camping a lot when the kids were young and we lived in North Texas. We would pack up the kids and head out to East Texas (about the only place close to Dallas with trees) and set up tents, try to stay cool, fight off mosquitoes and pray it wouldn't rain on us....well, it always did. I can't remember a camping trip we didn't have to huddle up in the tents and battle the elements. But in hindsight, it was a great way to "bond" the family...or so the grown up kids tell it.

We decided recently to "recapture" all of that outdoor bonding spirit here in Colorado. Now we have two Golden Retrievers to keep up with instead of kiddos - give me a couple of kids any day when it comes to the "needy factor"...geez, the dogs were a load. Actually, 10,500' above sea level was the "load", if you will...it's a kick in the butt to try and put up a tent and corral dogs in near outer space.

It worked out better than I thought it would. The majesty of the Rocky Mountains made it well worth the trip. We met some really nice people at the camping area near Monarch Pass who showed us how to fire up the portable heater we brought (it got down to 42 that night!) and gave our pups some left over steak - we had burgers! Ahh, nothing better than a nice warm cup of coffee, some eggs, bacon and toast on a frosty morning in the mountains.....can't wait to go again soon.

Rocky