2015 – rakeeter.com

Christmas tree

Last year Joyce and I bought each other a CD changer to replace the defunct one we had. It was our Christmas present to each other and that worked out well, made Christmas shopping easier. So this year we bought each other a tree, a five-foot (+/-) pinoñ. There are several gaps in the perimeter plantings, a result of the drought, so I planted the newcomer in one we can see from our skyview room. The nursery loaded it in the pickup with a skidloader and Chris helped me unload it by sliding it into a wheelbarrow from the pickup, then tipping up the wheelbarrow and sliding the tree out on the ground. We didn’t try, nor do I think we could have lifted it. Our mild weather of the last two weeks continued Thursday and I spent a couple of hours preparing the hole to plant it in. The trunk of a dead juniper was still there but I discovered it had already rotted out enough for me to simply shove it over and drag it out of the way. That meant I could dig my hole to position the new tree in line with the other trees. The juniper roots were so rotten they gave me no trouble. Continue reading “Christmas tree” →

Thanksgiving

by rakeeter

It was a cold, icy Thanksgiving on SA. Somewhere a dog barked.

That cold and icy weather made for a lot of family time but no one suffered for it as far as I know. There was plenty of good food and the best turkey I can remember. Joyce had it roasted by a BBQ joint over in Pleasant Valley and we fed off the carcus from Thursday through Saturday. The Wylies had planned to return home Saturday but wisely adjusted their schedule due to inclement conditions. They traveled without incident on Sunday. Continue reading “Thanksgiving” →

Rip-stick

by rakeeter

Rebecca used some of her hard-earned money to invest in a rip-stick. All the kids at her school have them, you see. Kari spoke of practically being run over by kids riding them as she walked up the sidewalk to the building to collect Rebecca after school one day. She insists Li’l r won’t be running people off the sidewalk with hers like the hooligans in her school. Rebecca and I went up to the rail trail so she would have plenty of room to get the hang of her new possession. I resisted all temptations to try it myself. It wasn’t that hard. All I had to do was think of the explanation I would have to make at the emergency room. Continue reading “Rip-stick” →

Blow off

by rakeeter

It doesn’t seem like this is the most colorful fall we’ve ever had, and maybe not as colorful as normal, not that this part of the world is known for its fall color. Or maybe the color is just later than some years. We drove up to Canadian with the Shewberts Friday and there wasn’t any of the cottonwood color we’ve seen there on previous trips, though their cottonwood festival was several weeks ago and may there was more of a show then. There is a restaurant in Canadian in an old bank building that is worth the drive. Their menu is fairly extensive and not cheap but everything we’ve had there has been very good. They have some scrumptious rolls and they serve a complimentary bread pudding dessert made from yesterday’s leftover rolls. I highly recommend it next time you are in Canadian. Continue reading “Blow off” →

Set point

by rakeeter

Tuesday evening we got to enjoy one of the best volleyball matches we’ve watched since Abigail started playing. The opponent was Lubbock Coronado and the match was played in Tascosa’s Old Main (original) gym. The Mustangs took the first game 25-16 and the Rebels had to work hard to get it that close. The Mustangs didn’t play with a lot of power but it was difficult to get anything past them. They just made fewer mistakes the first game. The second game the two teams played neck and neck until Coronado started to pull away. Chloe went on a run with her serve and the rest of the girls started backing her up. Chloe, if she gets going, can dismantle a lot of teams but not this one. She was hitting zingers but they were digging them out so it was a team effort to win the point. The Rebels pulled back even and then away for a solid win. It came down to the third game and neither team had any quit in it. It went back and forth until the Rebels opened a lead and got to 24. The Mustangs had a hitter of their own and she got her team to 22 before the Rebels put them away. Fittingly it was an Abigail set for a Chloe smash that finally sealed the win. They had been running that successfully throughout the match, in fact all season. Abigail had several smashes of her own. She’s learning to use her height to good effect. Since one of their teammates was called up to the A team, Abigail doesn’t come out of the game and I think that is helping her to improve. She’s getting pretty good in all phases of the game. Continue reading “Set point” →