Spring has definitely sprung here in Colorado. I managed to get out and rake up our rather small back yard on Saturday and throw down some grass seed. It needs it bad. The winter was not kind to it. Well, actually… it was the dog that was not kind to it. There are plenty of other places in the back yard that do not qualify as “yard” since much of it is singularly lacking in “grass”. Certainly a much more desirable place for the dog to do her “business”. But nooo…… she has to do it right on the grass.

Today we got both vehicles washed up. The first “real” wash job since last fall. It’s nice to see there really is a shine underneath that winter road film. We have ended up switching vehicles. Ronda now drives the furthest so she takes the Caddy which get surprisingly good gas mileage. I will start riding a bike to work pretty soon which gets even better gas mileage. I will enjoy pedaling past the 7-11 and smiling at the pumps. 😉

Halfway done with the Spring Term. Got through my midterm a few weeks ago. It was a nuisance. Ruined an entire weekend. Still don’t have a grade back yet but I think it will be good. I will need to get started on my term project pretty soon. Blasted classes….. seems like every one has had a term project!

We’ve had a number of guests through here in the past month. I was hoping to get some film developed before I wrote anything but that doesn’t seem to be happening very fast. Michael Ginn stopped on his way to Arizona early in March and we had a nice visit with him. That was the week prior to starting my new job so I had the flexibility of spending some time with him in the middle of the week. The weather cooperated so Michael and I went for a short hike over by Cheyenne Mountain. Then Ronda’s brother Terry and his family came out for the weekend on a rather impromptu visit. It was good to see everyone and once again we were blessed with some very springlike weather so off we went out into the woods and wore everyone out stomping around the mountains. It was a short but sweet visit. Then Michael stopped again for an overnighter on his way back from Arizona. It’s been nice to have the company.

or not…. I just got back from spending two hours on a horse. A rather stupid one at that. I think that might put me up to counting on two hands, the number of times I’ve ridden a horse. Or perhaps walked a horse would be more accurate. It seems like “riding” should involve more than walking.

My honey and I went over to the stables at the Air Force Academy and rented a pair of nags and went exploring. This time was a first though, as it was just the two of us. Every other time I’ve been on a horse it has been one of those pathetic nose-to-tail guided walks.

This time we got to go “off-trail” and make our own way out into the foothills and just ride around. It was pretty fun… when the horse did what I told it to. Which was maybe 30% of the time. It seemed to be stuck in nose-to-tail mode and it kept wanting to go back to the stables instead of “through the woods and over the hill”. Nevertheless, I did increase my riding skills some and it was much more interesting than following a well worn path.

We rode up to the top of a small ridge and had to go through the scrub oak and snow. Ronda’s horse went right up but I had to argue with mine quite a bit. He finally did go even if he didn’t like it much. The weather had been calling for partly cloudy skies and the morning started off sunny but by the time we got to the stables the clouds had moved in and turned into an overcast day. We both wished we had brought a jacket.

I also seem to have discovered some new muscles in my legs.

Took Abby for little walk up in Ute Valley Park today. She enjoys it immensely and I find it quite relaxing too. I have found a nice secluded place where the woods and rocks combine to form small sanctuaries. Little restful places where you can sit on the rocks in the midst of the pine trees, soak up the sunshine, and smell the earth and woods around you.

It seems to be a favorite spot for the deer too. Lots of tracks and “piles”. Today I came upon a small group of them. They were standing perhaps 25 yards away through the brush. I had brought my digital camera with me and I quickly got ready to catch them leaping away. I didn’t figure it would take Abby long to catch their scent but surprisingly she did not. They soon decided to move on and I tried to snap several pictures but was ultimately frustrated by the stupidities of digital photography. Simply put the camera refuses to take pictures when you press the shutter button. It always seems to want to think about for a minute. Unfortunately, by the time it decided to cooperate the moment was gone.

I’ve interviewed for several more positions lately. One was a three-month contract conducting software quality control tests on nuclear missle launch systems. That would have been interesting to learn about but I did not get selected and probably just as well. It was a night shift and several other better opportunites have come along since. I am waiting to hear back on two different positions in the Information Assurance field that are full-time. One of them is over at a Schriever AFB working with the Integrated Missle Defense program and the other is with ITT Industries where I would be working on a number of different programs. I really want the ITT position because it would provide more challenge and variety, not to mention that it is only a mile or so from the house.

Ironically, the position with Booz Allen Hamilton that originally brought me here and then slowly withered away has suddenly surfaced again. They called last week and wanted to know if I was still available. It seems the govt. has decided maybe they do want to pursue that project after all. It may pan out but I’m not going to hold my breath.