Well, I’ve seen a skunk twice.  Matty has found the skunk once.

Matty wanted to eat the skunk, but thankfully she just barked at it.  Even better, the skunk never turned around to give her a whiff of what’s up with the little black and white critter.

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It’s not the easiest of things to do…get a picture of a skunk, keep dog from skunk, stay away from skunk… but there you have it.  You can see his little black tail.  I had to walk by about 6 or 7ft from the skunk as it was on the side of the trail and the canal was on the other side.   Thank you Mr (or Mrs) skunk for not skunking me or my dog!

Since I tweaked my side last week..this week I went in for a massage prior to playing more softball.  I was sore most of the week, and my side ached.  I went to a place called Medical Massage of the Rockies and learned a few more stretches I could do as well.  The massage was great, focused mainly on my back and my left side that was hurt and sore.  By the end, it was literally fine.  It’s no longer sore.

Then I went and played softball…and was able to get good hits again 🙂   5-5 at batting, and able to run the bases without any issues.

I think I’ll try to schedule massages twice a month.  It’s just that good.

I’ve lived in Loveland/Ft Collins area for the better part of 17 years now… I moved here from Glendale, Arizona. I loved eating Mexican food in Arizona. Apparently, around Glendale, the type I like is more unique to that area than to anywhere else.

I’d never had “good” Mexican food that I liked as I’ve had in Glendale/Phoenix. That all changed last night.

Los Tarascos (626 S College Ave)

Finally..they have a good salsa selection – 8 or 10 varieties. None were to hot, I liked 5 of the ones I tried – ask for chips because they just serve soft corn tortillas otherwise. I enjoyed my grilled chicken, and the bit of shredded chicken burrito I had was tastey! The recomended sauce by the waitress (that I forget what it was called, but it’s white…) was very good!

Go there, eat, enjoy. This is the first Mexican restaurant I have ever recommended in Colorado.

Well, I don’t really feel to bad about it. I got a walk, a nice hit which pulled/strained my oblique (the left one), and then I couldn’t really do much… so my next at bat I tried to swing…and that was a really bad idea. So I took the next pitch..for called strike 2. Bummer.

My side is killing me, and I could barely make a left turn when driving home. But the fun doesn’t end..oh know. most people would be wise and stretch and hang out at home…

I hitched up Matty and my moms dog Buddy that I’m watching this week for a walk…. over behind Cold Stone area a big black lab start running around us. Fine..I just kept going…and that lab kept following…. finally over by Seven Lakes Park, it was obvious he wasn’t going to go home. I called the Loveland PD and captured the lab (twice). Finally, after about 40 minutes…the Larimer Humane Society showed up and they took him away. I finished my walk..grimacing with each step.

I don’t see any big bruise in my left side, and there’s no blood coming out where it shouldn’t. So I guess it’ll get better….with time. And I need to learn how to hit left handed because I just don’t think it’ll be “fine” be next Monday.

What an exciting day!

On the weekends, I still have the bad habit of waking up at 5:30 (ok, sometimes 4:00) in the morning.  instead of just sitting around, or walking for an hour around Boyd…I’ve decided to go into Poudre Canyon for the trails there.

I don’t know why sometimes it takes me months to remember things, but, I’ve gone the last 3 weekends.  Once up Dadds Gulch, Once up Roaring Creek, and Saturday it was Hewlett Gulch.

Mom went with for Hewlett Gulch and really seemed to enjoy it.

Matty gets to go on all the hikes, and she does really well.  doesn’t generally run to far away unless she’s found water.  And I have yet to hear her bark at anyone or other dogs.  It’s a nice way to go spend several hours in the Colorado Mountains.  Hopefully it doesn’t get too cold so I can keep it up for a couple more weeks 🙂

And if you want to go….just let me know, I’ll tell you which trail I’m pondering next!

This was on Roaring Creek:

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My truck’s been having issues with the transmission slipping out of OD and generally pour performance…

so I broke down last Friday and took it to the shop.  Monday I received a call.  They need to pull the trans to find out everything that’s broken, and ball park $2400 to rebuild.  It needs a rebuild 🙁

So the bike and the truck are MIA.

The Honda’s speed sensor is being flaky..and a new one of those is $152.  I need to go to a junk yard I thinks and get one as I hate the speedometer working 50% of the time I drive.  At least it’s running fine otherwise…

I have a really nice bike….er it was once a really nice bike.  It has fallen on hard times.  I bought in 1992 or 1993.  I think it was $900.  Giant ATX 770.

Everytime I see it I get mad.  When I take it down to ride, it’s just broken.  No longer shifts properly, the tires have dry-rotted again.  Tubes don’t hold air.  It’s on my list of things to fix.

Today is that day.  I took it back to Lee’s Cyclery to get corrected.  New shifters, new brake levers (apparently my bike is old school and it’s a one piece…so updating a bit.)  New cables all around.  Since I’m paying for that, and I’m getting new tires and tubes anyways…I just added that into the things they do for me.  $7 to install tubes & tires, fine.  The new shfiters and brake levers are only $45 + $25 to install.

So for about $160 it’s going to be like new again.  Why did it take this long…why last year did they talk me out of new shifters 🙁

I get it back in 7 days.  Yay!  It should make it another 16 years now.

For some of you, it’s a 3 day weekend…  I already worked 10hrs on Saturday and 14 Friday.

I couldn’t take anymore, so I left.  I think I’ve got it setup to be fixed…but I’m not spending my entire weekend at work. Nutz to that!

Also…I watched A Praire Home Companion (the movie) after having listend to it on my drive back from Tennessee.  I didn’t even know the radio show existed still, honestly.  I hadn’t heard it before.  So today I was informed it’s on NPR in Colorado!  SWEET!

It’s tuned in now 🙂  yay!  I guess I do like some quirky things…

I guess I’m not so good at matching trim…  I have new trim to replace the broken / mangled trim from the tile.  Today I finally go around to staining it and it’s waaayyy to dark.

I guess I have to head back to HomeDepot yet again…

I did pick up a swiffer and a duster.  So there’s no dust around my TV and the floor is clean.  Now i have to cut another piece of trim to fit in the kitchen though.  What are the odds I can cut a perfect piece twice in one day.

Oh, and Matty is fine after her surgery.  Still taking her on the daily 1 hour walk (ok, 1 hour 15 minutes…) and she’s down to 60.5lbs from 76 in March.  She’s hawt now…all the boy dogs go crazy when she walks by.

My dog has had a spot on her belly for a long time.  I’ve noticed it’s been getting bigger lately.

Took her to the vet, it would be $150 to have it tested.  It’s $650 to just have it removed.

As it’s a possibility it’s a cancerous growth, I am just opting to have it removed and skipping paying for the test on beforehand.

Matty goes in on the 20th.

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