Turn Around And...Boom! People Moving In

 Growth, urban sprawl, overcrowding...people use different names for the same thing--towns becoming cities and cities becoming metropolises. In other words...

People moving in.

It's been a few months since we drove down main street in Brigham City and there's buildings of townhomes (or apartments...) going up where once there was a Shopko.

Earlier today on our community's Facebook page, a discussion of the pros and cons of progress commenced, one of several conversations that seem to crop up over and over again. I never participate because, well...we're most likely considered part of the problem according to some.

My wife and I discussed this issue today. I believe if it weren't for covid, we'd still be exploding in our little neck of the woods. In one year, our town grew 10%. That's impressive for a community over a century old. It took one-hundred years to get to a certain population, then one year to increase that by a tenth.

It's impressive, really, but to many, it's the beginning of the end, the end of their little utopia they've enjoyed. I feel for them, but it's hard to stop progress. It's hard to deny people a chance for them to experience what others have had for so long. The problem is, their existence threatens the whole thing. 

Time is strange. Before we know it, another year, two, five will have passed and things that once were will be no longer. It's true for businesses, neighborhoods, and even people. The trick is, to accept change and try to make the best of it.

That's the trick with a lot of things.

Lots Of Moons Out There...

 Fascinating...

I had an idea for a book. Well, several books, actually. It's in the early stages...just some basics. I have a lot of story ideas like that...a lot. This one, it has promise. That's the problem--I think they all have promise.

Moons.

It was moons that added the "wow" element.

The topic of moons came up this morning when the TV show we were watching talked about how many moons orbit the gas planet Uranus (yes, the jokes write themselves...). I had no idea there were twenty-eight moons associated with that planet. Of course, astronomy is not something I think about often, but I found that nugget of information fascinating.

I did a little research. Still amazed that with a click of a few keystrokes the world's information is available (instead of driving down to the local library and hanging out in the research section...). I found a cool site: HERE. The planet with the most moons is Jupiter. Makes sense...it's the largest planet. Most surprising fact: Pluto has two moons, it being smaller than our own moon. It would be weird to see our moon with two smaller moons orbiting it.

Then again, being on any other planet and seeing all the different moons would would be weird. All those moons. I wonder if humans could land and set up settlements on them, like they're working toward for our moons and Mars. I suppose anything is possible. 

It's the possibilities that make for good fiction, and non-fiction when you think about it. Will this story ever get written? 

That's the biggest unknown of all.

Since It's Leap Year Day, I Must Blog About Bob's Vertical Challenge...It's Tradition

I don't know what it is about February 29th, but for the past three Leap Year Days I've blogged about an annual event from the last decade...

Bob's Vertical Challenge.

If you were fortunate enough to participate in non-profit events, they were a blast. Basically, teams of four skiers/snowboarders competed to see who could ski/snowboard the most vertical feet in a limited amount of time. The event was held at Snow Basin Ski Resort and proceeds went to benefit the Boy Scouts of America, Trapper Trails Council. Eventually, the event went the way of all the earth, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

I've blogged daily since 2011. On Leap Year Day 2012 I blogged about the Vertical Challenge. I completely forgot that I blogged about the event, so on Leap Year Day, 2016, I used the same photo from exactly four years earlier and blogged about the event again.

I did not realize this error until exactly four years later. On February 29, 2020, I decided to look at my blogging history to see what I blogged about on Leap year Day in 2012 and 2016. Turns out, it was the same thing. So, on 2/29/20 I blogged about the two previous Leap Year Day blog posts.

This leaves me no option as to this year's Leap Year Day blog post topic...

Gotta go with Bob's Vertical Challenge!

It was such an amazing event. Most took the day to be free from work and enjoy time on the slopes, but other teams really went for it. The amount of vertical feet skied/snowboarded by some of those teams was staggering. It raised a lot of money over the years for a good cause.

Happy Leap Year Day/Bob's Vertical Challenge Memorial Day everyone!

What A Difference Four Decades Can Make...

 I came across an add for a car. Well, parts of a car, in reality. It's true when you buy a car--any car--you're actually buying many parts that when put together, you get a car. The car I found online had car parts...just not enough for the thing to actually work as a car is intended to do.

What a difference time makes.

The fact that the grouping of car parts cost $500 is what really caught my attention. Any frequent readers of this blog know I'm a sucker for old Volkswagens, and that my first (and many cars after...) was a bug. We called it Greenie and it had tons of personality. It also had a working (somewhat...) engine, a functioning transmission and the ability to move under its own power.

Something the car I found online did not have.

No engine, no transmission, and little more than what you see in photo.

My first car and this car cost the same amount of money. Shocking, I know. Back then, $500 could get you a whole car, one that was legal to drive on the road. You could buy a lot of things for $500 back then. For example, $500 would pay for 1/3 of a year of college--unbelievable, I know. My friend took out a loan for his first car. $500 represented five payments.

I think those days are gone forever.

If I were handy, and had an extra VW engine and transmission and other car parts, $500 might be a good price for half a car that's more than five decades old. Then I could haul it to my house, put in under a tarp or in the garage and hopefully one day, set a goal to put it back together. Then I could say the same thing I said back in 1982..."Oh, this car? Yeah, it cost me $500."

It Was A Dark And Windy Night...

 One thing that surprised us when we moved north was the weather. You'd think that living only sixty or so miles up the road would not make that much of a difference, especially when on a clear day you can look south and see the mountain range on which we used to live.

But, it does.

It's much more windy up here.

Wind is a pain, and when it's cold--like last night--wind can be brutal. It is so windy here that on more than one occasion I seriously considered installing some energy-generating windmills. It seemed to always be blowing.

This year, however, things have settled down. I've not taken careful notice, but it seems we've had a kinder, gentler winter, at least, until last night. Last night things were more like what we're used to. The wind blew and blew. What little water that came with it froze to the side of our house. Luckily there wasn't a lot of moisture associated with it...if so, the roads would have turned to ice rinks. We sort of dodged a bullet this time.

I admit, it was cool touching the side of the house and feeling the frozen bumps attached to the siding.

As winter turns to spring, we'll have fewer and fewer of these storms this season. I do love the variety of weather we have in our state. Still, I thought the weather would be more, you know...the same.

I Have No Idea Who Made This...But I'm Sure There's A Story Behind It

 I admit, when I first saw the thing I laughed. It was, in a word, ridiculous. I've seen many apparatuses (or is it apparati...?) mounted on platforms, but I had to take a double-take when I spotted the red tricycle at our local thrift store.

It was one of a kind.

My wife spotted it, too. It was hard to miss, honestly. We even chatted about it after we left. I tried to make a joke, but my wife brought up the prospect that maybe someone built the thing for a special purpose...

Like, for a handicapped child.

That changed my perspective completely.

Then, the funny looking amalgamation of metal, plastic, and rubber became something else.

I did a quick internet search to see if this was mass-produced or a one-off. No matter what I entered into the search engine, I couldn't find anything that came even close to this thing. That, in and of itself, is unusual. It deepened the mystery.

When thrifting, you come across many strange things, things you may not quite understand. This piece is a prime example. There's got to be a story behind it...I just wonder what that story is...

I'll probably never know.

Give Thanks...Tuckered Out

 This afternoon, I woke up from a nap, a nap well-deserved after having family over. I glanced over at Bec the dog and this is what I saw...

A dog, tuckered out.

Boy, I understood how he felt.

For the first time in several weeks, we had the family over, son, daughter-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, boys, mother-in-law, and grandson. Our house grows smaller with each person who walks in door, but at the same time, it expands as each personality adds to the fabric of family.

As the door closes on the final visitor, the house once again resumes to a sense of normalcy. It becomes larger, quieter, but sadder as well. Such is life...we can only appreciate the good when faced with the bad, the companionship when it's gone.

I am a blessed man...of that there is no doubt. I'm thankful for the time with family, thankful that we all live (relatively...) close and that we're able to gather, break bread, and share/create memories.

Yes, when I look at the dog, tired and resting, I know how he feels for I feel the same...

And it's so worth it.