Category: Personal

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, yet it’s still two days before Halloween! I don’t know what the official snow total is for my area, but we got well over a foot.

We met family today at Dillon Lake off I-70. The clouds were spectacular, but the rain held off for most of the day. Here are three photos:

Now if we could just get a political scene as pretty as the mountains…

As we contemplate changes in some of our alcohol laws, we can’t afford to forget the very real dangers of drunk driving. This New Years, please be safe! If you’re going to be drinking too much for safe driving this evening, stay overnight, choose a designated driver, or call a cab. If you’re on the roads, watch out for reckless drivers and report them. Defensive driving works.

I wish you a free and prosperous New Year as we discover new opportunities to fight for liberty in 2008.

On Tuesday night, my wife and I were involved in a car crash. The other driver ran a red light. While my wife was taken by ambulance to a hospital—St. Joseph’s, which admitted and released her amazingly quickly—the move was more precautionary because she hit her head against the side window. We’re both sore. We went in for massages on Wednesday, and our backs were full of knots. I’m also going to see a chiropractor. We can be thankful that the crash wasn’t worse than it was. Because I was able to swerve a bit, the collision took place at an angle less than 90 degrees. Most of the energy of the crash went into car damage and tire friction; we were spun around about 180 degrees.

I’m grateful that the other driver and three witnesses provided accurate information to the police and to the insurance companies. So if you’re a primary witness to a crash, please stop, not only to help if needed, but to affirm the basic facts of the case. I’m very thankful for the time of the three witnesses.

I’m also grateful that my insurance, American National, and the other driver’s insurance, State Farm, have so far been very good about things. (I have yet to go through the claims process with State Farm, but I’m hopeful that it will go smoothly.) I’ve been impressed by the rapid responses and consideration shown by agents of both companies.

This is another reminder for us (and maybe for you, too) to keep our priorities straight.

This afternoon I was out for a walk, and I saw a cat in a field of open space. I had seen the cat several times before, and, suspecting that it is a stray, I had brought some cat food in a bag. The cat voraciously consumed the food, then whined for more, confirming my suspicions that it’s a stray. It’s also quite slender. It’s not really that much effort to get your cats fixed or take them to a shelter, so it annoys me when people abandon cats, in most cases leaving them to die of starvation, exposure, or predators.

I went home and called the Cat Care Society, the wonderful shelter where we adopted our cat. Unfortunately, that shelter is full. So, if you’ve ever thought about getting a cat, now is the time! You’ll have a fun time seeing all of the cats, and you’ll be able to pick from a large selection.

Fortunately, the Boulder Humane Society said that it’s willing to accept a cat. If the cat is behaviorally fit for adoption (i.e., not feral), as I think it is, and free from serious illness, it will be put up for adoption.

If I can find the cat! I went back with my cat box, and instead of a cat I found a fox prowling the area. I don’t know if the fox was after the cat or the cat food (which was gone). So I hope the cat doesn’t get eaten before I manage to get it to the shelter.