I mowed but the mower rebelled. It stopped. Won’t start. Small engines are not my specialty. But I will try because I have nothing if not time. It’s obviously not getting gas. Now I need to figure out why.

I am home. Pulled in last night. Went to bed early. There are chores to do today, but not many.

Last week was a good week with two weird exceptions. On Tuesday last, I misplaced my sunglasses. They disappeared without a trace and without a hint as to how I might have lost them.

Well, the work is finished. The holes are dug. The piles driven to refusal. The lifting complete. Doors close with ease. Cracks retreated.

It is easy to forget sometimes that there is actually hard work that needs doing.

Smoke detector batteries are only allowed to fail in the middle of the night. I have no idea how the makers of smoke detectors arrange this, but it’s true.

I had a rejuvenating evening at a baseball game with friends last night, which is a great place to have a rejuvenating evening because the pace of a baseball game allows for plenty of time for quips and stories and laughter…

While we’re on the subject of Vietnam, which is where I was yesterday. Here’s my favorite book on the subject, and not a favorite because it lays out some great theoretical story about why and how we got there, but a favorite because it’s full of great writing and tells stories about the little guys, because most histories are about the officers, and this one is about the grunts.

don’t believe this. I just read an article about a new Rolling Stones album. I listened to a track. I’m excited. Keith Richards is 79 and Mick Jagger is 80. And they’re still making music, creating music.

I found myself in close proximity to a bookstore the other day. Went in and browsed around. Found a copy of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Bought it. Brought it home. Read it. I’m glad I did.

Took the kids to the pool yesterday. The pool was filled with bugs. They swam in the kids pool. It is amazing to watch children frolic in a pool that is less than a foot deep and about ten feet around. But they did. Goggles on and all.

Went to a college football game last night. That’s about all I can say. We lost. I can tell you why. The other team out scored us. Pretty simple actually.

A great, dark Gulf Coast thunderstorm rolled through yesterday afternoon. Lightning flashed. Thunder rolled. There were booms and cracks all around. The rain fell in torrents. It felt as though the entire Gulf of Mexico had come to the land.

Its 5:30 and there’s a dog barking in the neighbors yard. It’s been barking, off and on, since about 4 a.m. If this were an Native American village on the high plains, I think we’d all be up to see who was trying to steal our horses.

I forgot my mouse. Now in the age of phones, pads, and touch screens that may not seem like a big deal. But to an old school road warrior and his laptop it’s a major inconvenience…

Imagine my surprise. I walked out to feed the cats this morning and the driveway was wet. What? Rain? Wow. That’s nice. I’ll have to wait until the sun comes up to see how much.

I am home and in my own bed. Not at the moment, obviously, but I was until just a minute ago. Now I’m up. Lot’s of things rumbling through my head.

It’s moving day. We’re hitting the road. It will be a long drive back to Texas, but it’s all downhill from New Mexico. The weather here in Taos was great, and last night I watched it rain at home. Sweet.

Went to the top of a mountain yesterday. Actually, it was only close to the top. And we rode. On a ski lift. It was fun. It took about eight minutes to reach our destination.

Started the day yesterday with a short walk along the South Rim of the Rio Grande Gorge just outside Taos. Standing at the starting line, it looked mostly flat. We could see a long way into the distance.