For the second time this year we have a Mallard hen sitting on eggs around the house. Last time was in the front, by the corner of the garage. One day, she and her eight or so eggs had vanished. We figured racoons or foxes got the better of her.



The one day a few weeks ago I was watering some plants along the foundation near the back kitchen door, when she flew off of a semi-hidden nest, revealing nine more eggs. So far, except a few visits by a curious neighborhood house cat, she has been undisturbed. If these eggs are fertile, I wonder what we will do with a bunch of ducklings running around the back yard?

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We ran out of dog biscuits a few days ago, and if you have ever had a spoiled dog you know this is not a tolerable state. I thought I could get some at the nearby Sunflower Market, but they have stopped selling any biscuits - their only treats were some kind of meat-based chew things from China. I would NEVER buy any supposedly edible material from China under any circumstance for man or beast, so that was out.

There is a little pet shop in the mall with the big grocery market, so I stopped in to see what they might have. I expected to pay a premium, but was a little stunned when I walked out with about fifteen dollars worth of premium biscuits weighing less than two pounds. The commercial ones were venison and sweet potatoe, and I bought a pound of baked-on-site made-from-scratch assorted flavor biscuits.

Mdog is so thrilled by this bounty that she is more insistent than ever.

Curse you Arfys lady....

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Wednesday we attended Green Drinks, on a great warm afternoon on the downtown patio of a local builder. Two kinds of New Belgium craft beer, and quality pizzas from a nearby Italian restaurant. Plenty of interesting friendly people.

Fort Collins at its finest.

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Saturday was a busy day, which started with a trip to the riverfront just North of town for a dogwalk and Vanagon outing. Deciding to get a little more ambitious, we headed out of town toward the mountains where there is a spot on the river called Picnic Rock. Too many tubers and picnic families caused a wait in the parking area as we realized that weekends aren't the best time to do very many things in popular places.



Later in the afternoon, we rode bicycles to the new University art center to see a Warhol exhibit. Oddly enough, Warhol spent some time here a few decades ago, so there was a local flavor to the display of his artifacts and work.


The old Fort Collins High School building from 1927 has been gutted and transformed into an art, theatre and music center for Colorado State. A ten minute Bike ride from the house, it is a pleasant place to visit with the surrounding annual flower demonstration gardens presenting every imaginable color and variety.



We stopped on the way home to visit with Hilda, the woman who shared our home briefly last year when she returned to Fort Collins from some time out of state. She has a warm and cozy little apartment of less than 400 square feet, a size that seems to both of us to be about right for a single person.

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Last night I volunteered for the registration table at the Food Bank 25th anniversary celebration. One of those stations where your name is checked off a list and you fill out or pick up a name badge. As the event was somewhat formal I brought a tie which they asked me to wear - the first time for that since we moved here. Its probably been over five years since I had one around my neck.



I have negotiated a few more days to complete by the end of the month to end my engagement at the Big IT Company here in Fort Collins. It really feels like I stayed about two months too long, but I guess a little more money in the bank will make me feel a little less poor when unexpected expenses pop up or I indulge in a little splurge now and then this summer.

I plan to spend some of the freed up time continuing my education on managing finances and understanding the force that shape the economy and markets. This idea got back underway Friday when I attended an investor breakfast and had a conversation with a venerable old fixture from Wall Street decades ago.

I guess as call centers go, the one I have been parked in for the past eight months is pretty benign. However, I question the value of the time spent there due to the adverse physical and psychic effects versus the minimal compensation and job satisfaction. Overall I suppose it was worth doing, if for no other reason than to dispel any further notion of engaging in such unrewarding activity in the future unless it is absolutely essential.

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Last night we went to Old Town for the July First Friday gallery walk, and saw a lot of good new work. At the contemporary art museum, they had a show by Joseph Raffael, comprised of enormous floral watercolors. Later, we spent a fair amount of time at the avant-garde Gallery Underground, drinking beer while people watching and visiting with Kirsten and her partner.



We could have gone to the city fireworks display tonight, after the (seems like) daily rain showers quit around dark. But this year I find it hard to go out and celebrate a big national pride holiday while half the people in Washington seem Hell-bent on selling us all out to rapacious insurance and financial industry interests. When democracy is being shoved aside in favor of corporatocracy, torches and pitchforks seem like better tools than barbecue grills and bottle rockets.

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Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

I couldn't resist putting this Obama Jib-Jab piece in...if you choose to view it, keep in mind that this was debuted in front of the President at the recent White House Correspondents Dinner.

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Its time to hire and train a few replacements at the call center. I'm sure the recently reduced pay will still attract some highly qualified candidates. Thirteen days remain among the acres of cubicles before I get control of my time again, and can seek some new direction. I've been offered part time work, which would have sounded good at one time, but now I'm afraid I've crossed the burnout threshold, and even a couple of days a week don't sound appealing.

I hate to give up a steady income at a time when all the swindles and fraud that have permeated the economy continue to have an adverse affect on my savings and "investments", but I guess I can afford to coast for a while. Maybe I can even create and accumulate enough art work to have a shot at some sort of commercial venue, like a local gallery.

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