Category: Blog

Gary’s post: Above is a screen shot of the Tempest app that records the weather. It’s actually pretty cool, and I can geek out on the weather. Even better is this screen shot, which shows more technical details.

There’s more data too, but I like that it has a lightening detector, which is really useful in the Fall. NM is one of the states, outside of Florida that gets a lot of lightning strikes during monsoon season. And you can see the intensity of the solar radiation. So cool….

Today is devoted to getting some $$ to pay for the RV holding tank next week and spreading the gravel for the RV pad. I’ll shoot a picture when we’re done…. so exciting…. not. There are a few things we still have to get done, but it’s starting to feel a bit more normal. Once I get through taxes next weekend, I think we can start spending some time together visiting some of the attractions and enjoying some of the new things that have happened while we were away.

I’m going to have to get going on finding local medical support. NM health care isn’t the greatest and there’s a lack of good doctors. I need to sort out the shoulder and jaw issues as they are keeping me awake at night. Might just be the cold, but we’ll see. I do need to get organized with a dentist, regular doctor and the heart people.

Next month I’m being recruited to travel, which I’m not excited about. We’re not at a point where we have our support system figured out yet. I’m not comfortable leaving Wendy with Harp and Juni for 5 days and dealing with deliveries. I haven’t got a delivery box set up yet or a way to put the garbage out to the curb. We have to drag it for about 1/4 mile to Hwy 47. We’ll get it figured out but it’s going to take a few more months.

This weekend, I’m going to make my flights to Seattle to see my Cardiologist and do labs for my last visits with my primary care physician. In April, I’ll get organized with the health system down here. I’m still not sure how or if I’m going to retire in April. My company would support me working part-time (32hrs/wk) until I wanted to stop. I’m thinking that might be a good thing to do while we’re building the house, then once we have occupancy, retire at the end of the year. We should have a good handle on our finances and cash flow by then.

Next week should be exciting. Hopefully we will take delivery of our EX30. That will let Wendy start driving the EV to work and keep the gas costs down. I’ll get a cover for the XC40 and probably the truck – we’ll see. We really need to get one of those portable carports to protect the cars from the sun. Since we’re now officially NM residents with Real ID drivers’ licenses and registration plus bank accounts – we need to start protecting the cars and trailer from the damage of UV rays.

Well, enough. It’s almost 8:00am and we’re still in PJ’s. Time to get moving and go to the bank in Albuquerque. Then it’s spreading gravel and going through the workshop to find my Corporate Travel card and some other items we need. Tomorrow we’ll move the trailer, get some heat tape for the water line and generally get the RV situated in its final location until the house is built. I’m thinking about selling the RV once the house is built, then consider getting a different one that’s more attuned to NM – like an Artic Fox or Brinkley. That’s more for a different blog.

Take care. Have a great day and take time to enjoy your day and the people around you. Be present!

Gary’s post: Man, I do love the colors of the sky during a sunset. I HAVE to update my camera as these colors are washed out or figure out how to use photoshop on my laptop.

We finally got our gate installed. I think it’s a blessing and a curse. On one hand it secures the property and only those who have an opener can get in. On the other hand, deliveries are a pain in the ass. We did put in a gate to the south (left in the picture) which should help, but for now the delivery drivers just drop stuff over the fence. Not a good plan with fragile stuff. I’ll have to get some gate signs and a better address sign.

Today is a busy day this morning. I have the garage door guys coming in the morning, so I need to move a bunch of boxes out of the way so they can install a garage door opener on the workshop. Giant pain in the arse. I also have 10 tons of gravel coming this morning for the new RV pad. I’ll start spreading that later this afternoon and tomorrow. As always, sunny weather with some wind. Spring in NM. We will see how well the tractor holds up. It definitely needs some maintenance, and the hydraulics rebuilt.

I bought a Tempest weather station. I know, I know, why do you need a weather station in NM? It’s easy to predict the weather – sun and wind…. Well, first off, I’m a geek about this stuff, and it’ll be interesting to know the Solar intensity and wind speeds. I’ll get a post today and get the station mounted. If we ever get any rain, the station might measure that too.

Once we get the RV moved and the holding tank installed, I think things will settle down and move more into a routine. Then it’ll be all about building the house and catching up on my work items. I keep hoping that I don’t have to travel next month for work. I couldn’t find my corporate travel card anyway – it’s buried in the mound of boxes in the workshop. Speaking of which, I really need to carve out some working space. I think once the gravel is spread-out, we’ll empty the workshop and restack things in a more organized manner.

Should be getting the EV next week. Exciting and will save on gas and wear and tear on the XC40. I’ll apply for a refund from PNM and a reduced power rate as we have an EV. It’ll be interesting to see if the EV really saves money in the long run. The EX30 does have an 8-year battery warranty – so that’ll be a good thing.

I need to sort out why my joints are so sore here. First it was my shoulder, which is slowly getting better. This week, my freaking jaw is a problem. Makes eating a problem as it kills to chew. That is slowly getting better. Making me wonder if it’s medication, a virus or just lack of motion. I notice that doing push-up and strength work help the shoulder. Maybe I should start chewing gum. I’m going to start drinking collagen to see if that helps. One type for skin and hair to stop all the rough skin patches and help with the dryness and another for the joints. I’ll report out in a few months. I think I just need a tune-up! Need to find some good docs here….or better drugs!

Enough for now. Need to do some exercises (a total challenge in this RV), get dressed and start moving boxes. And I need to pair the truck garage door opener with the gate. We’ll see how that works…

Take care and find time to enjoy the sunrise and sunset. Have a wonderful weekend.

Gary’s post: Thursday, finally on the downhill side of the week. This month has gone so fast. I really need to focus on my taxes and get them done. I keep hoping Trump fires all the IRS folks and declares this a tax free year….LoL!!! So much to get done this weekend but I think everything is lined up.

Some totally awesome news. My grandson, Lucas, was evaluated by Seattle Public Schools and found to be “highly capable”. That means he has access to STEM and advanced learning programs through his K-12 years. We’re so excited and proud of him, and Wendy is just beaming. With her background in education, she understands what an impact these programs can have on a student’s education. We knew he was smart, but this is a great confirmation that somewhere in the genetic cesspool of the Kessler family, Lucas managed to get the good genes. Must be his mom!! I know Lucas’s parents will take advantage of these opportunities. So proud of that kid and his sister. They will be awesome human beings.

Today is all about getting our gate installed. And getting ready for a gravel delivery so we can move the RV. I worked on my father-inl-law’s tractor yesterday. It’s a subcompact tractor with a bucket scoop and a rear backhoe. It’s functional but a bit too small for a lot of the work I need done around the property. It’s a 25hp, and I need about 20hp more to do dirt work and move gravel, mow and do more heavy lifting. We’ll use it as best we can, but at some point, I’ll need to evaluate getting a bigger tractor assuming Wendy will agree. That’s a whole different discussion. I’m going to use the EV purchase to win her over!!.

Retirement. I keep getting more work at my real job. I need to get my head oriented and get focused on doing work work. It’s so hard when there are so many options to do more fun things!! And I HAVE to get travel to Seattle handled this weekend so I can visit my cardiologist and see my daughter. My son and his family will be traveling in Europe that week, so I’ll babysit the cats! Love those little furry guys.

As you can see from the picture above, they are “well-trained”. Great pets though and perfect for my son’s family.

Next week our youngest will be here. The stress level will rise, and he’ll bring his drama with him. Love the kid to death, but he really needs to relax and stop creating drama to keep him occupied. I’m hoping this fire training will give him enough drama that the rest of his life is more relaxed!! It’ll be nice to see him, and I’ll put him to work around the property!! He does need to get in touch with his uncle to arrange for sleeping quarters. I’m sure the drive down will be filled with “perceived” drama and excitement. I’ll have to talk to my daughter and see how she feels after he leaves. They’ve been cohabitating for the last several months. Fun family dynamics.

Alright, time to stop for now. Lots to do and lots happening. To anyone reading this – have a great day and thank you for all your support. I hope this blog is interesting. Once the house starts, I’ll focus on that progress. And I’ll start adding video’s.

Take care!

Gary’s post: Yes, another sunrise picture. Early morning and evening are the best times of the day. So beautiful. It helps to reset your attitude and remind you that there are bigger things in life than your current worries.

Today is a sad day for me. My beloved mother passed 4 years ago today. The sad thing is that she passed exactly one week after I told her that my brother passed. I really debated about telling her, especially since she was in bad shape after her stroke. I felt she needed to know. My brother was her “wounded pigeon”. He was her baby. She was blind to his addictions and always tried to help him, which enabled him. Sometimes love blinds you to the realities of people’s behaviors. It almost cost my mom and dad their marriage. It’s hard to be the “last man standing” for your immediate family. If my wonderful wife hadn’t pushed me to see a cardiologist, I might not be here either and that would be the end of the generation. Every life ends.

Still working on getting things organized so we can move the trailer this weekend. Called a couple of gravel places, but no call backs yet. This place is definitely slower than I’m used to. It seems like time just gets away from me. Yes, I did get maintenance work done on the trailer, cleaned the tanks and did laundry – but so much more needed to be done yesterday. This “COVID” trailer is a mess. I just discovered one of the USB outlets stopped working – so two hours to fix that…. Crazy how the little things eat up your time. And as you get older, time files, quite literally. Your perception of time morphs so drastically as you get older.

More crazy spring New Mexico weather. 17 degrees this morning and in the minus numbers east of us. Snowpack is really lite this year, but we still have spring to get through. May snow is a norm here. The trees are starting to come out as it’s in the 60’s and 70’s during the day, along with winds. I’d forgotten about the crazy weather.

Need to book my flight to Seattle for April. Have to see my cardiologist on last time. I’ll see my kids and some friends while I’m there. Dunno if I’ll be retired on not by then, we’ll see. I do need to retire, but thinking that until I get my workshop back, what’s the point. Can’t do anything or get to anything because it’s so full of “crap”. I wish we’d have purged more when we moved. My wife has some of her “pack rat” traits from her father. It’s the sentimental stuff that she claims to want to refinish but never gets done. I’m a big believer in the phrase “you make time for what’s important”, especially as you get older because time is so fleeting.

Alright, need to get moving today. Personal grooming day, and lots of Itron work needs to be done today. I’m struggling to get my head around the work. I’d much rather be focused on the tasks needed to get our house built. That’s how I know I need to retire.

Have a wonderful day. Stop and enjoy the sunrise, sunset or even the rain. You only get that moment once in life.

Gary’s post: Tuesday – one more day closer to groundbreaking on our house. Yesterday managed to get the EV charger installed and configured. Now we just need an EV. I know the EV thing isn’t popular overall with the American public and hybrids are starting to become the car of choice. Our needs are different, we are getting the EV for local travel and Wendy’s commute. EV’s are not ready to become the primary of second car. Batteries are the issue and always will be until technology and cost changes drastically.

Managed to get one more section of the workshop organized. It’s a huge task, but there’s still work to be done. I’ll take more of Jaret’s stuff to paid storage today which should give us a little more space. Once Jaret leaves for Utah in two weeks, we’ll move all the wine into my brother-in-law’s place for a bit until we get a wine fridge in the shop. We need a 280-bottle fridge!!

Spring wind is supposed to be in play today, so I’ll get some gravel ordered for this weekend and get our propane provider scheduled to move the propane tank on Monday. This weekend will be getting the new RV pad ready; I do need to order a 100 ft. extension for RV power. I should look into a water-proof cover for the extension cord where the two cords plug into each other. Next week will be installing a holding tank which should complete everything we need to make the RV more livable for the next 8 months.

Once the wind stops blowing for a bit, I’ll fly one of my drones and take some pictures of the house layout. I need to find the rest of my drones and more of the computer stuff. So much left to do. This weekend is the ABQ home show, which I’d love to go to but there’s so much work left on the shop to get it useable. I do need to get out of the RV and off the property for a while to keep my mental health viable. It’s not easy spending entire days in the RV and not being able to get our because the wind and dust make it miserable to work outside. I’m convinced that’s the cause for some of my joint pain and other health issues. It’s time to find decent doctors here and a vet for our dog. Another task to add to the really long to do list. Sigh. Not enough energy for this…

Alright enough Blog therapy. Need to get moving.

Take care.

Gary’s post: Monday, ugh. Start of another week with lots to get done. This week will be finishing up gate, prepping to move the RV and installing another 50-amp plug for the EV.

When we moved, the movers packed all the keys for our bike rack, that I gave to Jaret. Of course, now he needs the keys and he’s planning on leaving next weekend – so it’s a rush to get him the keys. That child is a walking panic creator. He is a victim of his own actions – constant crisis. I believe he can’t function unless he is in crisis, so he creates situations, which effects everyone around him. Wastes too much energy. Pending example; we’ve been telling him for months he can’t stay in our RV because there is no room. He’s coming down for a week before going to Utah. He hasn’t arranged to room with his uncle or his grandparents, so when he gets here, I’m sure he’ll want to sleep with us. The worse part, his mom will cave and then it’ll be a week of complete chaos. I know it’s coming. I’m thinking I’ll go live in a hotel for a week.

Today will be all about getting the EV stuff installed, clearing out the workshop so I can get the garage door opener installed on Friday and finding some gravel delivery this week. Need to spread some gravel for the new EV location so there’s not a mud mess when it rains. And it keeps the dirt out of the RV.

Installed some solar flood lights on the workshop yesterday. They work, so we’ll see how long they last. Eventually, I’ll replace them with hard-wired lights and security cameras, but for now, they’ll be fine. Keeps us from tripping at night.

My brother-in-law has a skunk under his manufactured home. You can smell it when you walk buy the opening where the skunk dug under the house. We’re working on a way to catch it and move it somewhere else. And I’m pretty sure we have a family of raccoons under the container we have on the back of the property. We’ll get that moved after the house is built, so that should be to see what’s under that. And Harp, our dog, keeps getting these stickers in his fur because he keeps sniffing in the weeds. I need to get a fence put up to keep him out of the weeds. Then I’m going to get a blow torch and burn those little bastards to the ground. And it’s time to start applying weed killer. Everything is starting to green up. Maybe it’s cheaper to concrete the entire two acres….

This spring I think we’re going to plant a hedge on the south fence. Our neighbors don’t muck their fields, so the pasture is overgrazed and full of cow pies. Don’t mind it, but I’m sure guests will find it a bit overpowering. I’m going to plant some cattle friendly shrubs on the fence that grow 6-7′, then a second row of lemongrass and more fragrant shrubs. That’ll help with the odors and keep the horseflies down. Fun landscaping challenges when you live in cattle country. Nothing we didn’t expect.

Enough for now. Lots to do today. More later.

Gary’s post: A beautiful Sunday morning in New Mexico. Colder that a brass toilet seat on the north side of a glacier! Front moved through and it 17 degrees this morning. Brrrrrrr.

This morning is our ritual breakfast with Wendy’s brother, Rick. I really like doing this as it gets him out of the house, and we spend time together. Ever since his wife died in 2021 from COVID, he’s been on a downhill spiral. Grief is such a crazy thing as it manifests so differently for people.

For me, after my first wife committed suicide, it was all about making sure my kids were okay and getting them to move on, then I could take the time to grieve. But had to keep moving as I had kids and a life that I needed to keep together and a wonderful friend, Louise, that keep me sane. It’s funny how people always assume that a relationship between a man and a woman always involves sex. My friendship with Louise has always been and will always be a deep plutonic friendship. Outside of my wife, Wendy, she continues to be one of my best friends and closest confidants. Personally, I relate to women better than men. Maybe it’s because I find the competitiveness of men a waste of time and energy unless there’s a specific goal. I’ve never had close male friends in my adult life – just men that I talk to but don’t have a strong drive to hang out with. Enough physiology.

Yesterday we had the house corners staked and now we can see where the house if going to be. Unfortunately, where we have the RV placed now isn’t going to work. It’s too close to the house and I can’t get the truck in to hook up and move it. The worst part is that by moving it to a new location means that Wendy is right, and I really despise situations when that happens. That’s the one part of her personality that irritates is the need to gloat about being right. Really irritating and it irritates the kids too. I’ve learned to ignore it and just let it happen because it’s such an ingrained trait in her from her childhood. It’s really hard to change life-long habits. Okay, again, enough self-analysis…. Lordy.

So back on topic. We’ll need to gravel the pad where we’re going to move the RV. It’ll keep the mud down when we spill water or empty the freshwater tanks for cleaning. Also keeps the dust down. I think we’ll move it to the back corner where the Sandhill Cranes are. That will be noisy, but fun to watch them from the RV. It’ll also be better for the holding tank installation. It’ll cost some $$ to get a 50-amp circuit run out there and water, but I think I’ll do that while the house is being built. I can run a long extension cord and heat tape fresh water to the trailer to keep the fresh water from freezing.

I’ll get a couple of loads of gravel delivered this week, spread it with my Father-in-law’s tractor and put down some ground sanitizer to keep the weeds from growing. That will put the trailer in a nice location, easy to move when we want to go camping and all the necessary amenities in case someone wants to stay in the trailer instead of the house. We can keep it plugged in, sorta heated with electricity and cover it when it’s not in use. Of course I’ll have to wash it to get the dirt off, but that’ll keep the trailer cleaner last longer.

Well, today will be sorting through the workshop. We need to find the rest of Jaret’s stuff and get it out of the workshop. I have to create enough room to set up my computer to do taxes and some drone work. And we need to find a space for a wine cooler for the 300 bottles of wine we transported here. We’ll put them in my brother-in-laws house until we get a wine cooler. I need to get that done before the weather gets too hot and spoils the wine. The workshop isn’t insulated – which is another project.

Time to get ready for our breakfast. And I have to hit the ATM before we get there. Have a wonderful Sunday everyone. Take care.

Gary’s post: Today it gets real. The surveyors are coming out this morning to pin the edges of the building pad. This is the first step in building the house. Exciting, worrisome and sad are the best emotions I can explain. It’s exciting because this will be our forever home, built the way we want it. Worrisome because it won’t be cheap and the tumultuous nature of our government and economy worries me that we’ll exceed budget. Sad because it means we’re a long way from the grandkids and we won’t be engaged in their lives. Before we were close but not engaged, now if and when they visit at least it will be quality time and focused on them.

Probably won’t get much done today with the workshop, weather won’t be supportive with more wind and rain. Hoping tomorrow will be better so we can get through the rest of the workshop and get it more organized. Thinking it’s time to clean the RV and do dust remediation. All the wind and blowing dust has infiltrated the RV so there’s a fine layer of dust everywhere. With all the wind, it’s been interesting to see the patterns. I ordered a home weather station that will show wind direction and solar intensity. That will help us this spring when we start planting wind breaks on the property. With the water table being so close to the surface, the soil is pretty moist once you’re down 6 inches. Trees should do pretty well. I know the weeds love it…..

Today will be spent working on taxes and doing some grocery shopping. Feels like we’re starting to get into a routine. Still a lot to do to get things in order. At night it’s so dark, I need to get motion lights on the workshop. Funny thing is that the moonlight is so bright, you almost don’t need lighting unless you have a lot of cloud cover.

Well, it’s the weekend, so this will be a short post. Had a wonderful Valentines Day with Wendy. We did drink a bit too much sparkling wine which make for a slow morning! Couple of cups of coffee and some food and I think I’ll be good. Off to get dressed and ready for the day. Lots to do!!

Gary’s post: A morning post this morning! Love the sunrises and sunsets here. Finally, our youngest is leaving the nest. He’s been living with his sister for the last few months and I’m sure she’s happy to get back to normal. Jaret will be leaving next weekend for Utah and his wildland fire fighter training. He’ll be stationed in Fillmore, Utah which is south of Provo on Interstate 15. No great way to get there from Albuquerque. It’s exciting to see that he’ll finally be doing something he’s passionate about. Hopefully he can establish himself there, get his dog with him and become independent. Really looking forward to how that turns out and hoping he stays safe in a dangerous profession. I’m sure he’ll have lots of stories to tell.

Met with our contractor last night. Building our house is getting real. We talked through the initial activities that we needed to get accomplished this month, kicking off groundbreaking. I’m sure our neighbors to the south aren’t going to be happy as they were unhappy,

they didn’t get a chance to buy the property. Dennis, my wife’s cousin through marriage, was pissed off that they intervened in the zoning discussion. He was adamant that this property stays in the family, which was our agreement when we bought it. Anyway, we’re hoping to see a backhoe in two weeks and start building up the building pad.

Today will be another day of crazy spring weather. Storm blowing through from the west, so lots of wind, dust and more cold gusts. I really need to put skirting on the RV to help with the cold and make the trailer more efficient. We’re supposed to get snow this weekend which will make organizing the workshop more complicated and messier. Weather should cooperate on Sunday. Gotta love the wind, it does mild rocking of the trailer. Thank goodness for the X-Braces, they keep the trailer pretty stable.

Well, enough for this morning. I need to work out cashflow for all the $$ going out the door in the next two weeks. And then the money coming in from overpayment and house closing. Gotta pay for plumbers, septic, electrician and of course, Wendy’s new EV. And I need to redo our insurance. Thinking it’s time to switch to USAA for a while.

Oh, and it looks like I may go to part-time in April instead of retiring completely. That could be a good thing while we build the house. I need to think about that and its impact on my mental health and well- being. More on that later.

If you’re reading this blog, have a great weekend and enjoy the people around you and the time you spend with them. Time is fleeting and is the most precious thing we can share with our loved ones.

Gary’s post: Super late post today. It’s afternoon already. I missed my morning posting time because there was so much going on. Yesterday sucked. Super windy, which is the New Mexico version of Seattle rain. It was so windy that you couldn’t go outside with eating dirt. Nasty.

Today has been pretty chill. Valentines’ day has me bummed out. I haven’t had time to do anything for my wonderful wife. I may just make her a nice trailer dinner, some sparkling wine and a movie. It’d be nice to just spend some quality time with her. The last few weeks, I’ve been locked to the trailer because of meetings with contractors, so it’s been a bit lonely. And I can’t get to any of my toys in the workshop because it’s filled with our stuff. Spending some quality time with my wife – high on my list.

I’ve been working with our general contractor to figure out how high we need to build the pad for the house. The reason this is important is because we want the house to be out of the Rio Grande 100-year flood plain. And we want to be able to build out a gravity fed septic system. Above ground systems are unsightly, expensive and complex because they have to have a pump. Currently the ground level 4842′ above sea level. Flood plain is 4843, so ground level is just below flood plain. Code requires that the base of the first floor is 12″ above flood plain. Doing the math, that indicates the dirt building pad has to be at least 2′ to meet code and be out of the flood plain. So, we’ll go 2’6″ to be safe. And that means that the stub out for the drain field will be 2′ below ground level, so the septic tank will end up being right at ground level to adhere to code. The issue is the water table, it’s at 6′, so they need to have the bottom of the septic 2′ above the water table. Who know you needed all this math to install a septic tank!!

We’re hopefully meeting with our GC tonight to lay out budgets and timelines for the house build. Once we get that done, then I can get the finances aligned. Tomorrow I’ll run a check over for the balance of the fence. And the real fun will be at my MVD appointment when I get to register my truck here in NM. Hopefully, no big deal. I’ve been doing insurance shopping, and I think we’re going to change things up a bit and try USAA for a while. They are about $120/month cheaper than the nearest quote I can get from my broker.

My youngest, Jaret, is in panic mode. He heads out to Utah in two weeks assuming that Trump doesn’t kill budget or headcount for firefighters. Right now, things seem to be moving forward, so fingers crossed. I think he’ll stop by here for a week to sort out his belongings, drop of his dog and then head to Utah. I’m not excited about two dogs, but his dog is a big lover, so things will be fine. We have LOTS of room for them to run. Just not sure where everyone will sleep – I may be sleeping in the truck!

Clouds are starting to move in, which means a change in the weather, again. We’re supposed to get another storm front tomorrow and maybe some rain! Gotta love the mud. The snowpack is terrible this year and there’s a worry that the Rio Grande will run dry this year because of no snow – unlike last year. Hopefully we’ll see some rain and it’d be fun to have some snow, especially on the cactus plants!

I was just musing about how people here call this area the valley. It’s a valley that’s at 4300 feet. When I lived here that last time, our house was at 6700 feet in the Albuquerque foothills. The Sandia Mountains are at 8700 feet. We’re pretty high up in our “valley” considering that our house in Renton was at 475 feet in the Renton “Highlands”. It’s high desert for sure with the 40-50 degree temperature swings. I’m thinking I’m going to get a home weather station that measures UV intensity. That could be interesting. Rainfall isn’t a big deal as it almost never rains except during monsoon season. Sunlight, wind and temperature are the key metrics for weather here. More toys.

Alright, it’s time to feed the dog. He’s pacing around and watching me from the couch.

To anyone reading this – have a wonderful evening!