Highs and lows

[quercus alba]

2020 was a roller coaster ride, up and down. I learned a lot about my self and others as well as what's really important in life. I hope I came out of it a better man but sometimes it's more of a bitter man.

Highs: Retirement is great, I should have retired at 21. I've got a new grand daughter, never a bad thing. I've spent a lot more time with my wife than I ever have and we've found out we actually like each other.

Lows: losing Larke. I never met the man but it still feels like I've been kicked in the gut every time I think about it. He was an exceptional person and we need more like him. I cringe when I see what the people of this once great country allow to happen. We've become a nation of greedy narcissists and eunuchs. Things change but not always for the better. I hate to see this place dying, for many years it's been a friend that has made me laugh and made me cry but never let me down

Well, I'm off to see the wizard....first covid shot. I may have a third appendage when I get back, my wife said she hopes it's a bigger one

[BarryBobPosthole]

They don’t give suckers! Glad to hear you’re joining us sheep. A sore arm is all I got both times. Hope yours is as mild.

My 2020 was much the same, with the notable exception of the appendage part.

And my wife and I have been caregivers in 2020 for one of the toughest battles against cancer Ive ever seen with our oldest daughter. Its been inspiring and heartbreaking. But losing my friend Larke was the lowlight of it all in 2020. He was/is just the salt of the earth. And maybe some of the pepper too! Don’t know how else to say it.

BKB

[Big Skyz]

I think we are all feeling the loss of Larke. I miss him. I loved talking with him on the phone and the one time him and JB came out and hunted with me is still one of my favorite memories. All the regulations guidelines with Covid really gets me down sometimes, but I still manage to deal with it well most days. However the last two weeks I've had two close friends tell me they are getting divorced. I blame Covid in part for both divorces. One of the marriages went south because both of them had to work so much to make ends meet, and try to raise kids, and home school. Long story short too busy and too much time apart killed that marriage. The second one I just learned about yesterday, and I'm still feeling kicked hard in the gut over it. He is a good close friend and one of my main fishing partners. He lost his job of 25 years due to Covid. The boss just walked in his office one day and said basically we are closing up and you no longer have a job. No retirement, no severance, no nothing. This guy is close to my same age and has been married well over 25 years. He has struggled to find work as he was specialized in his field. I guess, in part, the instability of a finances just got too much for his wife and she left him. He is a completely broken man right now. I don't even know what to say to him. I know this all sounds negative, and it is. Those are some of the lows I'm dealing with today.

Some of the highs however are that I love the weather in Southern Utah a lot more than I did Montana. It's nice to not have 3 feet of snow and -25 degrees everyday. I was able to celebrate my 35th anniversary with my wife last Saturday and it has been a good 35 years. Like QA my wife and I not only love each other we really like each other. I've also really improved my fly fishing skills and the fishing has been pretty good. I'm also starting to feel a lot more comfortable with my job. Last year was really rough and the whole Covid thing absolutely did not help, but we are doing okay now. Last but not least it's good to be close to family again. 25 years away from most of my wife and I's families was tough while we lived in Montana, but now we get to see them all a lot more despite Covid. So like most of the time in life, there are ups and downs, but in the long run I think it all balances out pretty well.

[Thumper]

We all seem to have a common thread here, not that that’s much of a surprise. I guess it’s one of the reasons we hang out “together”. Things for us have pretty much been a good test to see if we could handle being close in a 24/7 basis and it’s been surprisingly smooth. We went through a rough period 15-20 years ago and it got so bad I’d pretty much made up my mind to move on. I just didn’t care anymore. I’d have to say, finances were probably the main factor that held us “together”. Owning a home, as well as a business, tends to make the “moving on” option a bit difficult and pretty much ties you down. It turned out to be a good thing in the long run as after I started exploring “options”, I realized it would be near impossible to match or beat what I already had. It’s been all good ever since and during this Covid mess, our closeness seems to smooth out all the bumps thrown our way. Considering the circumstances, all is good for us personally. We’ll be celebrating 36 years together in three more months.

Losing Larke was EXTREMELY rough on me. I hate to admit it, but for some unexplainable reason, it affected me more than when I lost my own father. It was similar circumstances even, my dad was fine, I talked to him on the phone on a Sunday and Monday morning he was gone. I had just talked to Larke before getting the news he was gone. What I don’t understand (and what is hard and very confusing to admit) is that my dad and I were extremely close, but when Larke passed away, it affected more than when I lost my dad. That bothers me a LOT as I don’t really understand it and it makes me feel guilty, but Larke just had a “way” of getting into your heart. Sounds corny when I think of that sawed off little turd head, but I mean that in a respectful way.

That said, I just found out yesterday from a close friend, that both her (elderly) parents have been diagnosed with Covid and her dad has been admitted into the hospital with pneumonia. Their two best friends (also a couple) have also been diagnosed with Covid. The three are home quaranteened and working through it like the flu, but I’m really concerned about her dad.

[DeputyDog]

I can also relate. My wife and I had our 25th anniversary last month and with Covid, didn’t really get to celebrate. However we have decided that since we have both been vaccinated we are going to take a little vacation next month when her school is on spring break. We haven’t been anywhere since December of 2019 and just need to get away.

On the down side, we just found out yesterday that a close friend who lives in Maryland passed away yesterday from cancer. She had been fighting it for just over three years. We knew things weren’t going great for her, but didn’t know that she was that bad, so her passing was a surprise for us.


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[Chicken Dinner]

I’m sorry for your loss DD.


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[BarryBobPosthole]

Yessir, me too Pat. A punch in the gut like that when you aren’t prepared is extra hard too.

BKB

[DeputyDog]

The worst part is that her husband had lost both of his parents since September. So now in less than 6 months he lost both parents and now his wife. Not sure I could handle that.


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