Family Interlude: Weekend at Missy’s

---

Missy’s Place, Fort Morgan, Colorado

We spent a wonderful three days catching up with my sister and her family. Only real exciting event was yesterday evening’s tornado, about 8 miles away. The tornado did a fair amount of damage to a dairy farm, including killing several of the cows and wiping out the ‘parlour’ (I guess that’s the place where they milk them). One of Dave and Missy’s vet employees was on the scene to help with the animals.

Otherwise it was a real quiet three days. Joan and I slept in every morning and also took naps every afternoon - we are using the time to catch up on our sleep and regain some energy. Of course, we spent a lot of time chatting and sitting around the kitchen table. Dave cooked us three really terrific meals - he’s pretty good in the kitchen, Missy kept us on our toes with reports on the local news and how their vet business keeps struggling.

Celia and Joey were home too, which made it extra special. Celia is at Princeton working on her Ph.D. In molecular biology. Her dissertation is going to be on something having to do with the development of the head structure in the fruit fly and the chemical processes that turn genes on and off. I sort of understand the basic thrust of where she’s going, but it is obviously over our heads. She seems to be enjoying it tremendously and, although moody at times, she’s fun to be around.

Joey is back from Oregon University for the summer and is his usual energetic self. He is into human physiology and is likely pre-med, but still hasn’t nailed down his plans. With two vets, a molecular biologist, and a human physiologist, discussions about the effects of oh, say, aspirin, ibuprofen, and Tylenol become very engaging conversations. One of them will say something, the other jumps in with a counter argument, and a third will tell both of them that they don’t know what they are talking about. Meanwhile, us poor peons just wanted a simple answer to the question of which one is better for what? I think its called family dynamics at play.

But it has been a terrific visit, and Joan and I are ready now for the last push. We leave this morning for a relatively easy 250 miles south and west to Lathrop State Park west of Walsenberg. We’ll spend the night there making for just a 100 mile drive home tomorrow morning. We decided to break it into two chunks because trying to drive up the mountain to home and then secure the trailer after a long day driving is just too exhausting.

Trailer still has electrical problems but I think there is something other than dead batteries causing the problem. Especially when you turn on a light and the stereo speakers start chattering. Suggests a short somewhere and I’m not looking forward to that one. But we should be able to make it home.

---

Comments

[Janet Siedlecki]

YOU did it! AGAIN.
Lucky you two and the puppies too. America the Beautiful is getting smaller and smaller for you every trip. That wish list is Precious memories to last you till the next road trip. Let me be the first to say WELCOME HOME TO NEW MEXICO:) XO