labor day weekend sunday. around here that means i'm trying to avoid going to town, because i have to go to las cruces tomorrow, over two hours each way, and i just need a break from driving. even to cloudcroft, about eithteen miles, four or five of them gravel and very washed out by the rains, it's a problem, about an hour and a half of driving alone, not to mention the constant risk of deer, elk and whatever just jumping out at you while you drive.

i spent a good amount of time this morning pulling weeds and moving sticks - unfortunately i might be allergic to the weeds i was pulling, because now my eyes are itching like crazy. i used to think my eyes got red and sore from the c-pap blowing air up onto them all night as i rolled over in my sleep, but the other thing i've been doing is pulling these weeds, and the ones i really want to get are the ones that are going to seed because i don't want such a big crop next year. i was down to my last corner, a front corner of the property, although i suspect i've left a few in scattered places - i've tried my best to clear the grounds of them. i always wash my hands when i come back in. but the problem is whenever your hands happen to touch your face. i'm one person who can't keep my hands off my face.

the world is full of angst about covid and for good reason. lots of kids under 12 aren't vaccinated and lots of other people aren't either. in fact almost half of our area is unvaccinated as well. so the kids in the schools are sitting ducks, and sure enough, they'll get it. our four, thirteen and up, are all vaccinated, so we're counting on that to get us through. but there's nothing stopping it if it ravages the community, and i think it already is. the high school was closed for a week. a second-grade teacher had it, or tested positive, and had a kid in the high school. it's a small town - it's only a matter of time before everyone gets it.

this blog is gearing up for a big production. namely, that i have finished my autobiography, and am about to put it on the market. it is on the market, but i'm laying low about it for several reasons, even though this would be the ideal weekend to spring it on people. the first reason is that i never quite consider it finished. at the moment the published version doesn't even mention this blog, although that will be corrected soon, as it seems i have to at least mention the things about it that are important. one, it's one of the longest-running blogs out there. two, it's been all-low-caps, the whole time, no variation on its style, really. three, it's full of family pictures and events. it's my whole life, twenty or thirty years worth.

time to celebrate, get the templates in order, put some pictures up.