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I am remembering a Pumphrey family ritual that took place the last week of October. The whole family would head out to the farming area east of Pueblo. It was time to pick out our family pumpkin, which would be transformed into a Jack-o’-lantern on our dining room table. This ritual was sort of a warm up for when we all went to find our yearly Christmas tree. There were dozens of truck farms along the old Highway 96. Each sold fall produce. In Pueblo at that time, you would never consider buying your prize pumpkin from Safeway. We got…

I just spent three days at the YMCA Camp of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. To be there during the “Rut” in a place where Elk are more abundant that chipmunks, provides continuous entertainment. The picture I am sharing with you comes from a moment I had with the largest bull I have ever seen. There are lots of words that have been used to describe Elk—majestic, HUGE, resilient, sleek, powerful, adaptable— just to throw out a few. Elk, before the arrival of Europeans, were a plains animal. There are descriptions of Elk herds 200 years ago, where they…

Two days ago I became a “Great—Grandpa” for the first time. Now I always knew that I was great, this just confirmed it. I will say, of all my roles that I have lived out, being a grandpa is my all time favorite. Mateo’s oldest kid, Michaela and her husband Craig, welcomed Zealan Mateo Roybal, 7 lb. 11 oz., into the world. The biggest debate in the Roybal house right now is whether or not he is a Forty—Niners fan or stays with the family cult of Broncos faithful. Oh yes, there is one Great—Grandma who somehow loves the Chiefs.…

The aging process sucks. I will reach for a word and somehow it is misplaced. If I wait a few moments, often my unconscious mind will dig through my synapses and find the name I had on the tip of my tongue. Most recently I was trying to remember the famous old Alabama football coach. I confess I had to resort to Google. Of course it was Bear Bryant—that one got buried under a huge pile of things I used to know. Now I want to tell you about my missing cane. I suppose the hard part begins with having…

I was in the 8th grade when my mom came home from her Friday self-care day. She got her hair fixed every Friday at Crews-Beggs, which was the classic four story department store in downtown Pueblo. If you have ever watched the movie ‘Christmas Story’, the setting for the visit to Santa is its twin. Each floor of the business provided Pueblo with the finest opportunities of retail delight. There was no such thing as Walmart. Mom presented me with two pair of corduroy Levis. One pair was a nice tan and the other was powder blue. She said, “The…

I admit I am a Baby-boomer Face-Booker. My participation in that world has provided me numerous connections and reconnects. Simply, the pluses far outweigh the minuses. Tomorrow when this blog posts, I will share it on Facebook. Every Sunday one of my first loyal readers has been my long time friend, Denny Shirm. This last week there was no Denny. On Monday morning a post went up that Denny had died on Sunday. One of the realities of life in my 70’s is that the passing of long time friends comes much more frequently. It is my privilege to honor…

So last week I shared stories from my life in second grade. It opened the memory box of times with Miss. Hale. The story I am sharing falls in the category of a confession. I don’t think, when I did my 4th and 5th steps with my AA sponsor, that this ever made my list. So you folks get to hear one of the greatest scams a seven year old ever pulled off. I was home sick with some kind of stomach bug. I missed Monday with Miss Hale and spent the day reading books. There was no parents calling…

The first day of school was always a time of great excitement sprinkled with a bit of low—grade fear. There was the pride of having a new “Big Chief” tablet and perhaps some new jeans and tennis shoes, and the smell of the class room and meeting a new teacher and classmates. It was my first day of 2nd grade. I had no more than taken my seat when some important adult came and told me I was in the wrong class. I remember saying “But my name is on the list in the window”. “No, you are supposed to…

On August 18, 1984, Mary Kay and I brought together four kids, two cats and our dog Smiley, to begin 40 years of marriage. Today I want to give an honest thanks to this journey we have shared. When two people start a marriage with just the two of them they create a dyad (I was a sociology major). When a captive audience (the kids) are added, the complexities of human interactions grow exponentially. There were many skeptics about the wisdom of this undertaking… for good reason. I do remember early on some well meaning cheerleader said to us “How…

I am just finishing day 14 of my 2024 Olympic binge watching. I truly can not get enough. Currently I am watching … believe it or not… Break Dancing. Yes, a demonstration sport, and I am totally amazed at what I am seeing. Heck, if Curling can get one to the Gold Medal stand, why not dancers spinning on their heads? I will give it up to the French, they have put on a spectacular Olympics. There is something so refreshing about watching these athletes put themselves out there in ways that defy gravity or human limitations. Not 30 minutes…