Be thankful, because you can

I was going to write today on Facebook what I was thankful for -- on Thanksgiving -- but who am I kidding? There is not enough room on FB for that, so on the blog I go.

I realize that I am a little late in doing so tonight, but I have pretty much been in bed all day sick. That, I'm not thankful for.

But I am thankful that, although I kind of ruined my Mom's Thanksgiving get-together being sick, I am thankful that she is still with us after our little scare this summer and that I was here this week and my mother was able to take care of me. You're never too old to have your mom take care of you.

I am thankful that the Rapid City Journal had enough faith in me to hire me, bringing me to the Black Hills again after being away for 30 years. I say that because it became apparent that nobody else in Wyoming had the same faith in me despite all that I accomplished there.

I wouldn't have been able to come to Rapid City if not for my brother, Ralph, and his wife, Sharon, as they have brought me into their home without hesitation. With my house in Laramie, there is no way I could afford two residences. Thank you, Ralph and Sharon.

I'm thankful for all of my friends and especially my family who have always been there for me.

I'm thankful that Teresa's parents, Frank and Pat Poindexter, still consider me part of the family and call me on occasion just to see how I am doing.

One blog (to be) gone, one to stay

A couple of years ago I started this blog after my previous sports blog, Wyomingsports.org was retired when I went to work for the Cheyenne Tribune Eagle.

Originally, it was just an opportunity to ramble about sports in an unofficial capacity. Later, I began to write about Teresa's and my struggles with her health and began another blog, Wyomingsports, on Wordpress to separate them a bit, especially when I quit my job at the Tribune Eagle to be at home when Teresa was discharged from the hospital in Denver.

Even after her passing, I kept it up with both blogs, but mostly with the sports blog when I was freelancing and especially when I was not freelancing and still writing on my own covering University of Wyoming sports.

Now that I am a sportswriter for the Rapid City Journal, I no longer cover UW athletics. I guess it is time to retire Wyomingsports. It's kind of funny, looking at my stats, even with a disclaimer on the front page, I still get a handful of people now and then looking at it, likely expecting a UW story.

It's no Stradivarius, but I still have a Pee-wee puppet

A few years ago Teresa showed me a violin that a friend gave her … it was from her friend's grandfather after they cleaned out some of his stuff after he passed away.

Teresa told me, "We think it is a Stradivarius. It might be worth something."

Okay, I thought, maybe it is. I knew that a Stradivarius was the best violin in the world, but I admit I knew little else.

"Someday, if we ever need money, maybe we can sell it," Teresa said.

Well, that day came in the last year or so when Teresa was battling her health and our medical bills were getting out of control.

So, I took it to a local pawn shop to see if they knew anything about it. They didn't, but said to contact somebody from the University of Wyoming music department and see what they say.