Hello,

I do apologize that it has been some time since I posted. The cycke accident has had some long-term consequences. I was not able to do much on the computer for a couple weeks and then I was buried and I am still digging my way out. My students have been quite understanding and I am grateful to them for that.

The last month has been an interesting process. I am still trying to get out from underneath all the work that I got behind. I am almost there. I did make it to California for a weekend and spent a lot of time listening and reflecting on the summer situations, at the vineyard and beyond. I am quite frustrated with the results of some writing that was done and how it ended up. I am certainly not happy with the result, but the product was the result of bad project management and an unwillingness to re-think that process, or perhaps an arrogance in thinking that the process and the software is understood when it really isn’t. Ultimately the result was consistent with what happens on almost any scale when people are included or deleted in the process and time schedules are not followed. It is unfortunate because everyone looks bad, and that is certainly not what anyone intended.

As one of my high school friends wrote in an email at the end of the summer ‘Well… I’ve waited long enough and have been faithfully reading your summer blog and am absolutely dying to hear the story about the lady and little boy in the Starbucks!!!  Have you found the love of your life?~?~" Such a hard thing to decipher, particularly when things are so complicated on a multitude of levels. Indeed, I care deeply, and yet the weekend was a chance to sort somethings out. The care has not changed, but a cleared understanding of some of the complications certainly resulted as I listened, watched and considered the issues.

One of the things the motorcycle accident taught me was to manage some options concering my health, primarily in the area of medication. I have been doing anything but taking medication. Well, perhaps not "anything," but most definitely healthy things. I wish I could import that into the situation in Placerville. But, I know I cannot. One of the hardest things for me to do is to not try to fix it for another person, but that behavior is not healthy for me and certainly not fair to the other.

Fall is certainly in the air. Last Saturday was a beautiful day, but since then it has been chilly and rainy. Most of the leaves are down, few colors remain and they even blew out and winterized the sprinkler system this morning. So . . .  the next hurrah is winter and snow. I got new brakes on the car to help prepare for that.

Well . . .  the picture, again, is of me and showing where I am now. More doctors appointments tomorrow, but I cannot complain. I will be better about writing.

Michael