This has been the longest break I have taken for this blog, and am sorry about that. My Spouse’s health and his mother’s health, plus travel for work compounded my time available for anything else, including blogging.

Update…

…Spouse is still sick with no end in sight. I just wish he would stop using the internet to diagnose himself. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. Sigh.

…Spouse’s mother is now on home hospice care after a health assessment confirmed that she has less than six months to live. I commend Spouse for setting all that up and dealing with endless calls about his mother’s situation. We will visit her soon so Spouse can say goodbye in his own way. It is a sad situation, but we knew it would come eventually.

…I had two highly productive visits to the U.S. West, the most recent to even more western west and northern north through 12 August. I learned a lot, did a lot of great things, and applied my professional skills well. They even let me (and my moose) loose a the controls again! (No worries, we all survived.)

I finished my “western west / northern north” travel with two days on my own, where my boss (who is a great friend) and I enjoyed a stunning visit to Denali National Park (using a car / weather wasn’t suitable for a motorcycle).

It had been raining for weeks on end, but on this one magical day, the clouds dissipated when a short-term weather front plunged in, and as the locals say, “the mountain was out.” What a wonderful way to end a very busy business trip, especially to spend time with such a great friend who is understanding, caring, thoughtful, and fun.

I returned home yesterday and found more of the same with Spouse and his mother. Spouse is now allergic to breathing. Intense caregiving continues. Some day, this situation too shall get better. I have faith.

And now, this is what I meant by a stunning view of the tallest mountain in North America:Life is short: work in pleasure even if there is little time.