Something Old, Something New

So for my March Something Old, Something New project, I decided to try writing a graphic novel using some of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) software I've been reading about. I based it on the Coding Critters robot kit I bought for Hazel's birthday, Blazer the Dragon (you have to have a bit of imagination to see this robot as a dragon). I started with Chat GPT, a chatbot technology for generating text, and asked it to create a children's story about a red dragon. The story it generated was a bit dumb, but the part I liked was that it named the dragon, Ruby - much better name than Blazer. This robot set comes with a catapult, so I sent a new query to Chat GPT asking it to create a story about a red dragon with a catapult. It came back saying that Ruby loved marshmallows. I tried several more iterations with Chat GPT, but basically I ended up writing my own story about Ruby, the red dragon, who saves Jellybean Junction from the mischievous googlins by launching marshmallows at them with her catapult. BTW, after doing a little research, I found out there are no children's stories about a female dragon; they're all male. Interesting.

Next, I tried using Canva to generate images for my graphic novel, but that was even worse unless you bought the premium version of the chatbot (I was using the free version). I wouldn't have minded buying the premium version, except I found out that no one would be able to see the images it created if they also didn't own the premium version. Again, I decided just to draw it on my own with my iPad. So this is one of the scenes I created. I turned it into a 12-page coloring book for Hazel, but figured that was enough. Maybe I'll try again next winter when the AI software is a little more developed.

So for my April Something Old, Something New challenge, I thought I'd try gluten-free baking. No special reason, except that I found a cookbook in our clubhouse library that looked easy. For my first attempt, I made some biscuits to go with our Easter dinner. They weren't too terrible straight out of the oven, but the next day, they tasted sort of greasy - not surprising, because gluten-free baking doesn't use traditional flour. Instead, they make doughs out of butter, cheese, eggs, sour cream, and a little bit of almond "flour," which is basically ground almonds. 

I'm going to try one more recipe out of the cookbook, but I doubt anything is going to replace good old-fashioned gluten-full baking for me and Bruce. He bought this cinnamon coffee cake at the grocery store last week that was delicious!

In other news, Bruce and I took Charlie over to the prairie dog park. He was absolutely hysterical running from hole to hole every time a prairie dog popped its head out. I felt like we were playing the Wack-a-Mole game. He always looked so puzzled every time he looked down a hole wondering where the prairie dogs had gone.

I went to a demonstration on Art Quilts up at the clubhouse. This lady is extremely talented and has won awards at several art shows. This was a hands-on demo where we made miniature wall hangings to take home. It's hard to see, but most of the design is made by sewing buttons, beads, laces, and other trims onto the fabric. Thank goodness they were only 8" x 6", or I would be working on this until Christmas.

The snow has finally melted around here, so I went out on a bike ride to the Fika coffee shop. It was actually warm enough for us to sit outside in the sun. The snow hasn't technically stopped (they say March and April are the snowiest months in Colorado), but at least the snow melts off quickly when it does come. The skies are clear, so you get great views of the mountains, but I swear the pollen is worse here than it was in St Louis.

I stopped off at the Legends coffee shop before going to Walmart one day. They have a chili mocha that is really spicy - very different from the sweet stuff you get at Starbucks. I stayed around to sketch for a little while, but by 9am, the place was so noisy, I decided to leave. As I was walking out the door, I wondered why no one was at work, since everyone in the place looked to be in their 40's. I guess coffee shops are the new office (though I didn't see anyone on a laptop or phone).

Happy Easter

 I made a quick trip to KC in between snow storms for some Easter and birthday fun. Lincoln and Jamie were in St Louis, so it was just the girls.

We went to an Easter parade in downtown Lee's Summit where families walked behind this antique fire truck. Kids brought their own baskets to collect treats from merchants as they walked along the route (Janet and I didn't stay for that part). The parade ended up a block at the Amtrak station where the Easter bunny was hanging out. 

Unfortunately, later that day, I had my own little fire truck excitement when the laundry room at the Best Western in Hays caught on fire. We didn't get any treats from the firemen, but I got a bottle of water from the front desk clerk. When they let us back in, the first floor of the hotel smelled terrible, but luckily I was on the 3rd floor. By morning, when I went down for my complimentary biscuits and gravy, the smell was almost gone.

On my way to KC, I passed a Russell Stover's warehouse in Abilene, so I stopped in. I'd never been to one before, so I was pleasantly freaked out to find the back room full of "close-outs" on off-season candy. I grabbed a basket and filled it up. Who cares if your eating chocolate Valentines or Christmas trees at Easter? Chocolate is chocolate, in my opinion.

Janet gave me some Dr Pepper Peeps for Easter along with some Cadbury eggs and a giant chocolate bunny. I'm going to have to spend several hours on my bike to burn off all that sugar.

Hazel's birthday was just a couple days before I arrived. I got her a robot dragon set. The robot itself was a little underwhelming. Hazel immediately figured out how to program it with the "magic wand" (all Melissa's kids are extremely intuitive - even Goldie figured out how to make it move, though she was just pushing random buttons). 

The more exciting part of the kit was the catapult that came with the castle. I had loaded some mini-marshmallows in the dragon's trunk, and could they fly across the room. Goldie served as our catcher, though most of the marshmallows hit her in the head.

Janet took Teresa and I out for lunch to Culvers for our birthdays. Since it was Good Friday, we had fried shrimp, fish, and chips. One of the waitresses came around giving out tiny samples of their ice cream. I wasn't that impressed, so we went over to Andy's for hot fudge jackhammers. Yum!

On my way home, I stopped at the St Fidelis Basilica in Victoria. I always see its tall towers and the billboard advertising the Cathedral of the Plains when I drive to KC. It was very impressive inside, especially since they were getting ready for Easter mass. It just seems a little weird to have such a nice church stuck out in the middle of Kansas.

Science Teacher Convention

Even though I'm "retired," I keep getting drawn back into my old technology life. This week the National Science Convention was in Denver, so I went downtown to see my old boss. Their products haven't really changed much in the past few years, but their dress code certainly has. When I was working conventions, we were NEVER allowed to wear t-shirts. Times have certainly changed.

Before I went to the convention center, I stopped off at the Amante Coffee Shop in the Oxford Hotel to do a little sketching. It was fun to sketch an old building for a change. Out in the "burbs" everything is sleek and new (aka. boring to paint). This muffin and mocha were as good as they look!

Mid-morning I went for a second breakfast with my friend, Christine, from Portland, OR. I swear this woman never ages. She looks the same as when I met her 30 years ago. (Yikes, has it been that long???)

In keeping with this week's tech theme, I went to the Geek Club meeting where the president was demo'ing his latest invention - a pickleball scorekeeper. Not only does it display the score visually, but it also speaks it. The funny thing about this presentation was that most people understood the electronics and software involved in the device, but they had trouble understanding the rules of pickleball scoring. If you've ever played pickleball, you know what I mean.

The Denver Plein Air Painters had a meet-up at Tagawa Nursery on Saturday. I sketched a few of the plants, but then found this cute little gazebo. They were using rubber rain boots and plastic umbrellas as planters for spring flowers. Clever.

This week we also had our Social Committee meeting on Zoom. We have a contest going on in the neighborhood this month for the best snowman. With all the snow we've had, we're getting a lot of entries. First prize is a $150 AMC Movie Theater gift certificate. I thought about building my own snowman, but I haven't seen any movies that look appealing.

One of the bad things about living in an HOA neighborhood are all the ridiculous rules. We got cited this week for installing a storage container for our trash cans. Good grief, it's certainly better than looking at ugly trash cans (which is also technically illegal, but many of my neighbors keep theirs outside in the summer, because it really smells up the garage). We submitted an appeal, so we'll see if they let us keep it.

Charlie went to his 2nd dog training class. This week's command was "stay" - something I've already taught him. The only trouble with this class is that when the other owners throw treats out for their dogs to fetch, Charlie wants to run across the floor and pick them up. I have to really keep a tight grip on his leash.

Charlie also went to Doggie Day Care this week. They had an Easter egg hunt for the dogs. Charlie was a whiz at this, since he'll do anything for food.

Happy First Day of Spring

OK, most people don't go biking in the snow, but I've discovered that it doesn't stop snowing in Colorado until Mother's Day, so it's bike outdoors in the snow or on my bike trainer in the basement. Since it was sunny and 60 today, I chose to bike outside. Luckily the trails were wet from melting snow, but clear.

Last Thursday's snow ended up dumping 20 inches in our driveway. Bruce tried using his snowblower, but it just got buried. The piles of snow he shoveled on either side of the driveway were up to his chest. He finally had to get the wheelbarrow out and cart some of the snow off to the side, because he couldn't lift the shovel any higher. 

This has been an eventful week. Yesterday Violet turned 11. That cookie looks absolutely scrumptious. Wonder how many calories it is, not that it would affect Violet. She's a skinny beanpole from playing volleyball all the time.

And Sunday we celebrated St Patrick's day with our traditional corned beef, cabbage, and potato dumpling dinner. It takes forever to make, but it's sure worth it. Charlie got to wear his green coat when he went for a walk. He doesn't look very happy here, because he was getting impatient for dinner (he could smell the corned beef cooking in the crockpot). But he got a little piece when he got home.

It Always Snows in March

In St Louis, we always got a late winter snow, but it was usually only a dusting that melted off by the next day - just enough for schools to use up their last snow day. But evidently in Colorado, they get the most snowfall in March. Ever since January, it's snowed once a week around here, but the rest of the week was sunny and warm melting off most of the snow - at least enough to keep the walking trails clear. Today, however, we're up to 6 inches and the storm is still going strong. Not strong enough to keep Charlie inside though.

It's been a little tough keeping up with Charlie's energy level this winter, but Doggie Day Care has turned out to be a godsend. Once a week, we take him to day camp where he gets to run around and play with other dogs. The bonus is that he comes home exhausted.

Charlie is almost 9 months old, and has definitely moved into the "teenage" phase in dog development. He tends to be quite willful (probably spoiled), so I signed him up for a dog training class. We've only been to one lesson. I'm not sure he learned anything, because we both could hardly hear ourselves think over all the other dogs barking. The teacher is very good and very patient, though I think he was reaching for the aspirin bottle after our first lesson.

Charlie likes to help Bruce with chores, especially loading the dishwasher at night (he likes to lick the plates... yuk). We've been trying to teach him to quit eating the mulch out of the back yard, but not having much success.

I've spent the last couple months trying to improve my diet so I can go on longer bike rides this summer. I've been testing out high-protein recipes. My favorite is this breakfast waffle. It's just one of those mini-frozen waffles. I toast it, spread it with almond butter, layer on a dollop of cottage cheese, and top it with blueberries. Absolutely delicious and contains about 16 grams of protein.

In between snowfalls, we've been doing a little yard cleanup and assessment. Last year I planted 3 pinon pines. They are supposed to be low-water bushes - great for our high desert climate. But we got so much rain last year, that I think it drowned 2 of the bushes. The nursery I bought them from gave me a credit so I can replace them when it quits snowing.

Luckily, it's not really that cold out even with all the snow, so I doubt it will harm the buds on my Bradford pear tree. Some of my neighbors' crocus have already bloomed, but the trees and bushes are holding off on leafing out. Good thing, especially with today's snow.

Like Father, Like Son

On most afternoons, Bruce and Charlie have started taking naps on the couch in the living room.

Little did I know that Brian does the same thing. Amber texted me this photo of Brian taking a nap with one of his cats.

For my "Something Old, Something New" February project, I got a book out of the library on crochet patterns. Whenever I've made afghan's in the past, I just used one stitch - double crochet. I didn't realized that there were so many other stitches you could do. This book had over 200 variations; I just tried out 36. I ended up just making a sampler, because some stitches are much easier than others. Maybe for next year's project, I'll crochet an entire afghan, but for now the month is almost up, so it's time to move onto something else.

We've been taking Charlie to Doggie Day Care once a week. He absolutely loves playing with the other dogs and it is nice for us, because we not only get a day off, but he comes home exhausted. We found out that this day care also has a groomer, so we had them give him a bath last week (he really needed it!). He came home so fluffy and sweet-smelling, it was unbelievable. We may have to take him back when it gets warmer and have them cut off some of that fur. For now, it's like having a large teddy bear in the house

Super Bowl Sunday

Most of my family are really BIG Chiefs fans, so when they won a spot in the Super Bowl, everybody jumped in to show their support. Violet and Lincoln wore their Chiefs jerseys to Spirit Day at school. Janet bought herself a custom shirt and then hopped on a plane with my sister, Teresa, to Vegas. They weren't able to get tickets to the actual game, but they are attending a Super Bowl "watch" party at the casino.

Meanwhile, we're back in Denver shoveling out from yet another snowstorm (so much for the Ground Hog's prediction of an early spring). It's a good thing the Chief's aren't playing here.

Ground Hog Day

Hurray! The groundhog said we're going to have an early spring. I never understand the concept of thinking NOT seeing your shadow means spring, because to me a nice dark shadow represents a bright sunny day. But I'll take his word for it.

 

Bruce took advantage of our warm weather by doing a little garden cleanup in the back yard.

Doggie Day Care

Now that Charlie is neutered and has all his vaccines, he can start "socializing" with other dogs. The trouble is, he only gets to see other dogs when he goes on his walks. So I decided to take him to Doggie Day Care. Even though Charlie is a bit of a wild man at home, he turns into a shrinking Violet when he goes out in public. I had to coax him through the door of Doggie Day Care, especially when he heard several loud barks coming from inside. But the day care worker quickly took him into the "small dog room" and he had a gay old time playing with Ginger (a small Pomeranian). I think it's a hoot that Doggie Day Care has cubbies for each dog's leash, just like Brian's old pre-school had cubbies for shoes.

I also took Charlie to Pet Smart to buy a t-shirt when he goes walking in the snow. He doesn't really get cold on his walks, but he likes to face-plant in the snow which sticks to all that wavy hair on his back and belly. 

The temperature climbed back up into positive double digits, so Susan and I rode our bikes around the neighborhood trail. The nice thing about Colorado is that when the sun is shining, it feels really warm out. As far as I'm concerned, I'll put up with a little cold not to have to ride my bike in the basement.

Bruce is getting ready for spring by building a new garden cabinet in the basement. We bought so many tools and supplies last year when we were doing our xeriscaping project that there's no place to put it all. And as you can see, Charlie likes to chew on anything that isn't hidden away, so it's nice having a cabinet with doors.

One of my referee friends was going through the old robotics archives and found this photo of me refereeing in 2007. Goodness, I didn't realize I'd been ref'ing that long.

The table layout has sure changed in the past 17 years. In 2007, the mat was very simple with dark black lines to help the robot know when to turn. The 2023 mat looks like a flashback to the psychedelic art of the 60's. I don't know how the robot feels, but I get dizzy just looking at it.