Cabiny Cabin, Snowshoe and Skiing

We reserved this little cabin for three nights starting the day after Christmas. It was one of several cabins at Sagewood Cabins between Buena Vista and Leadville in Colorado. It was small and cozy with the basic amenities. There was no television (we don't pay for television stations at our home anyway) or radio. We did bring our portable DVD player and some movies to watch. We also had lots of reading material.

Two quaintly decorated guest journals by the bed also made for interesting reading. The entries appeared to start back in 1997 and many of the guests were repeat visitors. Some pages were filled with the large, awkward handwriting of children and others where a lonely writer seemed to spill out their heart. There were some hand drawn pictures. One entry in particular caught my eye. It was one written more recently in a frail hand. It stated that although the writer and his wife had visited several times in the past, that this would be their last visit. They were in their 90's and felt unable to continue making the journey. The last line said "our next meeting will take place in heaven".

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The snow was smooth and pristine except for the path we followed and the occasional animal track. According to a passing cross country skier, it was a 3 mile loop that wound through a beautiful forest, slightly uphill and then back down. After about an hour and a half, we started to become somewhat nervous as we figured we should have finished the loop. It's a strange feeling to think that maybe you might have accidentally gotten off onto a longer side path and might not make it back before it got very dark and cold. I thought about people I'd read about who were not prepared for a night in the elements and I fought off little flickers of fear. "Just keep going", Merle said. The path was still well trod and the blue diamond metal tags nailed to the occasional pine tree told us we were still on an official path. After what seemed like a very long time, we suddenly came upon the bottom of the loop. The parking lot was just around a little bend and we made our way quickly to the car, back to the cabin, to soup and sandwiches and Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Lesson learned: Never go anywhere without a map, take emergency gear along in case you have to spend the night.

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Riding the ski lift is a very peaceful experience. It's very quiet. We glided smoothly by the snow clad trees and watched the skiers and snowboarders sliding silently by. This was our first ski outing in a couple of years and we were just a tad bit apprehensive about how well we would ski. Merle was fine and so was I, other than getting off of the chair lift for the first couple of times. We managed to stay on our skis, upright and mobile for the entire time. It was lots of fun. We had never skied at Ski Cooper before and were very pleased - especially with the prices. Most ski resorts charge about $70+ per day to ski per person. This little ski resort was much smaller and less crowded and only charged $38/day. It's still a lot of money for most of us, but at least it could be considered somewhat affordable. Whatever the case, it was very enjoyable and we wish it wasn't so far from where we live so we could go there more often.

Here are a couple of pictures from the cabin in closing.

Shadow of an angel

Frosted windowpanes

Crazy Christmas

OK. Does this give you an idea of our Christmas festivities today? This is Grandma modeling one of the finer White Elephant gifts that included a naked cherub pottery statue, a sexy bedroom game (well used from my wildest and funniest sister), toilet paper rolls, a remote controlled monster truck and other "stuff".
This is a loud family. It also doesn't help that 21 people were stuffed into a too small family room either. We ate, we white elephant gifted, we all talked a once, we watched the only baby aged child balance precariously on the glass topped table until Uncle Merle felt compelled to intervene, the women discussed childbirth topics in some detail leaving little to the imagination and then everyone left in stages. Quietness reigned and it was good. Here are two of my nieces, who early on discovered our big bed and decided to snuggle down.
I think everyone had a fairly good time although I think we would all agree that more space would have been better. Oh well, it was a good effort.My youngest sister gave each of the other women (including yours truly) the coolest presents. They are called Envirosax.
I got three of them in great colors and intend to use them for all shopping purposes including groceries. They come in sets of 4 and each rolls up to a small size and a snap holds it closed. They fit in your purse and when you are shopping, you just pop however many you need out and use them. What a superb product.
Christmas is over now and I always feel a sort of relief that some of the holiday expectations are ended. I know Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and good cheer, but for many years now, it has been just OK. I think that probably if we would forgo with the expensive gift giving and use the money to help those in need, we would feel much better. I think that Merle and I may want to think about some changes for next year.

CHRISTMAS EVE

It's been an on (running around working) and off (laying on the couch under a fuzzy blanket) busy day today as we prepare for a family gathering tomorrow here at our home. The forecast (at NOAA, my webby weather guru) is telling me that there will be some new snow on the ground in the morning with a little bit more possible until around noon, a total accumulation of maybe one inch. Merle has been itching to get his new mongo snow blower cranked up again. It's just a wonderful piece of pricey machinery. No effort in getting lots of snow out of the way. I even took it upon myself to use it one day and have to say, I enjoyed it very much. Our driveway is long and at one point goes downhill. The self propelled snow eater just moved itself along, downhill and up and spat out the snow in neat rows along each side of the pavement. It even has an optional electric starter. No more pulling your arm out of it's socket trying to crank the engine manually. Just push the button and it comes to life.

Anyway, back to Christmas. The originally planned "simple" Christmas celebration has turned into something bigger although I am going to try to keep it from getting to it's usual level of frenzy. One effort was to try and simplify the food and so our main dish will be my version of English Cottage Pie. This is a very basic food that is not particularly exciting, but should accommodate the less tolerant palates. My rendition consists of cooked beef chunks that are very tender in a savory gravy with or without peas and carrots topped with mashed potatoes that are slightly browned before serving. The recipes on the web all say to use ground beef, but as stated, I made a couple of changes. No turkey, no ham, no Roast Beast this Christmas. Everyone is bringing a dish or dessert so there will be plenty of food.

WHITE ELEPHANTS

.....as in White Elephant Gift Exchange, a potential for lots of fun. We did this a couple of years ago and everyone really enjoyed it. Merle and I, along with the daughter and son-in-law scrounged around the cabinets here looking for our gift contributions. We found 3 suitable items and the 4th is still being found by the kids somewhere at their place of abode. An old, but hardly used stadium seat, a remote controlled monster truck I gave Merle a few years ago for who knows what reason and a really ugly rug checker board with giant checkers. I believe the last item was purchased during one of our basically non-existent visits to the chain restaurant know as the Cracker Barrel. It is a restaurant for high cholesterol junkies - those people who have high cholesterol, but cannot help themselves when it comes to biscuits and gravy, fried chicken tenderloin, country fried shrimp or chicken fried chicken (it is on the menu). So, I think we've been there once. They have a gift shop filled with resin figurines, gingham stuff, silly signs to post and offend your friends and lots of other garage sale fodder including giant rug checkerboards with giant checkers. There is no question that the food tastes good in a totally disgusting sort of way, but I can't get past the fat grams, thank you very much.

More news to follow after the big event tomorrow.

I hope no one gets hurt tomorrow fighting over who gets that stadium seat - we have some serious sports fans in the crowd................

Christmas and Winter things.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
Last evening, we went on a Christmas lights viewing drive with my sister, her husband and their son. I hadn't done that for several Christmases and we saw some beautiful lights. My favs are the ones in the bare branched trees and I should have gotten some pictures, but we couldn't stop all of the time. The grand finale of the tour found us at the Greeley Grizwold's house. It was amazing. All of the lights were synchronized to music that you could listen to when you tuned into a special radio station. We sat there for several minutes watching the house morph to the music.

Here's a video - you can't hear the music so it's not particularly effective, but use your imagination. The link to their website above has some pictures and videos, but I couldn't get the videos to work - maybe you can.

SNOW HIKING
I've been out quite a lot over the past couple of weeks. I think this is one of my favorite times to hike. If you have the right equipment, winter hiking can be so refreshing. I have learned what layers to wear, I have good waterproof hiking boots, better than average gators and my Stabilicers. Here's what they look like on my feet.

They are fantastic for anytime you want to walk in snow that is not very deep and have good traction - uphill and down. For deeper snow I have snowshoes.

I enjoyed a warm, sunny, peaceful hike at Bobcat Ridge. It's one of my regular hiking spots except when it's really hot in the summer. It's fairly close and has lots of variety. I sat on a rock on a hillside and ate my snack of sliced apples that I dipped in a little container of my favorite peanut butter from Whole Foods - 365 Organic Value Brand. It is a great value, it's natural and it's delicious. On the way back to the trail head, I came across this snow angel by the trail.

That's all for now. There's a meatloaf calling to me from the kitchen - no, not my husband, a real meatloaf, like the kind you have with mashed potatoes and peas.

HI HO - HI HO HO HO...........

This is me driving to work. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to do this yourself. Although I was looking ahead with one hand firmly on the steering wheel and only moving the camera, it was probably not that safe and no doubt, illegal. However, I was moved to share with you part of my pleasant drive to my part time job along the back roads next to the foothills that eventually turn into the big Rocky Mountains. (I do believe that is the Nutcracker Suite I'm hearing in the background.)


We feel very fortunate to live in a beautiful area that is so close to the mountains. Within a 30 minute drive, we can be in Estes Park for a quick Starbucks and then another half an hour and we can be at 12,000+ feet in elevation over Trail Ridge Road. In the summer an alternative one way road to the top of Trail Ridge is called Fall River Road. It is open from about late May until maybe mid September, depending upon the weather. It's a dirt road that winds upward through the forest until you are above tree line or timberline. Before it opened early one spring, I hiked down it part way with a friend. There was still some snow, as you can see by this picture.

Yes, I am wearing shorts. I'm one of those Colorado people who sometimes even wears shorts in the winter. I've found that if the rest of me is covered, my legs don't get very cold, especially if there is strenuous hiking involved. On this same hike, after we were returning to the top, we found ourselves hiking the clouds.

CAMPING FEVER! I had to go out and get into the camper today to put something away. When I opened the door and went inside, I had this overwhelming urge to crank up the heater and sit around in there for awhile. The smell inside still had a slight hint of campfire. I was remembering how cozy it was to sit in the camper when it was raining or how, on those sunny, summer days of vacation, I could open the windows and gaze out at Devil's Tower in Wyoming or the desert in Moab. Winter has only just started, so it will be awhile before we can plan on camping................... I can dream, though.
Aloha, Baby!

4 DAY HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

TURKEY THURSDAY - SO OVER.

This image is from this really fancy French food blog (unlike yours truly).

Merle and I spent Thanksgiving Day afternoon at my mother's house along with a couple of other guests she invited. It was quite sedate compared to the typical Thanksgiving celebration at her house. A typical Thanksgiving Day at my mothers' would include a multitude of overactive children and teenagers. Various wild and crazy sisters accompanied by their standard husbands of a less volatile nature and one or two dogs. Fattening Foods would be stacked in heaps on the long kitchen counter and everyone would be talking at once. However, this past year has seen an upheaval in family relations, so we wait and see what the future holds for family gatherings.

FRIDAY

The day after we took a trip to Boulder looking for one of those revolving colored lights for our old silver Christmas tree. Here is our tree - we LOVE it!

We went to our favorite store - McGuckin. I've mentioned it before. It's a wonderful hardware store and much more. We usually spend at least an hour browsing around and never leave without spending more than we planned to spend. Here's a picture looking down one of the main aisles (there are several main aisles). This is a picture of one end aisle display showing some of the unusual Christmas lights they carry. McGuckin's has things you just don't find in other stores.And we got a laugh out of this one. All of those fancy sleds and then of course, the original inner tube sled. Our favorite. You just have to be very careful of that stem on the inside rim - it's a butt buster. Alas, they actually did not have any of the revolving lights we wanted, so we bought a bunch of other consolation gifts for ourselves, headed home and ordered one on eBay. You put it beside the tree so that it shines on it and as it rotates, the tree turns different colors That evening our daughter and her husband arrived here in Colorado from Arkansas with all of their worldly possessions in a Penske rental truck, driven by Jonathan, towing one car and Audrey driving the other. Each human was accompanied by a dog. After a late meal, the exhausted couple retired.

SATURDAY - MOVING DAY.

The whole day Saturday we helped them put everything in storage except for those things they will need in their temporary home. We then moved them into their temporary home in my mother's basement. A very nice basement including large bedroom, large family room with huge big screen TV, a fireplace, a pool table and a very nice large bathroom. They will be residents of this fine abode until they "get on their feet". Jobs, saving money and then moving to affordable digs with the dogs.

SUNDAY

Today, Merle and I have enjoyed being home, taking a brisk bike ride in the foothills, sitting in the sun on the deck eating cranberry salsa and chips and then each doing our projects. We'll watch a movie later on. Here's my project- it's called Christmas Branches. Branches and pine cones from the yard, fake snow lightly sprayed on branches, chartreuse lights.

RESUMES AND OTHER HAPPENINS'.

I haven't written much about what has been happening around here lately. That's because the things that are happening don't seem worthy of a posting. However, in order to keep this blog from being too superficial, I shall recount some recent events.

We had a one year vow renewal ceremony for our expectant daughter and her husband. That was two weeks ago. A week from today they will be moved into their temporary quarters here in Colorado until they get jobs and their own place of abode. The baby is due in early June.

I helped my son-in-law with his resume earlier this week. If I say so myself, it looks pretty darn good. In my past capacity as a manager for several years, I had the occasion to review many resumes. I've also written those for myself and my husband. Based upon those experiences, I have what I consider to be a very nice looking and professional standard resume format. One of the features of this resume is to include a picture of the applicant. With digital photography, it is very easy to insert one in a Word resume. As a prior employer, I would have liked to have a preview of my potential employee. Yes, I know, we should not base our judgements on physical appearances, but nevertheless, it does not hurt to be very open about yourself - to a point. I stress "to a point" as providing too much personal information is detrimental. Keep it professional, but also employer friendly. Click this link to see a sample of this resume. Note: In order to get a link to this document I had to upload it into Google Docs. In the translation, the resume header turned out differently and not quite as striking, but at least you get the idea. Also, be sure to put your own picture on it - not Mona Lisa's - I'm sure I didn't have to mention that, though.

I'm in the midst of several art projects. I never did complete a painting on the canvas I posted many posts ago and I now have a very large canvas on the easel. I have painted a nice yellow background at which point my brain has gone into the "stumped artist" mode. However, I am determined to do something on top of all of that yellow sometime this week. I've also been illustrating a children's book I wrote and illustrated long ago. I am not happy with the old illustrations, so I'm doing them over. Someday I'll get a few copies made to give to friends and relatives with children. It's going to take some time. Here is one of the illustrations I've completed.

I am also collaborating with a girl friend on another one or two children's books. She is a good writer in my opinion and we are discussing how to proceed. The danger in my illustrating her stories is that many publishers who might accept her manuscript, might not accept my artwork. They would not accept my artwork and not her story. It just wouldn't work that way since my illustrations are custom made for her story. So, it's another one of those risky art business things that are par for the course.

I am also planning to complete a Christmas card in time to be mailed and then I am waiting to hear if any of the designs I submitted for a large fiberglass heart project here in our town will be accepted. I submitted three and I suppose I could possibly end up painting three - but who knows. I may have an extremely busy winter and that would be fine with me.

Winter is not my favorite time of year - except when the snow is very beautiful as it gently tumbles down outside of our big windows and I'm laying on the couch reading while covered with a very soft and fleecy blanket. Yeah, that part is nice............

Well, I ended up writing too much again. Here I was thinking there was nothing to write and suddenly I couldn't stop myself.

Toodle - doo.

ROCK HOUSES. HOME ART GALLERY

HOUSES OF ROCKSeveral years ago I was hiking and found a rock that was shaped somewhat like a house. I took it home and painted it. Since then my collection has grown considerably. I've given some houses as gifts and many others are displayed in my home such as those shown.

Lin Welford is a rock painter who has written several books. I contacted her by email, sent her a couple of pictures and gave her my permission to use the pictures in her classes. Since then I see she has written a book exclusively devoted to the painting of rock houses. Here are more of my own original designs.I make the foliage out of rocks, the fence out of sticks from bushes outside my house and other objects (snowman, gravestone, etc.) using Sculpey. Snow is made by building up several layers of white paint, allowing each layer to dry thoroughly before applying the next. Smooth, rounder river rocks are used to make gnome houses with thatched roofs. The thatched roof is also made by applying several layers of paint. Liquitex makes acrylic gel mediums that can also be used to build up the surfaces which can then painted.

Occasionally, I find a rock that is shaped like something other than a house and paint it accordingly. I did this once with a rock shaped like a shoe. I painted it like a hiking boot and gave it to a hiker acquaintance. Alas, I did not ever get a photograph of it and I no longer see said acquaintance.


DISPLAYING PICTURES - GALLERY STYLE
When we moved from our early 1900's home several years ago we had lots of older pictures that I had purchased at various antique stores and flea markets. I did not want to get rid of them after we changed our decor to a more modern style. Instead, I looked for an appropriate spot where I could display them all together. That turned out to be the diningroom. At the end of the video you will see one of my tiner rock houses. Rock houses of various sizes are great for decorating planters or putting in your outside garden.

Catch ya' later, Decorator.

Browsing and Finding Stuff.....

I got caught up in browsing this evening and had to share some of this with you.

DESK VACUUM Here's where you can order one of these little desk vacuum cleaners. I want one for $19.99!!! Darn, looks like they're sold out......

PHOTO CUFFS AND STUFFS

These photo cuff bracelets are cuuuuute at SMOY.net. There are some other styles plus a belt and an iPod case.

REFLECTIVE AND WILD BIKE TIRES

Why hasn't someone come up with this idea before - reflective/colored bike tires. Go here to see more.....

CRAZY CAT STAPLER
Cat Stapler along with other pewter desk accessories here. I can't say I'd actually want one of these, but they did strike me as rather unique.

Most of the links for this stuff was found at TheCoolHunter. It's a great award winning weblog jam packed with incredibly designed products.

I'm pooped now - gotta make like Rip Van Winkle and go to sleep. The time change from yesterday is messing with me.

Cow Parade. Lyric Cinema Cafe.

MOO.
I forgot to tell you about my Denver Cow Parade experience. This all took place in 2006. Here are some pictures.

My cow is a "grazing cow" as opposed to two other styles that I could have chosen to decorate, one with it's head up and the other laying down. My cow is thinking (little round things coming out of the brain area) and each side of the cow depicts two different cow yearnings. One side was entitled, "Cowsmonaut" showing a cow wearing a space suit in a space ship. There was a milky way of stars in the sky that were outlined to be cartons and jugs of milk. Other constellations depicted a bull and various animals.

The other side was "Beach Bovine" with a cow on a beach towel by the sea in a two piece swimsuit. This cow also had a bottle of "Hide Tanning" lotion and next to it, a friendly crab smiles out at us.

The bottom left picture (above) shows me painting this large animal in our dining room. It took about 2 weeks and I didn't calculate how many hours during those two weeks, but it was quite lengthy. The bottom right picture (above) shows me with my cow at the Tabor Center in downtown Denver

It was great fun. Merle was extremely helpful throughout the whole experience, helping me haul the cow home, take it back, move it around and finally to spray it with the necessary weather proof coats of paint that were required.

The only part that was not fun was the auction in Denver where all of the cows were auctioned off for various charities after they had been displayed throughout the Denver area for a few months. The cows auctioned for prices ranging from $3000 - $17,000. Although I know my cow was a very good one, it only auctioned for $3500. I did feel that the auctioneer didn't try to get more like he did with some of the cows, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. It was just another one of those semi-humiliating art experiences that I've come to sort of get used to and it left a little bit of a bad feeling. Overall, though, I'd certainly do it again if I had the chance.

LYRIC CINEMA CAFE

Last evening we went to this cinema cafe. It was new to us although they've been in business for a few months. It's a small independent cinema and the experience was what I would describe as "Colorado bohemian". Like Merle said afterwards, "this is a place you would expect to find in Boulder". It was. It was crowded, the clientele were not all slicked up, if you know what I mean - hair in place, designer clothes, etc.. In other words, it was a funky crowd ranging in age from probably early 20's to 80. (Yes, we met a gentlemen and his wife that were almost 80.)

The movie we went to see was "Lars and the Real Girl", starring Ryan Gosling who has become one of our favorite actors. (Check out my man Ebert's 3-1/2 stars review here.) It was a very unusual tale involving Lars (Ryan), his brother and sister-in-law, various co-workers, lots of his small town neighbors and last, but not least, the large sex doll he ends up purchasing to be his girlfriend. Lest you think I'm headed in a skanky direction, don't worry. The doll was only his platonic girlfriend. He was that kind of guy including the fact that he was in a temporary state of mental imbalance. This movie should come with a label stating "Suspend all belief before viewing". We did and it was very enjoyable with lots of laugh moments.

We sat on a big couch at the front of the theatre with a coffee table in front of us. Sitting in the front of any theatre is not usually something we do, but the couch looked and was very comfortable. I ended up slouching down so that my head rested on the back of the sofa with my Croc clad feet on the edge of the coffee table. This kept me from getting a kink in my neck like Merle ended up having later from holding his head back so he could see the screen. We had a couple of beers, a cheese platter and some dolmas (Greek grape leaf wrapped turd shaped finger foods). The food situation was the one drawback. The staff couldn't keep up and so, even though we paid for a "frank" (we assumed it was a hot dog) for $4.00 - we never got it after several attempts by both of us to find out where it was. Finally, I was told that they weren't making any of them (really, that was what they said) and was kindly offered a refund. I told them to just give us some popcorn instead. Based upon this experience, we decided to probably eat somewhere else first next time and then enjoy a beer and popcorn for the cinema. We'll definitely go there again, though.

On the way home, I mused about what it must be like to be an inspector in the dolly factory. Are there engineering drawings? What happens to the ones that are nonconforming? I wonder...............................

Boots, Balloons and The Art of Rejection

Last Thursday evening I went with an artist friend to the Cheyenne Museum Depot in Cheyenne Wyoming. We had both entered an art competition and the participants who made the "cut" were invited for a reception. The winners of the competition were also to be announced. Well, we didn't win, but we learned some interesting things that, if we had known about them, might have given us the opportunity to win.

The boots above were the design I submitted. In comparison to most of the submissions that were on display, I felt that they were very good. I felt that they were good enough to have won. However, we discovered that the winning artists, who had competed before and knew the "ropes", had their designs on large canvases as opposed to the rest of us, who submitted in an 8-1/2" X 11" format. The winning entries were very good also. I know that if I had been informed of these particulars regarding the submissions, I would have definitely done them on a large canvas for presentation. Live and learn. The competition for the 2008 "Images of the West" is due by May 1, 2008 and I'll be painting my fanny off over the winter in preparation. The prizes were $1500, $1000 and $500 - nice chunks of change.

Being in the art business is sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating and rejection is a big part of taking a chance on art. I have submitted many greeting card designs that have not been accepted. I have painted many paintings that have not been purchased (our walls here at home are my gallery). I have entered competitions that I have not won. However, this is the way of the art world. When you are not a highly sought after creator of artworks, you are one of the majority who keeps trying even though you may never get recognized.

Lest you think I am bitter, let me state that I am not. I have learned to roll with the punches, pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again. Just about anyone who has ever been successful has done the same thing. At this point in time, I am just trying to enjoy creating works of art and if that's all I ever do - then fine.

Here's another nice design that was rejected earlier this year. It was for a tee shirt. When I finally did see the winning design - it was pitiful. No flair, no style, no color and downright ugly. I'm not sure who judged the competition. Maybe their nephew was an artist.

Not all of my art has been rejected. I have sold a couple of paintings, I painted a cow for the Denver Cow Parade in 2006, I've sold a couple of greeting card designs, I was invited and joined a gallery and I've been paid to do illustration. Those things help validate me as an artist. In my next blog, I'll tell you about the Denver Cow Parade experience - a very good one.

"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls "

- Pablo Picasso

A Baby and Some Snow...........

OK. That's me on the left, my daughter in the middle and yes, it's true, Merle and I are going to be grandfolks next year. Also, you now know how old I am.

This is a first time experience for both Merle and I and we are excited to watch it unfold. The expectant couple may be moving back here to Colorado from Arkansas before the birth, so it's going to be an interesting interval. Plans are in the works and details are to be ironed out before any final move decisions, but it's looking more and more like this will be a Colorado Native baby.

SNOW

We battened down the hatches yesterday in preparation for the first winter snow forecast of the season. Finally this morning it started in a very beautifully calm way. Big, puffy snowflakes drifted and swirled around outside our big windows. We sat with our coffee mesmerized with all that white tumbling. It was like we were looking into a really big snow globe. I couldn't resist taking a video and sharing it with you.

It's now about 4 hours later, the snow has stopped and most of it has melted. This is Colorado and that's how quickly our weather changes. Yesterday it was 75 degrees Farenheit and I hiked in shorts. Temperatures are predicted in the 60's and 70's for the rest of the week.

Take care of yourself.

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.......

I have a very part time job doing bookkeeping for a small, one owner landscape company. I work out of the owner's home. It's a nice place to work and there is minimal stress. In fact, I actually have a good time most of the time. Part of this is because of my animal work companions. Two cats and one dog. I've mentioned Darby the Dog before. I've known her since she first came to live at the house when she was a little puppy. Since then she has only gotten cuter. My typical day always includes a very enthusiastic greeting from Darby who acts like she hasn't seen me for a very long time and then several affectionate encounters throughout the time I am there. Of the two cats, only one makes her presence known. Aquina generally resides on the desk where I work. When she wants attention (on her terms, of course), she is pretty obnoxious. If I can't find a particular paper that was earlier sitting on the desk, it's usually been pushed off of the desk by Aquina during one of her cat stretching "scratch my furry belly" sessions. I've learned that when I leave the office to make sure all paperwork is secured with binder clips in a neat pile so she can't lose something for me. She is also a checkbook and general paper chewer. The checkbook has been severely abused and we now make sure it's in a drawer.
The other cat, is Durany (spelling may be incorrect - it's an unusual name). I rarely see this cat who apparently spends most of her time atop a bookshelf somewhere else in the house.
Darby and Aquina have a love/hate relationship. Aquina lets Darby chew on her some, up to a certain point when Darby gets a little too rough. Today, Aquina was sitting behind a tall, floor vase and Darby had her cornered. At anytime Aquina could have escaped easily, but she just played along, wapping (like slapping, but not as hard) Darby on the head with her paws while Darby tried to get a paw in her mouth. They are quite a pair and provide me with many moments of entertainment.

RAINY DAY RAMBLE

There is music in the meadows, in the air

Autumn is here; Skies are gray, but hearts are mellow,

William Stanley Braithwaite, (1878–1962)

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Listen! the wind is rising,
and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings,
now for October eves!

Humbert Wolfe (1885–1940)

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Although Fall was officially here about a month ago, today feels like the real first day of fall. Only 30 miles from us snow is predicted to accumulate between 3 - 5" and farther up in Leadville, up to 10". Time to break out the skis and snowshoes. Last winter we had a fairly atypical winter where there was lots of snow. (It's true, we don't get as much snow as people think we do here in Colorado.) We put our snowshoes to some use, but never did get around to skiing. The closest ski resorts are about 2 hours plus drive and the least expensive lift tickets are about $35 per person. That cost along with gas prices and you are looking at about a $100 day. It's not something we are able to do very frequently.


Today, we went for breakfast burritos, then to Walmart to get the stew meat and hamburger I managed to get home without after shopping Friday. Now, we are each in our little nooks and doing "our thing". I'm obviously blogging and Merle's out in the garage sorting hardware.
Green chili ingredients are sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for me to assemble them into a thick, tasty dish that we will eat with warm, buttered tortillas. Perfect cold rainy weather comfort food.

I'm reading a book called Mexican Hat by Michael McGarrity. It's a mystery set in the southwest. I'm looking for a substitute for Tony Hillerman because I'm quite a fan of his work. His books are Navajo police mysteries, and I've read all of them, some more than once. However, he hasn't had anything new in awhile. This author isn't a Tony Hillerman, but I'm trying to give him a chance. His first book called Tularosa really didn't grab me at all, so I picked up the this one and it's a bit better although it's not one of those that I can't put down.

I also download books from the library to my Mp3 player and the one I'm listening to is by a new author I've discovered - Ted Conover. He is a journalist writer who immerses himself into a particular subject matter for a long period of time and then writes about his experience. My audio book is called Rolling Nowhere and he wrote it after riding the rails with hobos for a period of time. It's very good and I plan to either read or listen to all of his other books. He's been a prison guard in Sing Sing, driven a cab in Aspen and traveled with illegal immigrants, all subjects of books he has written.

All this talk about reading makes me want to curl up on the sofa with the afghan, a cup of tea and a book. So long.

Red Dirt Girl.

This is what my feet and legs look like after a nice long hike on my regular hiking path. The dirt is red and this is the result. It's satisfying to get home, remove my socks and see the evidence of my little outdoor experience.

A hike does good things for me. Not only physically, but mentally. I know that if I am feeling a little down, I can pick myself up from the couch of doldrums, put on my hikin' boots and do it. Without fail, my spirits are always lifted. It's that endorphin thing I've mentioned before. It's also just being out in the fresh air, seeing the foliage, looking up at the sky and knowing that this costs nothing, but it is one of the best things in life.

When I hike, I also enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy. Although I've never had a "professional" aromatherapy session, I have realized how certain smells can create positive and uplifting thoughts and feelings. My main source is this little plant that proliferates in this area. It is all along the sides of my regular hiking path and even grows here on the hillside where we live. I tried to find out what it is by researching on the Internet, but no luck. I'll keep trying.When I am ready to experience it's aromatic benefits, I pull a few pieces off of the end of one stem, rub it between my fingers and smell it. This particular plant smells like Thanksgiving and I think it must be some kind of wild sage or thyme. This smell brings to mind the little cabin we've rented sometimes, the early morning 'put the turkey' in the oven, the walk along a sunny dirt road in crisply cool air, the pine on the hillside, a warm, firelit log room. Whatever it is, it is my favorite smell along with that of fall aspen leaves - another wonderful gift from the great outdoors.

FALL CAMPING. WARD, COLORADO. LITTLE CATERPILLAR BUDDY.

Here we are sitting by our smoky little campfire this weekend. We arrived at the campground mid afternoon on Friday. This particular campground is only a little over an hour from our home and we had our pick of campsites. Camp fees were a real deal - $8.00/night because the water was turned off. We had plenty, though, as yours truly anticipated the lack of potable water and made sure our supplies were adequate. There was a stream close by, so we dipped our little red cooler jug in just in case we ran out. We boiled that water and used it to wash dishes.

Saturday, we rose late, breakfasted, packed lunch and took an 8 mile hike. Back at camp, we rested, read and then drove to Ward, Colorado about 10 miles away. It's always interesting to visit Ward. It's a scroungy little hippie populated mountain town. (One very interesting factoid about Ward from Wikipedia is that Ward boasts the highest concentration of Ph.D holders in the U.S. - is this really true? If so, it's hard to believe.) There is one little General Store and lots of junk and junk vehicles of all descriptions. Here are some pictures I took there. Gives you a little bit of an idea of the flavor of this town. Wikipedia gives a pretty good description of the town and history, but the photographs there make it look nice - which is doesn't.Later, back at camp, we dined on a sumptuous dinner of grilled chicken and vegetables, we washed up in delightfully warm water, put things away for the night and watched 'I, Robot'. At least, Merle watched it. I read some more.

I basically did not sleep that night and that's kind of unusual for me when sleeping in the camper. Our sleeping quarters are so comfortable, I typically have no trouble getting my zzzzzzzzzz's. However, it was not to be, so I listened to the ever increasing wind outside (and inside, for that matter - Merle, the Windy One), got up twice to go to the bathroom on my little potty seat outside the camper and thought about too many things. Each time I went outside, there were little drops of icy rain falling.

I think I did start to doze toward early morning and around 7:00a, when we took a peek outside the windows, we saw that a very light blanket of snow covered everything! We turned on the camper heater, luxuriated in the warmth for awhile, then got up, got coffee and started packing up. By the time we left, the wind had died down and the sun was shining, but it was still pretty cold at 36F.

Oh, and here's the cute caterpillar Merle found crawling across the campsite our first day. I took lots of pictures of it and we watched it make it's way into the forest. I looked it up on the Internet and it is a Spotted Tussock Moth caterpillar. It is also called a Yellow Woolly Bear and I much prefer that name.

RADIO CONTROL WARBIRDS. IRISH LASS......AT LAST.

The Warbirds Over the Rockies radio control aircraft event was this weekend at the RC airfield where Merle flies his planes. He spent the day there yesterday and I went back with him for awhile today. It's great fun to watch, many people attend. The great planes and flying action are fantastic. Watch the Warbirds slide show to the right.

IRELAND IN OUR FUTURE?
While Merle was at the air show yesterday, I got together with my email pal from Ireland. I had met her online through Homelink when we tried to arrange a home exchange a couple of years ago. Well, recently she contacted me and told me she was coming to the U.S. for about a month. I helped her plan her itinerary for this part of the trip and then we finally met in person. She was delightful and we had a very good time getting to know each other.

After getting her checked into a nearby dude ranch (she couldn't resist the hat), I drove her up into the mountains, over Trail Ridge Road and back to our house where she met Merle and we had a nice dinner with interesting conversation.

She teaches 6 year olds in Ireland. One of the things that she teaches them is the Irish language. Apparently, the area were she lives is working hard to keep the language alive. She spoke some phrases for Merle and I and told us that her family speaks Irish at home.

She invited us to come to Ireland and to stay at her home. She may or may not be there depending upon whether or not she gets a temporary teaching job in Germany. Whatever the case, we will likely plan a trip there sometime next year. It's a country we have always wanted to visit and it is very nice to know someone who can help you become more acquainted with the area.

The biggest negative in visiting Europe at this time is the exchange rate. One U.S. Dollar currently equals .70 Euro. Of course, for Europeans visiting the U.S., the exchange rate is a big plus. We were also told that things are pretty expensive in Ireland, so we'll have to give it some serious thought before we decide whether or not to go.

Slán agat. (Goodbye in Irish)

BUSTED, BABY! (sort of)

I'm cruising along, top down (the Jeep top), sun shining, beautiful foothill vistas, birds chirping, the world is fine. I'm listening to pet advice on my Martha Stewart Sirius radio channel. I don't have any pets now, but it's interesting to listen to the callers asking for advice while all the while feeling very glad that I no longer worry about animal hair, feces, rabies, bordatella or vet and kennel expenses. Yes, I know, pets are sometimes lots of fun and good companionship, but let's face it, sometimes they aren't.

I had just completed a successful shopping trip to the Great Indoors, about an hour from my home. My purchases rested on the passenger seat. New vanity lights for my bathroom and a really sweet, brown pendant style light for another part of the bathroom.

Oh yea. Here's something you should know. I guess it's more appropriate to say "vanity" lights instead of "bathroom" lights. I was enlightened regarding this by the genteel, dressed in black sales associate at the store. When I said, "Where are the bathroom light fixtures?", she replied, "The vanity lights are downstairs." It wasn't like I ask her, "Where are the lights that go in the room where the toilet is and where we perform bodily functions and it sometimes smells bad?" It wasn't like I asked her that.

Anyway, here I am cruising along, minding my own business, giving wide berth to bicyclists on the road and like I said, listening to pet advice. Suddenly the hairs on my neck start to quiver. I sense a foreboding presence. Out of the corner of my eye in the rear view mirror, I see it. Flashing lights, red and blue ones attached to a large, white SUV type vehicle. Yikes, what's the speed limit? Oh boy.

One time I saw one of those nature films where things get killed. There was this little baby caribou being chased by a big arctic wolf. When it became apparent that flight was impossible, the little guy just sat down in the cool arctic grass and waited for the inevitable. That's how I felt. I just pulled over, pulled out my license, hunkered down and waited for the inevitable. Pretty pitiful.

I waited a minute, then glanced in the rear view mirror. The ballcap and sunglasses were on the radio, probably checking in with headquarters in case backup was required. Finally I hear the door open and close. I hear footsteps on the gravel. They stop next to me. I look up.

He smiles. He says, "You must be Lannie."
I have custom license plates.
I say, "That would be me. How fast was I going?".
He tells me, but I'm not going to tell you. It wasn't too terrible although I was definitely speeding.
"I'm sorry about that, I was not paying attention." (Probably the most common excuse.)
"I know. You've got the top down and you were just cruising along." He's still smiling, but his teeth are starting to look kind of sharp.
I hand him my license.
"Do you have proof of insurance and registration?"
"Yes I do, " I start to reach over to the big box on the passenger seat so I can move it so I can get in the glove box for my papers.
"That's OK, you don't need to move it. You do have them, right?"
I'd swear on a stack of Bibles, but they're in the glove box with the insurance and registration.
"Yes, I do have them." My head is nodding like a Bobblehead doll.
"I'm only going to give you a warning," he says.
Suddenly his face sort of begins to look angelic.
"Wow," I say. "That's awfully nice of you."
He looks at the words Rubicon on the side of my Jeep.
"I have one too, it's a 2004."
"Really," says I. "This one is a 2003. It's my 3rd Jeep, but my first Rubicon. My husband has a 1998 and it's all built up big. It looks great."
Having gotten past the stressful law and order part, we then chatted for a bit about Jeeps, 4 wheel drive and how many kids he had. Since we had gotten pretty chummy, I proceeded to confess that I was due to be stopped as lately I noticed I'd been kind of not driving as slow as I probably should. It felt good to confess, kind of lifted a weight off of my conscience and gave me a new law abiding sense of resolve.
"I have to go check your license in case you are a terrorist or something."
We laugh.
"Ha. I don't think you have to worry about that."
He leaves, goes back to radio in information on his "perp". It's getting hot sitting in the sun with the Jeep top down, so I turn on the air conditioner and turn up the radio.

When he comes back some time later, he hands me my license and his business card and admonishes me not to speed - he calls me "young lady". I think that maybe this is one of those things they teach them in deputy class. Like, when you stop a middle aged woman, you can certainly make her feel better and defuse any potential violence if you call her "young lady".

It works. I felt better.

When I got home, I went to the Boulder County Sheriff's website. It was pretty darn interesting. Did you know you can listen to police radio from the web? Also, they had some cool little videos of the police dogs finding drugs, climbing ladders and training to attack. I followed different links and ended up at the FBI 10 Most Wanted list. Scary. I see Usama is still on there. (I always thought it was Osama, but I'm sure the FBI doesn't make serious typos like that.) I'm considering trying to find him. The reward is $27 million.

That could buy a whole lot of lights for the potty room.