Embracing Winter

Embracing Winter...whether I want to or not.


Last year, my first full winter in Colorado, Mother Nature was kind. The winter was warm(ish) and the snow was sparse.  I mastered driving in snow and ice in baby steps. And fortunately did not have to practice it much.

This year, winter showed up with a vengeance.  There has been more snow so far this year than we had all of last year. I have already burned through 800 pounds of pellets.  Last year I maybe used 250 pounds the entire year. (And yes, I had to carry every single one of those 40 pound bags into the house. My winter upper body work out.)

The Twin Sisters dusted all over.

The drive to work is in the dark. The drive home is in the dark. Thank goodness work has a window which warms me and gives me a dose of Vitamin D very day. That will change in the spring as the office moves to a new space. I am delighted at all the construction delays as I am dreading the move.

Snow capped

My toes seldom see the light of day. They go from Uggs to the shower - where I catch a glimpse of them under water- to socks and boots and more socks and blankets. My skin resembles the underbelly of a mushroom- pale and luminescent- deprived of the sun and a tan.  Under every shirt is a camisole, an extra layer of warmth.  

Hiding behind the clouds

The bears have set an example that I seem to be following: load up on food and hibernate.  Gone are summer's salads and shrimp tacos, replaced by potatoes and apples and pasta, pasta, pasta. Like the bears, I have put on a few extra pounds. I'll worry about that come summer...I'm the only one who sees under the layers of sweaters and jeans. 

Ham and cheese in a puff pastry on a bed of jalapeño reduction, 

courtesy of my fave restaurant, Shallots.

These are the meals I crave and live on. 

Home from work, the cabin is chilly, the floors cold. First the pellet stove gets fired up, then the dog fed. Some nights it seems the cabin never warms so I take another cue from the bears and give in, taking the iPad and a book to the warmth of the electric blanket. It's dark out anyway, why not just go on to bed? 

A blanket of snow and clouds rolling towards the cabin.

Walks are non-existent unless there is fresh snow. Then they are a workout. But the day after snow there is ice, and with ice comes slips. That's how I broke my elbow a few years ago, an experience I am in no hurry to repeat.  So my workout routine is also non-existent, except for lugging bags of pellets in and out.  The yoga classes at work call to me, maybe I need to reply. 

Clouds, fog, snow? 

But in it all there is such beauty. Driving into Salida there is suddenly the view of the Collegiate Peaks, dusted with snow.   The Sisters out my front door change daily. Snow covered, snow dusted, snow traces, repeat.  The bald eagles are out, majestically flying through the canyon,  fishing the river. Where they are during the summer I do not know, but winter and spring are when I usually see them and this winter the sightings have been frequent. That river they fish, the Arkansas, is full of ice, frozen towards the edges, chunks breaking free and floating down as the sun warms the day. 

And even as we enter January I see a flash of hope to keep me carrying on.  Last week the sun set at 4:39pm, this week it will be 4:44pm. Five minutes later each week? I'll take that. By the end of January the difference will be noticeable. There are bulbs under the snow, storing their energy, waiting for enough sun and warmth to pop through.

And until then? You will find me under the electric blanket, reading. 

Carlos and I know where we belong in the winter. 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas 

from my cabin to yours.

2018

Aspirational Christmas Decor

Aspirational Christmas Decor....

You too can aspire to have a beautifully decorated house just like moi!
(Ok. Maybe you can aspire to have a half decorated house just like me.)

I have no kiddos this year, Christmas day dinner will be an orphan's meal at the neighbors and I only decorated for myself.

Christmas trees are my favorite. With a log cabin, avoiding a real (fire hazard) tree seems like a good idea. There's a narrow fake tree that just touches the 7 foot ceiling and squeezes between the pellet stove and the stairs. This year it is decorated with nothing but icicles- glass and plastic, frosted, clear, gold and silver- plus some snowflakes and white lights. I imagine it will stay up until March just like the one I had last year. It is on a timer so I wake up to a lit tree and come home from work to a lit tree. My own personal seasonal night light. It scares away the winter dark.   The tree will come down once we go on daylight saving time again.

LOVE this tree- it just fits. 

Most Christmas decor pics feature gorgeously wrapped packages, all color coordinated, with a theme. I have a theme too. UPS delivery boxes. There is one tiny wrapped package under there- a present I bought for myself- and the rest are lovely brown corrugated boxes with mailing labels. The most fun part is I have no clue who some of them are from. Christmas morning is going to be a real surprise!

Going with a UPS theme under the tree this year. 

At least it is all color coordinated. 

The mantel has garland. In the middle there should be silver and red ornaments. Or maybe some pine cones would finish it off. But for the past two weeks it has looked just like this....no centerpiece. 

It's almost done. Just needs something in the middle.

Not gonna get it at this point. 

Santa holds Carlos's and Mina's stockings. That Santa is about 55 years old. My dad's sister made it for us and my mother was kind enough to pass it on to me when the Big Guy was tiny. All three kids knew they would be dead if it ever got knocked over. Somehow it has survived.

Mina has already found her catnip mouse. 

Carlos can smell his marrow filled bones. 

No surprises for those pets.

My milagro tree which stays up year round gets tiny glass ball ornaments for the holidays. Except this year Mina, the kitty, knocked some of the milagros off and the chest it sits on needs to be moved to retrieve them. So instead the glass balls remain in their plastic bag, destined to return to the basement with exactly zero time on display. Maybe I should throw that bag up in the middle of the mantel garland?

Love this little tree but since it is by the kitty food, 

Mina has a tendency to knock the milagros off. 

And that darling Salida sign came from Buenos Aires, 

courtesy of friend Diana. 

Hopefully it will be hung up this weekend.

Hopefully. 

There are greenery wreaths on all of the doors. Sadly, all of the doors need painting. Ignore that- enjoy the festivity!  Even the shed doors have wreaths which makes me very happy as I can see them from the front windows. Amazingly the deer have left the wreaths alone.

We conned sweet neighbor Bev into taking our pics for a Christmas card. 

This was not a chosen pic but look how cute that wreath is on the shed.

And doesn't Carlos look handsome?

This poor door.

The sun beats down on it every day.

The wreaths are wire forms from the dollar store with $3 fake garland as 

a base and real greens from the yard to fill it out. 

Maybe the fake stuff is what is deterring the deer? 

My reindeer greets visitors!

The steer skull had to get in on the Christmas greenery action.

The same cannot be said of poor Kaiser's greens. I put them in his little carved paws, the deer come up on the porch and pull them off.  It's a game we play every day.

Another Christmas card reject pic.

But... again Carlos looks like a boss and Kaiser actually has his greens in his paws.

I've finished the living room off with my collection of winter needlepointed pillows. I love these. They will stay out for a while, covered with dog fur, just like everything else in the house.

My $30 leather chair.

Absolutely the best deal and the comfiest spot to sit and read. 

O wait. Maybe this is the comfiest spot.

My "Naughty" stocking hangs with the hats.

Upstairs the loft room floor is covered in tissue paper and ribbon. The sewing machine is out- I whipped up some flannel bags to put packages in rather than find boxes and paper. It's a mess and has been since last weekend.

There was a flurry of wrapping and packing to get everything in the mail.

So far UPS is winning- they delivered on time.

USPS is two days late and counting.

The Christmas cactus is blooming. How does it know?

This cactus is probably twenty years old- maybe older. 

Although I suspect the original died while I was in Colorado and it was in Texas under the 

care of the ex. I think he possibly replaced the original.

Either that or this cactus has had a genetic mutation because it used to have light pink flowers.

And Santa will be here in a few days.

It's a wonderful time of year, full of love and generosity and cheer and surprises.
I'll miss having my kids about but am relishing the quiet of a four day weekend.
The decorations, while not perfect or designer delightful, bring me joy. And personally, I think that's the point. Bring joy.

I wish everyone a wonderfully happy holiday with all of the treats of the season.

Happy Holidays Out of my Comfort Zone

Happy Holidays!!

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving.

I spent the weekend in Dallas with my brother's family and my mom and even my sweet son. 

Me with my mom and brother.

Growing my bangs out...ugh.

Nothing worse. 

My absolute favorite picture of the weekend.

My great nephew playing Pokemon with the Big Guy. 

Also had the chance to see some friends so it was a pretty perfect time. The icing on the cake was I got to get on a plane- not much makes me happier- and on the return trip I spent a night in Denver with my friend Diana and her very sick daughter and her not sick son-in-law.  LOVE having a place to stay in the Mile High City as the drive to and from the Denver airport is the pits. 

And now I'm back at the cozy cabin in the woods, watching the snow fall outside my window. Don't think the temp has been above freezing at all today. The pellet stove is blazing and there is chili in the crockpot for dinner. 

Mina on my lap, fire in the pellet stove.

Cozy in the woods.

Need to put the Christmas tree up.

And last week I really got out of my comfort zone. The hospital had a craft fair which I went to last year...but wasn't brave enough to sign up for.   Cheryl, the nurse I work with, does beautiful photographs that she puts on cards and canvases. She sold things last year and encouraged me to try it this year. And then she reminded me and nudged me just enough that I turned in my fee and committed.   

Honestly, selling stuff I make has always intimidated me. Lots of doubts of  it "doesn't look professional enough", it isn't "creative enough". Whatever. Lots of excuses to not try. 

So with a shove from Cheryl, I tried.   I made some beads...necklaces and earrings and fun wrap bracelets. Then I made some banana bread and apple pies. And then I made some seasoned salt. My fabulous nephew, Andrew, who is über creative and much better at computer design than I, offered to help me with a label for the salt. I had a basic idea- he cleaned it up.   So it was an interesting table of items for sale. 

Andrew's improved version of my label.

After setting up, I wandered the other tables and despaired a bit that I was not as organized, creative, professional and then decided "F*@k it. I don't care."  This was an experiment. Would anyone buy anything? Would I take everything I came with home again? 

Lots of little salts. 

And some earrings. 

Needed a little work on the display but o well.

Well, guess what?  I sold half my salt, most of my bracelets, all of the banana bread, all but one of the pies (Fools. I should have sold all of them as they are really yummy.) and some  earrings and necklaces.  I probably made a $120 profit, which, considering I had zero expectations 
and I only started working on things November 1, was not bad. I had someone come up and tell me they had bought one of my bracelets for her daughter for Christmas. Really?? I made a Christmas present?

Would I do it again? Sure. But I would plan a little more- my presentation needed work-and start creating a little sooner. 

So. If you create, share it with the world. There will always be people that are more or better but there are also people willing to spend cold hard cash on your ideas and creativity. And that is such great validation. 

Put yourself out there.   And have a wonderful holiday season. 

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star/ Being Happy Where You Are

Twinkle twinkle....


Last night, Carlos was barking his head off over, from the sounds of it, a bear or mountain lion, but from appearances, a squirrel.  I let him out on the back deck and followed him out because, of course, my first instinct is to see if it really might be something big and dangerous.
We stood together on the deck, him staring into the woods, me trying to figure out what he was staring out. A glass of red wine in my hand, plans for dinner in my head (chicken tortilla soup) and the awareness that once the dog quit barking it was a still evening with perfect temperatures. I was overcome with the feeling of contentment. Happiness at being in my cabin in the woods, working at a job that I (mostly) enjoy, with friends within walking distance. All was right with the world.

No bears, just squirrels.

I came in to a text from friend Martha letting me know there would be a meteor shower overnight. Nothing I love better than a big celestial display. The Orionids, crumbs from Halley's Comet, would be entering our atmosphere and streaking across the sky.


Because of the bright, almost full, moon the best viewing time would be EARLY, some time between 4:00am and 6:00am. I didn't set my alarm but awoke automatically at 3:45am. Dressing in the dark (this morning I realized I had been wearing two different color Uggs) I slipped into boots, a sweater, a down jacket and grabbed some blankets. A quick check outside showed the moon was just about to dip behind the mountains, but it was still a little bright. Since tortilla soup had been my dinner, I was hungry. A bagel made in the dark, quickly eaten, constituted "first breakfast".

Back outside, the rocker and tree stump foot stool pulled out into the yard, blankets under me and over me...I settled in.
Three streaks of light flew across the sky, all within a minute of each other. They were so quick and so close together I forgot to make a wish.

I waited, in the dark, listening for Carlos to come back...of course he had run off into the night as soon as I let him out. That dog is not afraid of anything.  More streaks across the black. Wishes made.

Eventually the dog came back. The clouds were starting to gather and the flashes were less frequent. I bargained with myself...one more and then I'll go in. A couple more little streaks and the cold was starting to get to me. I waited for the best last one.

At 5:00am I came back inside. The thermometer registered 33º.  Probably saw ten to twelve shooting stars in the hour I was outside. Not a spectacular display but then I realized how many YEARS went by living in Texas, light pollution everywhere, where I did not see stars, much less stars flying across the blackened sky.

And I felt it again.
Contentment.
I  am in a wonderful place.

My night sky, on a cloud free night. 

Many thanks to those who have sparked my interest in the skies.  From the high school friend who pointed out what is still my favorite star cluster- Pleiades-to the twenty something friend who took me off to the country back in the late 70s to see the Perseids to my friend this summer who aligned the camper window (serendipitously and accidentally)  with the Milky Way so that, lying in bed, the galaxy floated above. And to Martha who has been fabulous about alerting me to sky exhibits I might have missed (such as this one!) and also for introducing me to Sky View Lite, the iPad app that identifies the constellations for me.

I marvel at what I can see and wonder just what the Native Americans and early Pioneers must have thought, being surrounded here in the West with the vast black night sky. It amazes me that I am seeing what they once saw. You can look out of your window tonight and see the same moon that I see, the same moon that our ancestors saw.  We are all connected under the same sky.

Contentment.

The Colorado sky insists on showing off. 

Daily. 

Some other sky posts here and here and here.

Musings on Mountains, Majesty, Men and Murder

Musings on Mountains, Majesty, Men and Murder...


The mountains and skies around me have been drama queens. We got our first snow this week which is a big event in Colorado. The skiers get hyped up, predicting when the resorts will open. Boots and sweaters come out. Everyone is excited.

Before the snow came rain, and through all of it...amazing skies.

Rainbows on the way to work.

A double rainbow to start my workday

Sunrises to knock your socks off.

 No filter. Just your basic sunrise in paradise.

 Pink mountains with pink clouds behind. 

Pretty amazing, huh?!

The cool front coming in.

Sun shining on the foreground, mountains behind shrouded in clouds. 

And then SNOW!

I woke up to a car covered in white.

Had to run down to the basement for the snow scraper!

LOVE my new windows. 

The front yard got a good dusting.

The Twin Sisters are in hiding...

The view from my parking lot at work is pretty amazing. The Collegiate Peaks off in the distance, with snow caps on!

I'm surrounded by mountain ranges!

By the end of the day most of the snow is gone.

I love these first fall snows. They dump a couple of inches of white stuff, then the sun comes out, the temperature rises and it's another gorgeous fall day. Soon enough the temps won't rise above 40º. I'm in no hurry to get there.

Thursday morning's temps.

I'm not too big on turning the heat on in the house overnight so, yes, 

it was 58º in the living room.

And men? Sigh.

Inspired by my friend Libby who obviously has a stronger constitution than I do, I briefly signed up for online dating. So briefly my picture never got approved before I took my profile down.  Less than 12 hours. And why did I stop before I even  started?
Take a look.

Give Theatreguy points for smiling. At least I know he has teeth.

Bandit? What are you planning on stealing? The silver?

And the other two?  I can't even. 

These may be lovely gentlemen but seriously. Are these the best pics you can come up with? Just what/who are you trying to attract? Here's my bit of advice for guys on dating sites. Put down the fish. Have someone else take your picture. Smile so I know you have teeth. Come up with a name that makes me believe you won't rape, rob or carve me up at the first coffee date. 

This guy had about twelve different names, all with the same lovely picture.

However, as bad as these might be... Libby made me feel better. These are a couple of her favorite shots from Texas.  

Just No.

Again. No. 

I'll pass.

And murder? Maybe that should be mercy.

On my way to work this morning I passed a truck on the side of the road, three men in their thirties standing next to it, with a doe on the ground, calmly staring straight ahead. My brain snapped; they had struck her. Then I realized she must be very hurt to not be running off. A quick glance in the rearview got me an image I won't soon forget. A hand raised, two men turning away slightly, a trigger pulled and a head flying back.

I believe that is the first time I have ever witnessed something be shot. I'll be just fine if it is the last.  I'm grateful one of those guys had a pistol- the poor deer did not need to suffer. I know it was the right thing to do. Just a rough way to start the day.

Deer in the road. It's a fact of life around here. 

It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when" you will hit one.

This is Bunny's car after she hit a BIG buck a few years back. 
The sheriff had to put that one out of his misery.

So...I'm going back to looking at the mountains. Tonight's drive home was magnificent.
And when I got home?
The Twin Sisters shining in all of their glory.

Snow at the higher elevations, nothing near me. 

Life here in South Central Colorado is different. So very very different from where I grew up in Houston, Texas. I marvel at the path that brought me here. I marvel at the things that are part of my daily life. 

Bear scat on the road behind my cabin,  a black widow spider on the wall outside my office door, mountains everywhere, beautiful skies, and freezing temps, sometimes indoors AND out.  It's now my life.  

Lucky me.

TAKE A HIKE...

Take a hike. Turn over a new leaf.

What other bad word play titles can I come up with?

Last post I was bemoaning the fact I had not taken a hike all summer.  So on Monday I did just that. Took a hike. The nurse I work with and I skipped out of work an hour early and drove up to Twin Lakes north of Buena Vista. (I went to a derby party back in May at the historic Twin Lakes Inn.) Cheryl is an avid hiker and I've been asking her about places I could go that didn't require calves of steel or the endurance of a mountain goat.  She suggested Interlaken, a "ghost resort" on the far side of Twin Lakes, as the perfect baby hike. It is only 2.2 miles each way and mostly flat. We followed the edge of the lake so there was no chance of getting lost.

Gratuitous Colorado tree pic not from this hike. 

I'm surrounded by trees. 

The leaves are turning early this year, not from the cold but from stress.  While the rest of the country has been swimming, Colorado has been very very dry.  The lack of rain and summer heat have put the trees in a tizzy, particularly the aspens.  But....their yellows and golds sparkle no matter what the cause.

This may be my Christmas card. 

Doesn't it look like this little conifer has ornaments? 

In some places, the leaves are already falling. 

I would like to add right here that I am grateful to work for a company that not only doesn't care if we skip out to hike, they practically encourage it. "The weather is beautiful. We should be out enjoying it!"  There was no question as to why we weren't at our desks...just where did we go and what did we see and how were the leaves? (And no patients were neglected in pursuit of our hike. It wasn't a clinic day.)

Our destination was the Interlaken Resort. It was a pleasant walk (Meaning I was only huffing and puffing a tiny bit. Twin Lakes sits at 9000 feet above sea level.)  from the trail head to the resort along the Colorado Trail and we were surrounded by aspen of varying shades of yellow the whole way.  We marveled at how low the lake was, a victim of our dry summer.

Normally there isn't that much beach. 

See the patches of aspen on the mountains in the background? 

And then- the resort. Built in 1879 and expanded in 1883, the hotel was a popular stop for those heading over Independence pass or traveling to the nearby mining communities. James Dexter bought Interlaken in 1883, built himself a cabin next door, and provided travelers with an array of options to entertain themselves. Horseback riding, fishing, and fine dining were offered in addition to boat rides across the lake in the summer. There was even a six sided privy with separate doors and rooms for each person/potty.  Stop and think about that.

The actual resort is boarded up. 

But can't you imagine the hustle and bustle of ...bustles?!

The resort closed in 1950 and the salvageable buildings were moved in 1979 so they would not be lost underwater due to the lakes being dammed for the Mount Elbert Power Plant. Interesting fact about the power plant: during the day water flows from the Mt Elbert Forebay reservoir down to the power plant at Twin Lakes, generating some nice expensive electricity.  At night, when power costs are low, the water is pumped back upstream to Forebay where it will then be returned to Twin Lakes the following day, generating more electricity. And more money. It's like a giant circulating fountain.

Mt Elbert Forebay, above Twin Lakes. 

A couple of the buildings that survived the move are open to the public. Of course, I consider "not locked" to also mean "open to the public" so maybe we explored more than we were supposed to. Dexter's cabin was a treat. Gorgeous woodwork gave way to plainer woodwork as we reached the second floor. The third floor was tiny and minimally adorned. The hinges and locks were spectacular on the first floor-so ornate- and I could not get my camera to focus on any of them.

Look at the alternating woods comprising the slats of the floor and wall.

See the carving in the door jambs? And those hinges were to die for. 

I'm a sucker for a door arch. 

The back of the resort was no where near as fancy as the front. 

The actual hotel is not open but the barn was. (Well, it wasn't locked, so....) Old sleds and assorted tools littered the stalls and there was a ladder to the hay loft which I did not have the nerve to try. A few other buildings were scattered around in varying states of disrepair.  I would have enjoyed more time to explore and imagine but since we started our hike about 4pm and the sun starts down about 7pm, we wisely headed back.

Obviously boards fit into those slots...was it to make a stall? 

The remains of a sled are at the bottom right. 

The ladder to the hay loft was wayyyy in the back, in the dark. 

In addition to the gorgeous lake and aspen views, we met this darling pair on the  trail. Olaf and Elsa. Their owner was with them but I didn't get her name. I'm guessing she was a "Frozen" fan.

Elsa in white, Olaf in black. 

They were HUGE!!!

Returning to the car right before dusk, Cheryl drove us quickly up to Forebay so I could a) see where the water travels to and from and b) catch the sunset.    Here's the sun doing that "Heavenly" thing and shining from behind clouds and mountains.

First there was color...

 then a glow. 

A fabulous afternoon. Beautiful hike. My legs were only a tiny bit sore the next day. Definitely worth taking an hour of paid time off.

Enjoying Colorado (and my mobility) as long as I can.