Greetings from Isolation...

Greetings!

It has been soooo long.

Last time I posted it was right after Thanksgiving and the hospital stay and Oregon beach trip that accompanied that week.

Since then we have had Christmas and New Years and job upset (always job upset- my only constant for the last 2.5 years) and a trip and ....COVID-19.

Where to start?

I think with the job upset since that has been such a constant refrain in these posts for the last couple of years. At least when I bothered to post, it was a constant.   Mid February our doctor called an office meeting and announced he was leaving our office to work for the only competition we had in our little tiny Colorado town. He was gone after the next day.  The following week the Powers-that-Be from Colorado Springs drove in, took us out to dinner and gave us the news. The office will close in 2 weeks. No doctor, no office, no job. Effective March 2, I became unemployed. I had never been laid off before...always trying new things!

Surprisingly, I was pretty calm about this turn of events. Work had been so stressful, every time I got the hang of whatever the new normal was, something else was added to my position/office/situation. I was exhausted.  My mom in Texas was going to need some help with her house since she had moved to Assisted Living so I had been thinking I was going to need to take some time off anyway.  Truthfully I was relieved. The timing was impeccable. How perfect though, I had no idea.....

My retired friend suggested a quick trip before heading to Texas to help mom. Even though we had been hearing reports of a virus in China, it really had not hit home that it might be an issue.  We scheduled flights out on March 7 after briefly discussing the possibility of "maybe we shouldn't go". We were headed to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and figured since the virus had not been reported there, we would be fine.

We stopped in Texas on the way and attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. (Previous experience at the rodeo here.) There were plenty of people in attendance although we did notice more hand washing stations and hand sanitizer.

Maren Morris at HLSR

a VERY pregnant Maren Morris

The flight attendant on our flight the next morning assured us the seats had been sanitized for our protection, although we did  do our own little wipe down with the Clorox wipes.   Just in case, you know.

Once we got to Mexico, our only exposure to the Corona virus was through our morning emails and news updates. March 11 we heard that the Houston Rodeo had been cancelled, 11 days early.  Friends were asking where was I, was I safe?

The only Corona we ran into.

Honestly we felt much safer in Mexico than we would have in the States.  The virus had not traveled that far and restaurants and the state of Guanajuato were already being pro-active BEFORE they had any cases. Most places required hand sanitizer upon entry, restaurants removed tables to distance patrons and the fact that most everything was open air added to our sense of security.  A decision was made to extend our stay. We had zero desire to return to the panic in the States.

Enjoying a margarita before all the restaurants closed down.

Our original return date had been March 17, but we moved it to March 31- the last day before the airlines were supposed to start restricting flights. As the week wore on, the news from the States was looking more and more grim while Mexico was beginning to shut things down around us. On March 22 the Mexican government closed the churches. No more Catholic Mass. The church bells in San Miguel rang all day long to spread the news. We started thinking maybe we should leave sooner as our entertainment options were becoming limited. Many restaurants had already gone to take out only.

See that rope hanging down? 

That's how all the bells get rung- by hand. 

Every quarter hour.

We scheduled a flight on the 26th only to have it cancelled, twice. We managed to get to Texas on the  afternoon of the 26th. There were 15 passengers on the plane plus crew. Customs was EMPTY. Amazingly, coming into the country was a pieced of cake. No one asked if we were feeling sick, took our temp, nothing. Maybe they trusted Mexico to do that before we left- which they did. We filled out a form regarding where we had been, how we had felt and had our temp taken before boarding the plane in Queretero.  On the 27th we flew back to Denver on a slightly fuller plane. I had a moment of panic on take-off as I had to move my seat. My seat belt was stuck so I had to sit next to a complete stranger for 15 minutes.  I realized for the last 3 weeks I had basically only been that close to one other person, my traveling companion.  Thankfully, the seat belt was freed and I got to return to my seat once we were in the air.

An incredibly empty Houston Intercontinental Airport

Once in Denver a decision was made to stay there.  I made a quick trip to the cabin to get the cat and some warmer clothes and returned. Colorado had a Stay-at-Home order at that point and I was anxious about getting stopped. Fortunately the trip was uneventful and I have been here ever since. I am quite grateful to be in the city where there is food delivery. Door Dash! Uber Eats! Amazon Fresh!  Things ordered actually show up within a couple of days. I did not want to be alone in the middle of nowhere with few resources, especially if I ended up getting sick.

And the job situation? I suspect you know how that goes. As I said, the timing was perfect. I am eligible for unemployment. Unable to search for a job, I am 100% enjoying the time off, although feeling a tiny bit guilty about how happy I am about it all. The government even deposited $1200 in my account... a welcome boost for the unemployed.

I'm hoping to use this Stay-at-Home time to be creative. I've been sewing (masks, working on a quilt) and done a bit of drawing. Without my computer I was unable to write which was totally driving me crazy. I sprung for a simple laptop so I could reconnect with my blog. More posts to come. And if this goes on much longer I'll be getting the jewelry making supplies here, also.  Maybe I can even figure out a way to make money creating... wouldn't that be lovely?

Incredibly messy mask making.

Everyone stay safe, wear your masks outside, wash your hands and enjoy the enforced break.

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. 

June 18th

June 18th,  9:16am

Well.
Here's the deal.
It's summer in Colorado and there are a million more things I want to do than sit in front of a computer. I do that at work. If I had a laptop and could sit outside and write, I would do it. But I don't. I have a big ass desk top computer that sits upstairs and an iPad and neither one of those works for writing on this blog.
So this morning I will do a wrap up of the last 6 weeks or so...

I saw a fireball. Seriously. A meteor that went over my head, no more than 50 feet away it seemed. Probably more but literally so close I was amazed, confused, and somewhat thinking I was hallucinating. But I saw it. Over the road, into the woods next to me. It wasn't dark, just almost so. Carlos and I were walking, he stopped, I turned to look at him and there was a softball size ball of fire just arcing over the road and off it went into the woods. I waited for a forest fire but it didn't happen. Logically I should have marked the spot or gone into the woods to look for it....but instead we walked on as if nothing had happened. Then I came home and googled to see if it was possible to see what I saw. And of course it was. Meteors arc through the sky all the time. I see them at night, early morning.  Frequently they will survive their entry into the atmosphere and land, burning up as they approach the earth. So why couldn't one land near me? It did.

There was a Kentucky Derby party in Twin Lakes at the wonderful old Twin Lakes Inn. Hats and ties required, mint juleps served. Love making new friends.  And how cool that Justify went on to win the Triple Crown!

Guess which hat won the prize?

Not mine!

I went to Denver and stayed with friend Diana. She invited two other ladies over, one known to me, one not, and it was a wonderful dinner/wonderful evening filled with champagne (me)/ margaritas (them ) and lots of laughter and great stories. Dinners with friends are THE BEST.   A trip to Costco netted some gorgeous geraniums that the deer promptly ate as soon as I got them home. They are just now recovering.

Beautiful table, beautiful friends, fabulous food. 

Dinner in Denver with Diana, Laurie and Pam.

While I was in Denver, a bear came by and knocked down my hummingbird feeders and broke them. He visited neighbor Sue's house also and broke all of her feeders. So. Bird food and hummer food put away for a bit.

Kaiser, the carved bear, had nothing to do with these shenanigans.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married. A high school friend that lives further north in Colorado came to visit and we got up at 3:30am, put on our WalMart veils, mixed up mimosas and watched the spectacle.  That was also the last time I turned the TV on. What a beautiful wedding and the gospel choir could not have been more magical.  Susan and I managed to make it out to dinner in Salida on Saturday night...again fabulous food, fun dinner and great company. I truly have the best friends...new and old.

Shallots in Salida.

Drinks and food at the bar.

Me and Susan enjoying a Saturday night. 

A Saturday was spent with a friend in his little convertible Beemer driving to Red Cliff for lunch at the only restaurant in town. Beautiful way to spend an afternoon and I got to watch Ole Miss play baseball during lunch.

Great old building outside the only restaurant in Red Cliff, 

Mango's Mountain Grill.

No mangos on the menu that day, though. 

Tried to hook Bunny up with some of the baseball players from Ole Miss but she kept texting me back that they all had girl friends. But they were so cute!   Irrelevant in that Bunny's friend boy was just signed by the Red Sox and she was there for the draft. Exciting for all.

Isn't this an adorable picture? 

This boy has worked so hard to get to the big leagues. 

And no, Bunny does NOT get to be on WAGS.

Belle has been working on finding her own path. She spent a week in Florida attending Private Flight Attendant Training School. Doesn't she look the part? 

Belle being business like!

If you have a private jet that needs a flight attendant, she's your girl.  She knows her flight safety, how to plate your cheeses and crudités and, in a pinch, how to kill someone. 

And.... work is the pits. Old doctor gone. Now we have the "Doctor of the Day". Understandably the patients are upset and confused. The big mucky mucks sent out a letter that confused everyone even more. I spent my days in May doing nothing but explaining where the old doctor was, who the new doctors will be, what will happen now and what I can and cannot do. Exhausting.

So. There you have it.

This may be the last post for the summer.  As this is my first full year with four seasons I am finally "getting" it.  In the winter you hunker down, light a fire, eat comfort food, read a lot, watch Hallmark movies (ok, maybe that is just me) and wait for the sun to reappear.

Once it is Spring (we kinda skipped over that this year) you enjoy some pretty days followed by dumps of snow that melt quickly and more pretty days.  Garden planning starts, weeds get pulled, beds prepared.

Now we have hit summer with full force and it gets dark about 9pm, light at 5:45am.  I come home from work, walk the dog, make dinner which is eaten outside at either the beautiful blue table or on the porch at the little mosaic one, play in the yard, visit with the neighbors and discover it is past my bedtime. Morning comes too quickly.   But I know this too will change once we hit the summer solstice and the days go back to getting shorter.   In the meantime....I intend to enjoy all of the Colorado summer I can.

Don't you want to have dinner with me here? 

Come on!

This weekend is FIBArk. Friday night I have plans to see Devon Allman/Duane Betts play live- second generation Allman Brothers. Under the stars, next to the river, mountains in the background and all free. Last weekend was camping and fishing. (One fish caught, one rattlesnake avoided, lots of sun baked into my skin.) And repeat....
(Previous FIBArk posts so you know what the party is about HERE and HERE.)

Fall will not be much different, just requiring more clothes, a little flannel, red wine instead of Lemon Drops or champagne, until the evenings close too early and the chill gets too much.
Until then...

Magic on a Saturday Night or No. 63: Another Restaurant

Magic on a Saturday Night: No:63 Again


One of the things I did in November when I was in Colorado was go visit my friend Diana in Denver. Her house was our getaway when we needed civilization after a month or so at the little cabin in the woods. Even when she was living in China, she graciously left her house available so Bunny and I could visit and get our dose of Target, hair cuts and mani/pedis. Some things are just better in the big city.

My request to Diana for our quick weekend was a dinner out some place that required heels. Or at least a place where a little bit of a dress up wouldn't seem out of place. That's harder than you think in Denver where pretty much jeans will take you everywhere.

Diana had been craving a steak dinner and that sounded good to me so she made us reservations. But it was a surprise! She wouldn't share where we were headed, only that we were going downtown.

The November weather was lovely (and unseasonably warm) so we parked and walked to our dinner destination.

Here's where the magic came in.

Excuse the blur...I was too excited to take pics!

First: Dinosaurs!  TWO Tyrannosaurus  Rexes walking down the street. Honest. I was so tickled.
I got my picture with them but was so excited I forgot to ask just what they were doing out and about.

Dinos so large they got their heads cut off. 

A few more blocks down and we spy a Lamborghini.

Drool. 

Is that the sexiest thing ever? 

Okay, in Houston that is not so unusual. Lots of money, lots of flat streets, no random rocks on the road, no snow. But in Denver, Lamborghinis are kinda rare. Driving in the snow can be a problem when your car only has a five inch road clearance. Anyway.... one Lamborghini.  Then another.

Notice there are Lamborghinis on both sides of the street. 

Then....SIXTEEN of them.   All parked in front of the Ritz Carlton hotel.  So gorgeous. And exotic. Since Bunny is such a car nut I had to take pics.

Rows of Lamborghinis. 

At $200K a pop, that's a few million dollars worth of cars in one block. 

Yes, there was a policeman watching over them. 

All of these cars were part of a group, the Gia Lai Team, which does road rallies every year. Life is rough, huh?


Ok, so dinosaurs and exotic cars.  What next?

A few more blocks and there are fire works!

Serious. I asked Diana why but she had no more idea than I  did. So we both just assumed they were in honor of our dinner out.

I adore fire works. 

Obviously, by the time we got to the restaurant, expectations were running high. Denver has tons of farm to market little restaurants with yummy food.  Unfortunately, when you make plans a few days before, that's not what you get. What we did get was a good dinner at Denver Chophouse and Brewery.  Our steaks were perfect.  I had a house beer. (Full disclosure: also some not-house wine!) Mashed potatoes that were good. All in all, a decent but not exceptional meal.    What was exceptional?   The company. Diana and I caught up, visited, plotted, planned and Lord knows what else.  There is nothing better than a good friend. We could have been at McDonald's and still enjoyed the dinner.

No pics. 

Diana and I always forget to take pics together. 

Sigh. 

And really? Could anything have matched the expectations that had been set by that walk through downtown? I don't think so.

No: 63: One more restaurant added to the list.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Also, this dinner out was my birthday treat from Diana, a little early. (Our birthdays are 2 days apart and we know how the day can get lost in the Christmas shuffle...) And TODAY is my birthday! How is that for blog post planning?!  

Hi!

Hi! I'm back.

Sorry. Took a little hiatus there after the election. I was in Colorado without a computer. Then I came back to Texas after the election and just haven't had the spunk to write a post. Too many things going on. Parents, friends, family, the world.  You know. Life with a capital L. 

Gorgeous Colorado Sunrise

#nofilter

But while I was in Colorado I packed in a ton of fun. The weather was beautiful for November in Colorado. Days in the 70s and evenings in the 30s. Perfect for closing up the cabin for the winter, which was my goal. 

Camouflaged Carlos went with me...

he was so happy to be back in the woods. 

Notice he is wearing his neon orange "Hunters please don't shoot me" collar.

 

One weekend was spent in Denver and I tried TWO new restaurants...although I think I may fall short on "No. 63: try 12 new restaurants in 2106" at this point. Maybe I need one last push. 

Tried a new sport: Pickleball! In the Mile High City. Granted that is a lower elevation than the cabin by a couple thousand feet, but it was still pretty high up to be running. Or panting, as I was doing. 

Visited with two friends while I was there, also, which made it super special.

And a magnificent early evening shot of the Twin Sisters with

the perfect sliver of moon hanging overhead. 

 

Started a fun project which has come back to Texas with me.

A really fun project....

And to top the whole fabulous trip off, I got an amazing offer while I was driving back to Texas. I had added No. 87: Go to Fiesta in San Antonio after seeing a post from a San Antonio friend last April. At the ages of 6 and 7 our family lived in San Antonio and enjoyed Fiesta. So much fun. We went back one time after moving back to Houston, but that was it. Haven't been back since.  But that sweet San Antonio friend sent me a message: Would I be interested in judging the Battle of Flowers Parade at Fiesta in 2017?   Would I?  O! Hell yes! How exciting. So Fiesta San Antonio, here I come. (Well, in April!) 

So...

Restaurant reviews and my awesome Saturday night in Denver and a project update to come. 

And hopefully I will get back on track with posts. 

Maybe.....

Surfacing...

Back...sort of.

Did ya miss me?  

I'm surfacing again after a week or so of being bogged down.  

For one I suddenly started working full time at the coffee shop which, while lovely and fun,  also has been a huge shock to my system.  I haven't worked full time in TWENTY THREE YEARS!!!

Me and the espresso machine. 

Best buds.

I've been exhausted. And poor Carlos is left at home alone so I spend the hours when I come home playing fetch and "drop it" and all those other fun dog games.

"Throw dis for me mama, please."

Carlos is modeling his Thundershirt. 

Amazingly it works. Keeps him from totally panicking when it thunders.

If you were in a car when it was hit by lightning, you might have a fear of thunder and lightning too.

There was high school graduation- no one in our family but certainly plenty of the girly girls' friends. So presents and cards had to be procured, graduation outfits shopped and, of course, attendance at the actual event. It was just as fun as last year.  Congrats to all the 2015 Salida High School graduates.

Hey Ruth! Hi Kelsey!

Good job everyone.

And I am doing nothing, nada, zippo towards completing my challenges.

Hardly even thinking about them.

This weekend I go to Denver.  Seeing a play on Saturday night. Meeting up with Bunny who will be flying home from a week with her sister in Florida. Picking up a car that  has been worked on in Colorado Springs.

I'll get back to the list eventually.

Until then, bear with me.


Happy Summer.

Flowers in the House on a Monday

Flowers in the House....May Edition


Good Monday morning!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

I spent mine in Denver with my wonderful friend, Diana, who is back from China finally.
We ate at a great little Mexican food restaurant on Friday night (North County in Lowry) and she had a tiny dinner party on Saturday night.   I am loving home entertaining more and more...little dinners here and there. Not big production dinners but tiny dinners with a few friends. We watched the running of the Kentucky Derby while drinking Mojitos which are really Mint Juleps sans the bourbon and silver tumblers.

On the way back to the cabin on Sunday I stopped at a couple of the big box home stores and bought flowers. Hoping I got some deer resistant ones! We shall see.   Also picked up tomatoes and herbs. Between the tomatoes that are going on the deck and the potatoes in the garden, I should be able to satisfy the requirements of No. 39: Grow a Vegetable from Scratch.


So later this weekend I will have an outdoor garden update but for today, I snipped a few flowers and plopped them on the kitchen table. I'm linking up with Jane at Small but Charming for Flowers in the House, her first Monday of the month celebration of flowers, so you can visit her page and see all kinds of glorious flowers.

Enjoy:

That bunny is left over from Easter- I  figure he works just fine for Spring.

Hey look! There are flowers hanging outside the window, too!

Lantana, Grape Hyacinth, Mexican Heather and Daffs...

all from my garden.

(Or soon to be from my garden once they are planted.)

Check out the other Springtime flowers over at Small but Charming.

And check back with me later in the week for a garden update and a visit with my neighbors. 

Honorary #62: See the Chihuly Exhibit!

Honorary #62: See the Chihuly Exhibit

Back in October 2012 my sweet friend Ann posted pics that she and friend Allison had taken at a glass exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum. Not just any glass exhibit but Dale Chihuly's works of art, sprinkled across the landscape.
I was intrigued.
Amazed.
Jealous.

From the Dallas Show

I plotted how to get to Dallas but that was a particularly crazy Fall (See here for an explanation on that...) and it just didn't happen. 2012 closed and so did the show.
I didn't think much more about it.

Back in March of this year, my brother Steve posted photos on Facebook of the Chihuly Exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden outside of Phoenix, Arizona. I knew I wasn't going to be anywhere near Arizona,  so while I still wanted to see the exhibit, I did not pursue it.

Chihuly in Arizona

But some things are just meant to be.

Right before we left Colorado in June I got a flyer in the mail. Chihuly at the Denver Botanic Gardens from June until November.
Fate.
Kismet.
Flat out gonna happen.

The girls and I were headed back to Colorado and just by coincidence, we were flying into Denver. Then my friend Diana sent me an email from China. She would be back in Denver the same time that we were back at the cabin. Plans started to shape up.

Same boat, different garden.

Denver Botanic Garden

Thank goodness she checked the times for the day we were headed back to Denver. The exhibit closed at 3pm instead of its usual 8pm.  That meant I had to get those girls up early, close up the cabin and get on the road in order to make it in time.

SO organic. 

Looked like plants...but no.

Where there's a will, there's a way. I figured I had been taunted by this exhibit enough. It was meant to happen. Girls were up before 9am- packing, vacuuming and cleaning.  But not complaining. They had come in plenty late past their curfew the night before. They knew better than to peep about the early (for summering teenagers, at least) hour. We were in Denver by 1:30 where I unceremoniously dumped the girls and grabbed Diana.

At first I didn't even realize these weren't lily pads. . 

O!

I am so glad we went.

This was supposed to represent fire coming across the prairie. 

I'll go with that. 

The Denver Botanic Gardens by themselves are gorgeous. I had never been before, but I will be back.

And the Chihuly Exhibit?

Technicolor, anyone? 

Wonderful.

Dr. Seuss joined hands with Lewis Carroll to create a fantasy Wonderland.

Dr. Seuss, right? 

I think these guys were my favorites.

Look!

Proof I was there!

I want to go back.

(I'm making this an honorary challenge because it was something I wanted to do, didn't get around to, still wanted to do and somehow ended up making it happen. And I'm so happy I did. And that is the whole point of this list. To do the things I want to do, even if a few hoops have to be jumped through to do them,  and make things happen. )