Summer time and the living is....easy??

Summer time and the living is ...not so easy?


O goodness. This has been a year.   A long, sometimes hard year with lots of ups and downs.

This morning Carlos and I walked the road across the river. 

So many gorgeous views. 

Walking combats stress. 

Work has been a bear.
In the last 11 months I have worked for the hospital while being leased to the cardio clinic, worked directly for the cardio clinic, been told in April that the hospital wanted our group back as employees- with lower pay and more responsibilities-made the decision to not work for the hospital again (understandable, I think), found another job at a bank and then been told that, nope, the cardio clinic is not giving us up after all and nothing is changing in my employment except location.  So from April until July I have been jerked around employment-wise even though there has never been an issue with the quality of my work. Honestly just writing this paragraph exhausted me and made me stress a bit.
I hope to happily continue checking in patients at the cardiology clinic wherever that may be. Our location is definitely changing and may actually be a little fluid for a couple of months depending on the whims of the powers that be.  The new office mantra is "Be flexible".  If I get any more flexible I will be able to join Cirque de Soleil. Ultimately I am thrilled with the final outcome. Assuming it really is the final outcome. I think it is. I hope.

With so much rain, even all the cacti are blooming. 

Walking combats stress.

Winter was hard and lasted until June. So. Much. Snow. Then rain. June was wet and chilly and I was still using my pellet stove until mid June.   All that snow made everything green. The weed whacker has been getting weekly usage and I've made absolutely NO headway with the grass. I manage to keep the front "yard' under control and Carlos's fenced area clear...the rest of it has gone wild.  Apparently the rattlesnakes are also happy to have summer here finally and are out in full force. Carlos just got his first rattlesnake vaccination from the most patient vet in the entire world. He goes back in three weeks for his booster.

Lots of wildflowers are out, as are the little white butterflies. 

And the rattlesnakes...

(walking combats stress)

We have been walking daily. Crazy neighbor is convinced Carlos is running in a pack.  I'm actually worried about the pack of dogs on the next road getting Carlos so he has been kept close. I left town one weekend to come home to a card from the Sheriff saying I was going to be fined if Carlos was out loose again. Only problem: Carlos was at the kennel in Salida when he was reported running loose here in Howard.  I tried discussing this with the neighbor but somehow ended up calling him a f***ing idiot and he has vowed to shoot Carlos if he ever sets foot out of the yard. So...walks.

 Which is how we ended up taking off one wet evening, moments after the rain stopped, and coming up on a mountain lion. Honestly I never dreamed I would see one while walking.  Bears maybe but a cougar? Never. But we did. He walked out of the woods into the road about 100 feet in front of us. Carlos was sniffing something on the ground thankfully and never saw the cat. Kitty looked at me, I looked at him. He turned back into the woods and I slowly, slowly backed back down the road. I was enthralled and excited, not scared, but only because I got to see him and he was not the slightest bit concerned with eating me. Thankfully.
(And. He was gorgeous. Or she. Whatever. A young adult cougar, sleek and probably 2 to 3 times the size of Carlos.)


Made an airline ticket to go to Mexico and within hours of that big purchase discovered the oven had died with the last round of power surges/outages. So this weekend I ordered a new range and fridge (both are almost 20 years ago- it seemed prudent to just go for the gusto).  Mexico is still on the calendar and I cannot wait. In September, 45 years after starting school at the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, I will be returning with one of my old roommates to visit our other roommate who has just moved there for good. A fourth classmate also lives there and it will be a grand reunion. I am soooo excited. Broke, but excited.

Cherrilla and Cathy

Blurry because...well, 45 years ago.

I've tried online dating. I'm still alive after meeting a stranger (my co workers were definitely requiring check ins) so I consider that a success.  Don't know why people say online dating is a nightmare.

Soooooo. No new challenges although I've tried some new things. Lots of new restaurants. Finally developed a taste for salmon after a gazillion tries.
Went to a burlesque show! Had no idea you could do so many things with tassels.

The crew from Peaks and Pasties in Colorado Springs. 

Lots of gardening has been undertaken with mixed results. The peony that came with the cabin 10 years ago finally bloomed for the first time. THAT is a success.

Never knew what color these peonies were. 

Happy to see they are pink!

The tables in the front yard are getting tiled. I find that figuring out the tile patterns is as engrossing as quilting used to be for me.  I no longer have the patience, desire, something to quilt like I used to.  I've tried a bit. But the tiling satisfies that need to create.  Plus side: It's an excuse to get dirty.  More pictures will be forthcoming once the blue table is done.

This is the second time this little table has been done. I leave it outside and it gets frost-heave.

But. I'm too lazy to bring it in over the winter. 

So this won't be the last time....

Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer. Stay safe. The Arkansas River that I follow to work and back every day just claimed the 12th freshwater recreation victim of the summer here in Colorado. This can be a dangerous place.
(See above. Snakes. Power surges. Mountain lions. Online dating.)
(Walking combats stress.)

OMG!!!!

OMG!!!!


Who in the world would have thunk it?

I know I promised no more photos,  but look!

Look what was out my window!

Sorry.  

I had to post them.


(Ok.
Possibly I was feeling lazy and had nothing else to post. But I didn't want to disappoint.
Or possibly I did have an elk and a bear and a mountain lion all in my front yard, dancing in tutus.
Hard to say.
Happy Tuesday.)

More......

More....


Sorry.
More pictures.

I wasn't going to but then I downloaded the ones from my camera and I couldn't help myself.

Also, I went out to take more pics of the eagles but couldn't find them. On my way home I saw elk instead! Soooo exciting.  First time I have ever seen them so close to the house. Only the second time I have seen them in this area.  And I had my camera with me. Happy day.

I was showing the elk pictures to my neighbor, explaining how they were all together so I couldn't really get a good shot. In fact, the little herd was all "women and children" and they were moving in this big field like a very tight school of fish. One would turn and they all would turn.
Neighbor patiently explained to me that they were running from something.
Now I could kick myself for not hanging around. I imagine if I had been patient, there would have been a mountain lion, too. Definitely made absolute sense when he said it as that is exactly how the elk appeared. Frightened, hyper alert, one unit.

 Look at their eyes. On the alert.

Exit, Stage Right.

And more Twin Sisters pics. Sorry. The sky has just been too, too.

 More snow and clouds.

I think these Sisters are drama queens. 

Look at that sky.

And not the Twin Sisters, but the mountains out the back door.  

I love the way the sun was just on the mountain top.

And of course, our yard ornaments.  They are so cute. And so unafraid.

 There are tiny green shoots coming up under this dead grass.

 The deer have been having a field day with the new growth.  Yum.

 Even the baby knows where to look.

Snowing. Settled in until it stops.

Next week I promise no more mountain or animal pics. Unless Carlos does something amazing.

Or elk and mountain lions show up dancing in tutus in my front yard. 

Have a great weekend.

Deja Vu all Over Again/Welcome 2015

Deju Vu All Over Again  and Welcome 2015

I'm baaaccckkk!!


Seems like forever since I've written a post. I just know I've been terribly missed.

First a little Christmas holiday recap and then some thoughts for the coming year.

The holidays started out pretty much like last year.

Last year before we left town , we found this on our game camera:

Mountain Lion 2013

And exactly one year later, look who was on the game camera again.

Mountain Lion 2014

This picture isn't as clear, but that is probably the same mountain lion, staring into my yard,  less than 100 feet from my front door.

The more alarming part is that Bunny went outside the morning this was taken to get something out of her car. Out the door, over the raised deck and into her car, then back into the house. She came in shaking her head and said "Something growled at me. Twice."  She wasn't concerned because she thought it was Carlos, UNTIL she saw that Carlos was sitting right next to me. Nowhere near the back door.
I found a paw print under the deck.
Fortunately Bunny was NOT anyone's breakfast.

I also managed to maim myself 24 hours prior to arriving in Texas. Again. Nothing broken this time, just slammed my finger in the door of the Hummer. Hard. Three weeks later it still has a BandAid and it still hurts. Another Christmas on pain killers.

Last year.

There was a hospital visit, just like last year. This year it was my mom in for a test.  Last year it was me for a cast.

There was the flu rearing its ugly head again. Last year Bunny and I BOTH got the flu. This year it was Belle.

No Christmas decorations up at the Texas house but I expected that. At least the house was clean.

But Christmas was lovely and we had a great trip there and back. (Unlike last year.)

We returned to SNOW!!!  And Carlos, who had been in the kennel for TEN days.
Look how happy he is to be sitting in Belle's lap for the ride home from the kennel.

Carlos and Belle

And look at the fun snow we got to drive through for the last two hours of our trip!

 Beautiful snow covered mountain drive. 

And this is what we woke up to the next morning. 

Lots of snow!

So the New Year's portion of our holiday was pretty much spent doing this:

Christmas puzzles.

So... Christmas and New Years. Done.

On to 2015.

That means I have less than a year to finish my 60 by 60 list.  Yikes.

I did get No. 31 done. I'll post about that soon.

And while I don't have any resolutions, I do have some thoughts about the new year.  I'll post about that soon, too.

In the meantime, onward to the new year.

Hmmmm....No. 28 and the new "kitty"

Before I left Colorado for Texas on Thursday, I checked our game camera.

Look who was on there!

I also slipped on some ice.  

But I was okay.

Then we got into the car and drove to Amarillo.

Somewhere along the way I realized my right arm wasn't really working.

The nice ER doc gave me this beautifully wrapped present:

So once I saw the new kitty, I decided it was time to really work on No. 28:  Learn to Shoot a Gun.

ASAP.

But with my right arm wrapped up tight, that will have to wait. 

We'll just be careful.

O! I also woke up with the flu on Sunday. 

And there is no tree and very few presents.

But ...I believe.

In miracles. 

In the Christmas spirit.

Do you?

And while I'm a big believer...until the holidays are over.... Posts may be few and far between. 

Typing on an iPad left handed is wearing.