Touching Base

Well, I've been busy here lately and will fill all in later on on what I've been doing. The weather has be very HOT and is beginning to cool off and that makes me very happy. Living in an upstairs unit with no AC when its 90+ outside is tough. At about 4:30 pm on those hot days, I would loose the fight to keep it cool and would give in by opening up the house. My little 4 inch fan works pretty good at moving the air around and help pull cooler air into my place at night. I got out of dodge today and at the very cool library in the city, over looking the bike trail that covers about 20 miles from end to end. Some rafters floating down the river in blow up rafts, doggies (with hot paws) walking with their owners with their tongs dragging on the sidewalk. Don't get me started on my big pet-peeve on that little issue. Big puffy clouds moving around dropping some rain high up. The dating market is better looking over here too...

I've been very careful to pay attention to spending habits and spending more time "shopping" for the best price on the items I do want, like food. :) I'm rereading my western books, because I can't find ones I want.

Guess thats all I know right now. I'll try to write more often.

Wet Forest Floor

Evening! Not sure how I'm going to top the last line of my last post but we'll see. It was actually pretty awesome outside today. It was raining for a long time higher up for most of the afternoon and its smelled so good from my house, it was Amazing. How does one describe what the wet pines trees smell like after a long rain when its raining 5+ miles away. And it goes way beyond the smell of some silly floor cleaner.

The amazing part is, its smells like I was sitting under the trees right then in the early morning air. The tree bark is soaking wet and the branches are dripping water from their needles to the forest floor. When I walk, the ground gives about an inch and the water squishes out from under the needles. I'm over 5 miles down the hill and can understand all this from what the aroma that is being carried in the breeze. Usually its the smell of the warm wet desert of the scrub oak, cedar, and sage. Today its the wet pine floor and bark from 9,000 feet. Hours later and it still amazing.

If I could possible sleep in my swing chair, I would, but I don't think I would last long. My long a** legs would be screaming for being curled up for too long. So, the window is open in my room and that will have to do.

Its Hot!!!

Well, its July... Its hot here in the four corners. As it turns out, we're just on the edge of a huge heat wave west and south of us. My doggy would not be happy this week. 91 in the shade today at 7,000 feet.

The silly part about summer time (any place) where its hot and the humidity is so low you don't sweat, a person can put on a few pounds. Too Hot to move much. No AC at my house, its okay for most of the day as long as it cools off at night. Close the house up real good by 7:30am and it manages to stay below 78 until about 4pm. By the evening, the battle has been lost and its time to open it up and sit in my swing chair on the porch.

There's got to be a funny in here some place... When January gets here, we'll be asking for warmer weather, thats it. So, today, I'll think nice cool thoughts and when January comes, think nice warm thoughts. Blizzards and 3 feet of new snow, school closing and midnight sledding parties across town... From the top of aspen down to the school, having too much fun to think about the fact that its 10 degrees out and our snot is freezing in our noses...

Hugs

My Best Bud

This is or was my best bud. She loved to hang out in the snow. This a small east coast snow and she was very content. Getting her in the house before she was ready wasn't going to happen. She loved the snow, especially when it was over a foot deep (often in Colorado Mtns) and play until her feet where frozen. She would come into the house and give the look "Where is my blanket?" and I would cover her up until she was warm again and she would ask to go back outside. This cycle was never ending, sometime all day if I was home. She made sure I didn't get to sit much. She was Lab, Retriever, Blue healer and Australian Shepherd.

Now, the following two pictures aren't in order. The bottom one was right after a bath and she was all wet. Her spots really showed up when she got wet. Now, being covered with the towel until she was all dry was something she learned to love as a puppy. She stayed warm and her coat got extra fluffy too. Trimming off her feathers was a big no-no in my house. They were apart of her and her personality. I did trim her belly about April or May and by the time winter came around that fur grew back.
She did pretty well in the bath, she didn't like it much, but LOVED being clean. Thats her happy face...
We got looks when ever we were on the road, because she was a full size pouch, weighing at about 75-80 pounds. Not to mention being so pretty and fluffy. She was part cat, because she kept herself pretty clean. She was a great pet and friend. I'm missing her tonight...

Bottled Water

I just read a story that a small town in Australia is banning the selling of Bottle Water. Well, leave it to such a huge country to make the first big move to better the environment and reduce the plastic bottle waste. But most importantly, reduce the money spent on something that comes from the tap. How much of your tax dollars is your state capital or public offices spending on bottled water? The last time I bought bottle water, it was at the local dollar store and they were one gallon bottles for me to refill from the tap when they got empty. Nice going Australia, Nice going...

Humor & a Tonka Toy

I was thinking about one of my road trips last night after I read a fellow bloggers story about her last trip. While I was living out east and on my way to my dad's in Northern Florida on the wednesday before Thanksgiving. Well, I-95 is what I would call a moving parking lot. All of us were doing right about 68 mph (in both lanes) and what blew me away was that everyone was on their very best behavior. The only cops & accidents I saw where on the other side of the interstate. Now, I've made plenty of trips down I-26 and I-95 to know that there was a very clear difference in the behavior on other trips. Now, most of the time I made most of that trip at night, because its borrowing and HOT during the day light hours and some people on I-95 want to be at their destination 5 hours ago, but for some of them, they had another 8 hours ahead of them. So, it never failed to have a group of 5 or 10 doing about 85 (in a 70 mph zone) with the whites of the eyes showing and white knuckles on the steering wheel "GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU *** ****" or something along those lines look on their face. I would laugh and wish them a safe ride. Now, I'm the kind of person who finds humor in most things, as long as my life wasn't put into risk by others actions.

Now the moral to this story is there will always be at least one driver along your trip who will just make you laugh out loud. Now, here is one of my laugh out loud moments. I was on one of my many road trips (no clue where) and I big flatbed semi passed me in the hammer lane and there wasn't anything on the bed...until...the very end of the trailer pulled up beside me. Low and behold there was a large tonka toy semi truck strapped down on the very end (the very end) of the trailer. It was the same color, same model and same stripping as the Daddy semi 50 feet in front of it. I just burst out laughing, because it was the VERY last thing I would see following this "Manly" looking queen size cab up ahead. Now the toy truck was big enough for a 2 year old to ride on with ease and be like his or her dad. Most of the time I keep my camera handy for photos like that one; while reaching for the camera and trying to get turned on, I think the driver knew what I was up and increased his speed to put some distance between us and I was sad. That would have made a great photo. Road trips are suppose to be fun, not all uptight and rush rush rush rush...

Keep doing the work

Hugs

Honoring Everyone Daily

Well, I've been thinking (again) a lot lately and with the MJ Memorial today, it sure makes you think about a lot of things. I was not a huge fan, but I stood by him from day one. His career stretched as many years as I am old and thats pretty amazing by anyones standards. Its pretty amazing that he is in fact no longer here in body, but he isn't far from many of us. This entry isn't about a single person, but rather what each of us has a responsibility to meet each day. I did not watch the broadcast of the Memorial in US TV stations, but rather on NTV in Canada, because I knew that they would air it without commercial breaks or silly comments from those to need to hear their own voice. The saddest part about death is we find out more about a person after they have gone then what we knew about them while they (who ever they are) are here and breathing. Maybe that is something we should do more of, to share more about who we are so those around us can know while we're here and not find out about us after we're gone. Everyone needs to be honored each day, not matter our faults or achievements.

Example, not many people or my family has ever seen my hair as long as it is now. In fact I had it so long at one time, I was sitting on it. But, I'm growing it out this time for myself. Right now, its long enough to lean against it in a chair and where I have to pull it out of the chair so I can move my head. :)

Keep doing the work

Hugs

Pictures

Here is a few new pictures I took the other day. That is Mesa Verde at sunset and the body of water is Summit Lake.

Just a fun picture of the sky reflecting off the water.

A New Month

Hello, it's a new month and I've learned to like each new month. Despite the struggles I have gone thru sense I got home, I'm glad to be here. I was thankful and very happy when December 1st to came. I can't say much but other then being at the wrong place at the wrong time! I'm okay, but I'm a better & more aware person now. It took my breath away when June 1st arrived, May was a very long month, having to put my best friend down on Mother's day. Today is July 1st and I look forward to what may bring me. The weather on the mountains, rain in the afternoon and the love for living at about 7000 feet everyday is awesome. My health is pretty good and I'm happy. The blue sky, white clouds and fresh air, man this is God's Country at its best. I'll never get bored with it even when I need road trips. I have new pictures, I'll get them off my camera tonight and try and load a few tomorrow or the day after.

Keep doing the work

Hugs