Life on the High Plains

My Dad and brother got out of Colorado just in time.  Winter finally arrived today with a fury.  The snow started coming down hard and fast around 2:00.  My boss told me to go home around 2:30, but I told him I would be okay.  Then he left to go home. I spent about an hour and a half on "garbage" hill because of a bad accident.  I should have listened to Brad and left earlier.  Mary and Mr. Beans had their own adventures on the way home.  I think it took them even longer to get home than it took me.  Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers who helped them get unstuck. Right now it's 13 degrees outside with a windchill of -4.  Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 11 degrees with a windchill down around -20.  The horses get to spend the next 24 hours locked in the barn with the goose.  They really don't appreciate that we're just trying to keep them safe.  Irv has to leave for work at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow.  Guess w...

The family has gone home, Jillian and Brian are back from Wisconsin, Santa has come and gone and the house is back to normal.  Now I have time to play with my new toy.  Santa was really good to me this year and brought me a Nikon D5000.  Tonight I sat down with the owner's manual and started discovering how to use it.  I have a lot to learn, not only the technical aspects, but the artistic part as well.  Maybe I need to take a photography class, or maybe Dana will teach me everything she's learning in her class.  First things first though...Irv and I are planning our 2011 vacation.  It will have to be somewhere that has opportunities for great photos.  Will it be Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Disney World, or some other fun location?  We can't decide. The holidays didn't end so great for Jillian.  At work yesterday they told her that their business had slowed down and they couldn't afford to keep her anymore.  She was quite upset, but h...

Since we're all a bunch of Western movie fans, we decided to go see the new True Grit movie on Christmas Eve.  Anybody who knows me knows that my favorite movie of all time is True Grit with John Wayne, Kim Darby, and Glenn Campbell.  I must admit that I was a little skeptical when I heard they were re-making True Grit with Jeff Bridges in the role of Rooster Cogburn.  However, I was still excited to see the new version of the film. Well, I'm sorry to report that they should have left the movie alone.  It was so slow in the beginning that I actually dosed off for a few minutes.  The end of the movie was better, but it still didn't live up to the original.  Just to make sure my assessment was correct, when we got home from the theatre I made everyone sit down and watch the original movie so we could accurately compare the two.  Although Jeff Bridges did a good job, there is only one Rooster Cogburn and Mattie Ross.  I grew up in a small town in...

Bob missed his flight out of Tulsa this morning so he won't be here until this evening.  We picked up Mary at her office and took her out to lunch.  She took us to one of her favorite places in Colorado City--Meadow Muffins.  I had the avocado burger--avocado, green chili, sour cream, and pepper jack cheese.  Yum! Gramps and Mary had the Philly Steak sandwich which also looked pretty good. Irv had a plain old club sandwich. After lunch I took Gramps to Wal-Mart for a few items I still needed to get.  I can't think of anything more fun than Wal-Mart two days before Christmas.  It was crazy busy!  Then we came home and had our afternoon naps. Here are the official answers from Day 1: #1 (geography) - Where is the Abominable Snowman said to wander? The Himalayas #2 (entertainment) - What orchestra's theme song was Moonlight Serenade? The Glenn Miller Orchestra's #3 (history) - What's the U.S. Navy hymn? Anchors Aweigh #4 (arts & ...

I'm officially on Christmas vacation today!  Woohoo!  It was quite a day--started with freezing fog and a slippery drive to work.  The fog hung out all day which wasn't good for Dad since he was flying in this afternoon.  He was scheduled to arrive at 5:00, but was a couple hours late.  The weather isn't entirely to blame though, there was a small plane crash at our airport that closed a runway.  Two people were killed which is really sad.  So I decided not to post answers to yesterday's questions quite yet.  I'm going to give the Pink and Orange teams a little more time to respond.  I'm also hoping to pick up a Brown team -- Alan & Heather, Mom and Dad, Leslie & J.J., anybody? I've also decided to modify the rules a little which I'm allowed to do since I created the rules.  To win a pie piece you only have to get a majority of the answers correct--4 or more.  Does that sound fair?  This could take a month or m...

One of my favorite holiday traditions is game night on Christmas Eve.  We always have chili and cornbread for dinner followed by an evening of board games, mainly Trivial Pursuit.  Over the years we've seen Gramps come up with the most amazing answer ever (Kickapoo Joy Juice), Granny sitting in her recliner never really commiting to be on a team, but throwing out answers for anyone who needed them, and Bob with his brain that is a depository of facts and figures.  This year is going to be a little different because Irv will be working, Dana and Adam are in Australia, Jillian and Brian are in Wisconsin, and Mary hates trivial pursuit.  I'm not sure that Gramps, Bob, and Mr. Beans will want to play without everyone else.  Even though my girls are spread out across the world, there's no reason why we can't play a game of trivial pursuit via the internet.  Since it's almost Christmas Eve in Australia, it's time to get started. Here are the...

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that...

I've been hearing about gale force winds in the news today.  Here is the definition of Gale: World English Dictionary (retrieved from dictionary.com) 1. a strong wind, specifically one of force seven to ten on the Beaufort scale or from 45 to 90 kilometres per hour 2. ( often plural ) a loud outburst, esp of laughter 3. archaic , poetic a gentle breeze Perhaps this is the perfect illustration of the effects of a gale: Irv and I spent the night wondering what it would be like when the roof blew off.  The roof survived unharmed, but the Christmas lights weren't so lucky. Now the question is . . . do we replace the lights before Christmas or just turn them off and worry about them after Christmas? Welcome to the eastern Colorado plains!

I did a lot of cooking and baking this weekend.  Brian's mom and her friend were in town for the weekend.  On Friday night we went and tried the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner will be held--The Olive Branch in downtown.  Everyone agreed the food was good so Brian's mom went ahead and reserved the room for the rehearsal dinner.  One more detail taken care of. On Saturday night we had them here for dinner.  We always have chili and cornbread on Christmas Eve so Jillian asked me to make that since she won't be here this year.  We're celebrating Christmas in segments this year.  Dana and Adam over Thanksgiving weekend.  On Sunday Jillian and Brian came over and opened their gifts.    I also did some baking although not as much as usual since we won't have many people here for Christmas. One of my favorites. . .  fudge. White chocolate chip pumpkim cookies.  Yum! Th...

It was time to mix up some homemade bath salts for Christmas gifts today.  I started by mixing together Epsom salts, sea salt, and baking soda. After adding lavender essential oil, then blue and red food coloring, and a lot stirring, it's time to put it in the jars.  (Luckily my sweet Irv was here to help with the stirring.) They don't look like much until . . . . .  the fun part--decorating the jars.  One of the best things about Cowboy Christmas in Vegas was the wrapping paper with Western themes which I used to add a little western touch to the jars.  Add a red, white, turquoise, or brown tulle or raffa ribbon, and you're done. Ready for delivery! I saved enough to try in my bathtub, so see you tomorrow.

I expected to be greeted by a half foot of snow this morning when I woke up.  Instead, this was the view on our back deck.  Now they say the storm has been delayed for a few hours.  I'm still keeping my fingers crossed!

A winter weather advisory has been issued for tonight!  Will it finally snow?  It was 73 degrees here earlier this week--the highs for Thursday and Friday are supposed to be in the 20s.  As much as I hate snow, I really hope it snows, maybe we'll even have a snow day tomorrow (not likely).  Keep your fingers crossed.

The Christa McAuliffe Elementary 4th and 5th grade bands featuring Mr. Beans had its first concert of the year tonight.  Here's Mr. Beans arriving at the auditorium for the performance. The band played several hits including this one. The final selection was Jingle Bells. Mr. Beans had his usuall groupies there cheering him on.  (Pappy was the official photographer.) Pappy and I were treated to a private concert in front of the Christmas tree. What a nice way to celebrate the Christmas season!   These kiddos have really come a long way in a very short time.  Thanks Mr. Beans and all your band buddies, you did a great job!

I wasn't a country music fan at all.  Then I heard a new duo--the Judds.   A mother and daughter who sang together.  I was hooked.  I knew all their music, went to every concert I could, and knew everything about them--I became a "Judd head".  When it came to an end in 1991 because of Naomi's hepatitis C diagnosis, I was heartbroken.  Although we were living in Germany at the time, my mom recorded their final concert on a VHS tape and mailed it to me.  I cried like a baby. Then they had  a reunion tour, and guess where they opened--the Pepsi Center in Denver.  Irv, Jillian, and I were there for that concert.  The first and only time I've ever been to the Pepsi Center.  A few months ago they announced their Last Encore Tour.  Irv and I heard about it while we were in Hawaii.  I knew I would be there no matter where it was.  If they didn't perform in Colorado, I would travel wherever I needed to.  Luckily,...

I got a call from a special little grandson today.  He had a big math test this week and he called to tell his Grammy how he did--90%.  Way to go little man!    You have become an awesome student and I'm very proud of you.  Keep up the good work!  I can't wait for your concert on Monday night.  Love you! Only 16 more days until the big man in red comes to visit you!

We had a great time in Vegas.  The highlight was not only the rodeo on Sunday night and shopping at the Cowboy Christmas, but the American Country Awards that we went to last night.  It was the first time for this award show and we were lucky enough to get tickets.  Trace Adkins was the host, but we also go to see: Reba REBA! Alan Jackson Rascal Flatts Jason Aldean Toby Keith Lady Antebellum Carrie Underwood The Band Perry Jeff Dunham Bret Michaels Blake Shelton Miranda Lambert Easton Corbin It was a great show, even from the nose bleed section of the MGM Grand Garden Arena.  We had to check our camera in when we arrived so the only picture I have is this one that I took with my cell phone. I don't think my dad had the best time, he packed up and left to go home on Monday.  I think the Strip was a little overwhelming for him.  He is really good at video poker and was the only winner between the three of us.  We drove out to Ho...

Mr. Beans is doing exceptionally well in school this semester.  An A in math!  He also seems to be musically talented.  Although he just started playing the trumpet, the teacher is thinking of letting him play with the 5th grade band for the Christmas concert. Can't wait for his concert on December 13th!

The NFR tickets are packed and now Irv and I are sitting in the airport waiting for our flight to Denver and then on to Vegas!  We're keeping our fingers crossed for an upgrade to first class.  All the critters are in the care of Mary and Mr. Beans.  Mary will be exhausted by the time we get back on Tuesday. Tuesday night is the Judd's concert--I sure hope our flight isn't delayed.

This past weekend we took Dana, Adam, and Jillian to Denver for the weekend.    This was them on the drive up there after an all nighter at a local country bar. The 16th Street Mall looked especially beautiful with the Christmas lights. We got to see the King Tut exhibit at the Denver Museum of Art.  No pictures were allowed so I can't show you the artifacts.  It is quite amazing that they have been so well preserved.  I highly recommend the exhibit if you're in Denver. This is the painting I did my final project on when I took an art class.  It it Winslow Homer's Two Figures By the Sea.  Let me know if you need an interpretation. No weekend in Denver would be complete without a Broncos game.  This was Adam's first NFL game.  We didn't have a ticket for Jillian so she dropped us off at the stadium and then went to a movie.  She was probably the smart one because she didn't have to witness ANOTHER ...