Life on the High Plains

I'm back from vacation so it's time to start the blog back up. We spent the holidays in Idaho Falls.  One of my favorite things to do there no matter what time of year is to walk around the Snake River.  It has become our tradition to visit the Falls on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas Day we make the full 2 1/2 mile trip around the greenbelt. It was dusk when we were there on Christmas Day.  It was breathtaking. There's nothing quite like taking a walk when there's snow on the ground, it's 14 degrees and everything is frosted over. Beautiful, peaceful, serene.  A perfect day to celebrate the birth of our Lord. Happy Skywatch Friday!

We just got back from a long weekend in Phoenix where we had an early Christmas with the baby girl and her parents.   There isn't anything quite as adorable as a baby's excitement.  She loves Elmo...   but she probably loves the boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbons even more! We got to go to the Phoenix Zoo to enjoy the zoo lights!   We had been a few years ago, but it has gotten even bigger and better!  Isn't it nice that they added a CSU Ram?   The hummingbirds were my favorite.   Spending with this daughter is always special...luckily we've seen her lots the last couple months and we have one more trip planned together in January.  You may notice the coats...yes, it was a little chilly in the Valley, but it was still warmer than CO. The Arizona Highway Patrol was having a little fun with their highway signs.  I know this one is hard to read, but it says "Trust the Force but Always Buckle Up". ...

In celebration of my Christmas vacation that started 4.5 hours ago, we went to the little town of Falcon, Colorado tonight and looked at some Christmas lights that are quite infamous around here. This week's skywatch is the night sky lit up with thousands of little Christmas lights. I'm not quite sure what it must be like to live in this neighborhood.  It must take a lot of planning and work to get these displays together. Vacation for the next 10 days!  Woohoo!  Enjoy this Christmas edition of Skywatch Friday !

It's hard to believe, but it's true.  Except for a handful of gifts that I'm waiting to arrive from Amazon and stocking stuffers that need to be picked up in Idaho, I think I'm ready for Christmas.  A whole 10 days early! Let's review the last few days. On Saturday I got to go to my painting class!  Woohoo!  The first and only time I'll be there this month. This is what I thought my next painting was going to be. Dana took this picture in Rome or somewhere in Europe last year and I thought it would make a really fun painting.  There's just one problem--look at the amount of detail.  After recently finishing my painting of the Lower Yellowstone Falls with all those rocks, I wasn't ready to anything too detailed.  So this is what I decided on. A cardinal, no not an Arizona Cardinal, just a red cardinal perched on a limb.  It starts with a sketch on the canvas, I've started adding the background, and after Christmas I'll start on the r...

I haven't posted a Broncos sunset picture in a long time. I don't like how it gets dark so early in the evenings during the winter, but the other day I was treated to this beautiful sky on my way home. I don't think it leaves any doubt who God's favorite team is.  He's obviously as anxious as I am for Peyton to get back on the field although Brock is doing an outstanding job for such a young guy. Happy Skywatch Friday!

Sometimes you just really know someone is looking out for you. After Lucy died last week we knew something had to be done about Yoder.  He was so lonely.  Squawking all day and all night.  He's never been alone before and he wasn't doing well. We had three choices:  get another goose and start the cycle all over again, find a new home for him, or just let him be alone.  Now, I know some of you are going to say it's crazy to care so much for a goose, but Yoder is a character, full of personality, and feelings. On Friday I posted him on a website for farm animals that need a new home. On Saturday morning I had an email from a lady who lived northeast of Denver.  I was at a craft show all day on Saturday so I forwarded the email to Irv who contacted her.  After a lot of questions (aka interrogation) the lady forwarded some pictures of their flock.  I knew as soon as I saw them that she was someone just like me who treasure...

...where the deer and the antelope play. We live on the high plains of Colorado where antelope are very plentiful. This sight, however, is very unusual. How to white tail deer end up out on the prairie? Beautiful surprise! Happy Skywatch Friday!

Another Thanksgiving is in the books.  It was really nice and very laid back this year.  We decided to eliminate some of the food that nobody really likes, but we always feel the need to have such as sweet potatoes.  Does anyone really like sweet potatoes? I'm sorry, I don't. As usual, we forgot to take any family photos, however, we took one picture with my phone to send to Lucas in Australia.  Lucas has spent some holidays with us and because he is of Polish descent he started a tradition of having a shot of Vodka before dinner.  Well, this is usually done at Christmas, but this year we aren't going to all be together on Christmas so we decided to partake on Thanksgiving. A couple friends of Jillian and Brian's joined us since they don't have family nearby.  We've spend the last couple Thanksgivings with them and I always like to invite people into our home who don't have anyplace else to go. The little lady was all decked out fo...

On the day after Thanksgiving last year we had a beautiful day for some football--Air Force Academy vs. Colorado State.  Unfortunately CSU lost, but we still had a great day of tailgating and football.  This year, however, the high on the day after Thanksgiving is forecast to be 18 degrees with snow.  I think I'll stay inside all day which works out well since I have to work.  In case you don't know...I hate the cold.  Colorado is beautiful, but it's also extremely cold in the winter. Stay warm and have a great Skywatch Friday !

What a week! After waiting since July to have another treatment done on my back, I finally got into the surgery center on Monday.  It probably wasn't the best timing since there is a major holiday this week and we have a houseful of guests including a very sweet baby girl (who likes to take selfies with Grammy's phone). Apparently over time a person forgets how painful the recovery from this procedure can be.  The doctor warned me beforehand that my neck and spine would probably be extremely weak and sore for a couple weeks and boy was he right.  Luckily, I got to go home Monday and spend the day in bed with ice on my back.  Yesterday, however, I had to go back to work which was not fun.  I've pretty much learned to keep my pain level to myself after 4 1/2 years of constant pain.  People just don't want to hear it.  I'm just supposed to keep going at full speed everyday with a smile on my face.  Hopefully in two to three weeks we'll know if...