Life on the High Plains

We have something new out on the prairie.   A light!   For the past twelve years we have lived out in the middle of nowhere where it gets very dark at night because there are no city lights, street lights, etc.  Only stars to light the sky. I've always noticed that some of the neighbors had a light in their yards, but I had no idea how that happened.  Then one day I asked. The answer:  Contact the electric company, ask for one, and be willing to pay $11 per month for it. Irv jumped right on it.  Yesterday morning when I left for work there was no light, but when I came home the whole place was illuminated.  Now I think I might want another one out by the barn.

One last Christmas blog with shots from Idaho. The snow does make a beautiful backdrop for Christmas lights.  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate! Check out other Skywatch Friday shots here .

So another Christmas has come and gone.  I don't want to sound like a Grinch, but I'm glad it's over with.  Christmas is by far my least favorite holiday. The best part of Christmas is time spent with family.  Here I am with my dad enjoying a Christmas Eve adult beverage.  For many years my mom and dad travelled to wherever Irv was stationed for the holidays.  Nowadays we travel to see him.  Some people don't realize that roads travel in both directions so I'm appreciative that my parents always took the time to come see us rather than expecting us to do all the travelling.   This year Christmas was different, we weren't in our house and we weren't in my dad's house.  We were able to rent a house so that we could all be together, but it was weird.  Plus, once again we weren't able to be with all our kids which breaks my heart.   It was so much fun being with this little pumpkin.  She was so happy and full of life, it...

A business down the street has changed their Trump - Hillary - Obama display from this craziness to... this craziness.  I guess Trump is now Santa. The things you see when you live in redneck America.  God save us! Merry Skywatch Friday!

Today my mom would have been 87.  She's been gone for 13 years now, but it seems like forever.  I feel like I got ripped off because I was only 43 when my mom died.  I know a lot of people lose their moms at an earlier age, but most of my friends who are my age or older still have their mom.  Another 10 or 20 years would have been nice.   My mom was a strong, independent woman and a fierce Democrat.  I know she was smiling in heaven as I worked non-stop for Hillary during this past election.  I know she will be with me on January 21 when I stand with a million other women to support women's right.  I also know she will be rolling in her grave on January 20th when that man is inaugurated.   My mom loved her family, especially her grandkids.  One of her traditions were Christmas socks.  I have a whole drawer full of Christmas socks that she gave me over the years.  I wear them throughout December to keep her ...

We had an unusually cold day today.  It started well below zero with wind chills down to 18 below.  While we do get this kind of weather in Colorado, it's not usually this early--this is more normal for January or February.  It was kind of a shock since yesterday it was in the 60s although we knew it was coming. I'm allergic to the cold, so I knew I was staying in the house all day. It was probably a good thing this happened, otherwise the family might not have had any cookies for Christmas.  Irv took Mr. Beans to see new Star Wars movie so I got a day to myself. Thanks to the Prepared Pantry I was able to quickly mix up three kinds of cookies--chocolate chip, cranberry key lime and snickerdoodles (my favorite).  The Prepared Pantry is my cousin's business up in Idaho. They make the BEST baking mixes.  Check it out here.  https://www.preparedpantry.com/ While I was baking cookies I was watching one of the best movies eve...

Seussville at Universal Studios during Christmas time is amazingly beautiful! These decorations are so pretty and pleasing to the eye. The place was almost deserted during our visit.  Everyone was over at Harry Potter World. Every detail was taken care of. I love these Seussville flowers. We didn't make it to the Grinchmas show, put I love the sign. We did have lunch in Seussville though.  They had kid food like Mac and Cheese, hot dogs, and fried chicken.  I had a salad.  When we were done we wondered why in the heck we chose to eat in Seussville when there are so many good restaurants at Universal. I guess there's a kid in all of us.  Happy Skywatch Friday !

We're back from the Sunshine State.   It was nice to get away for a few days.  It was a mix of business and pleasure, for me anyway.  For Irv it was all pleasure. ` We had a few days of fun which included visits to all four Disney Parks and a trip to Universal Studios.  For years Jillian has wanted to visit Harry Potter World at Universal so she flew down and joined us for a few days. So here's Harry Potter land or world or whatever it's called.  I must admit that I'm a Harry Potter beginner.  I've only read the first book.  I know enough about how it all started, but I don't know all the little details like Jillian and her dad do. So here we are trying to take it all in.  Do you know what I love about this picture?  Although Irv is a great subject, I love the older lady on the left side with her Harry Potter robe and in her hands there is a magic wand. Here's another grown adult with his interactive wand m...

 Greetings from the beautiful Walt Disney World Resort!       Disney doesn't do anything small and that includes their amazing Christmas decorations!   I think we could all learn something about the experience that Disney provides to all it's guests. Everywhere you go in Disney the "cast" wishes you a magical day.  It's nice to leave the rest of the world behind and live in a magical world for a few days. Happy Skywatch Friday !  Have a magical day!