Life on the High Plains

When you have a wildfire in the area, you get the most amazing sunsets.   The Junkins fire has been burning west of Pueblo for the past couple weeks.   I heard on the news this morning that it's about 89% contained. The smoke in the sky really makes the sunset pop.  Southern Colorado is extremely dry--no rain for several weeks and above average temperatures.  Praying for moisture (I'd prefer rain, not snow)! Happy Skywatch Friday!

I got a new toy this week thanks to a co-worker who always brings the best looking leftovers for lunch.  He always tells me how his wife whips up these fantastic meals in their digital, electric pressure cooker. So I ordered myself one. And I found a really good cookbook to go along with it.  Quite frankly, I've never even wanted to touch a pressure cooker before.  I remember my mom cooking stuff with the stovetop cooker with the little do-dad on top rattling with all the steam.  It was frightening so I knew I would need a book to help me out. First recipe--chicken and dumplings.  I've never had chicken and dumplings before...the slimy dumplings have never looked appetizing, but I knew my darling husband would enjoy it. First step was to brown the chicken and it can all be done inside the cooker. Next add the veggies, broth, and seasonings. Then the hard and most time consuming part.  How to pressurize the thing?  It c...

It's not often that you get to hang out with the big dogs. As an active member of the Pikes Peak Dems I received an invitation to a reception for U.S. Senator Michael Bennet.  It was at a local brewery.  I decided to include Mary and Irv in my RSVP.  Mary was brave enough to wear her Hillary shirt in public, I just put on my Women for Hillary button.  It was so nice being surrounded by "our" people.  At work I'm the sole Dem.  I learn to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself and fortunately those I work with keep their comments to themselves also. This guy had a "Make Donald Drumpf Again" hat.  Love it! Senator Bennet is a very likable guy.  He even drank a beer while we were hanging out.  I'd met him before at the State Democratic Convention.  I felt so bad for him that day because he was on stage with his wife and three young daughters while the Bernie folks gave him a lot of loud, disrespectful remarks.. ...

This is something you don't see very often--or ever. I live in Colorado and apparently it's harvest time.  I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  This "crop" has brought in a lot of tax money to our state, but at what cost? Happy Skywatch Friday!

I decided three weeks recuperation was enough!  I'm an active person and I have no intention of sitting around doing nothing because of what "might" happen.  I plan to be that little old 85 year old lady who climbs Pikes Peak or runs her first marathon.  No sitting around for me and becoming a grumpy old lady.   I asked Mary to accompany me to the Garden of the Gods on Sunday.  My favorite trail there is about three miles with a relatively low rise in altitude.  A good test to see if my lungs were working.   It's also beautiful.  This little grove is trees is one of our favorite spots on the trail.  It is especially beautiful this time of year.   We knew it was going to be a slow hike because of my condition so the little dogs got to come along. Since I forgot the bear spray (again) we argued about which dogs would be sacrificed first.  Bella won the coin toss so here she is tied to a tree in case...

"Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail."    John Muir I live in Colorado which has its share of beautiful mountains, but... there's something about the Wyoming Tetons that just warms my heart and fills me with joy and peace. From every angle the view is amazing. "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike."    John Muir I...

All hell broke loose since our last camping trip of the season and I never had a chance to blog about it.  So here it goes. The last weekend in September we had reservations at Farish Rec Area up near Woodland Park.  It's a rec area run by the Air Force.  They only have three RV spots, but they have many cabins and lodges for rent. We arrived on Friday evening after work and it was really windy and cold.  Although we like to cook over the campfire when we're camping, we ended up cooking our brats in the trailer kitchen.  Oh, it's so hard to rough it! On Saturday we enjoyed sleeping in because our trailer is climate controlled--we just set the thermostat and it maintains a constant temperature--more roughing it.  We bundled up and went for a couple hikes. Farish has a sledding run so we decided to hike down it and go exploring. Once again, this is my usual view when hiking.  I stop to take pictures and "smell the roses" along the w...

One of the coolest things about driving on U.S. Hwy 191 north of Pinedale, Wyoming are the wildlife crossings that were constructed on the highway to prevent collisions between vehicles and wildlife. In doing a little research I found that the whole system consists of two overpasses and six underpasses.  The stretch of highway has 8 foot wildlife fences for 12 miles on each side of the road to help funnel critters through the crossings.  They were built specifically for pronghorn antelope, but are also used by mule deer--thousands migrate through these crossings each spring and fall. Pretty cool, don't you think.  Kudos to the state of Wyoming for making this investment! Happy Skywatch Friday!

Well, this has been quite the week.  Last Monday afternoon I noticed it was  painful to take a deep breath.   I'm a tough girl though so nothing is going to make me seek medical care. Wrong!  Twelve hours later in the wee hours of Tuesday morning I finally woke Irv up and said "I think I need to go to the hospital".  This wait could have cost me my life. After numerous tests, scans, xrays, ultrasounds, etc. the nurse came in and told me I had a PE. What the heck is a PE?  He proceeded to explain to me what it was and then I'll never forget the look on his face when he told me I was lucky I came in to the ER when I did. My head was swirling with this newfound information.  Pulmonary Embolism.  I thought only people in medical shows on TV got this.  It always makes for a dramatic and quick death.  Upon discharge I was ordered to go see my primary care doctor, and not just my primary care doctor but one of the partners in t...