Weekly Update

 So it's still quite uneventful out here on the eastern plains of Colorado.  We're still staying at home, self-isolating, and avoiding the general public.

We got our truck back from Jillian and Brian recently so we were off to the box box lumber store to get new paneling and flooring for my she shed aka painting studio.  You may remember that it was toppled over in a big storm this summer.  

We had a couple 60 degree days last week so my sweet husband got the inside fixed.  It looks great with the new flooring too.  Now it's time to order a new storage cabinet and move all my painting stuff back in.

I ordered my cabinet and it was supposed to take 10 days to be delivered, but surprise--it arrived in three days.  

By this time our beautiful weather had left and was replaced by a bitter arctic front with snow and wind.

It's always fun to assemble these cheap furniture items.  The reviews from this cabinet said it took up to four hours to assemble.  Irv and I went page by page with the instructions and it took an hour and 15 minutes.

The snow and wind has continued for the last four days.  I absolutely hate Colorado this time of year.  If it were up to me our house would have been sold, our house packed up and we would have moved to Arizona the day after he retired.  Irv doesn't adapt to change well so I doubt that will ever really happen.

So what do you do to occupy yourself when it's too cold to go outside?  I've been working on transferring my MIL's VHS tapes to DVD.  Yes, that's a VCR in the upper left corner, we still have one.  I will tell you---there's nothing more boring that watching someone else's 30 year old VHS tapes although I usually just start the recording and walk away.

What else have I been doing?  I'm trying to grow my hair long enough for a ponytail when I wear my flat hat at Yellowstone next summer.  With those 6 a.m. shifts it would be nice to just pull the hair back and put the hat on.  I used to work with a guy who said women have a relationship with their hair and he's absolutely right.  I've always tried to have a somewhat stylish cut so growing it out is driving me crazy.  The last thing I want to look like is a dowdy old lady.  Anyway have any suggestions on how to get through this stage?

I keep a space heater at the end of the sofa for Miss Maisy (and me too).  It's here favorite place to hang out on cold days.

I went out to feed Jasper on Saturday morning in the freezing cold and I could immediately tell he was sick.  It's serious when a horse gets sick.  They can colic which can be life threatening.  We waited a couple hours and then I made the emergency call to the vet.  It turned out to be a virus, and yes, it could have been Covid-19.  Corona viruses have been around for years and horses are affected too.  The only stranger he had seen in the last couple weeks was the farrier.  Who knows?

Anyway, his temperature had to be checked every two hours.  It started at 104.5 degrees.  My adorable husband took the lead on the temperature taking.  It was sub-freezing temperatures and windy.  Pretty miserable especially those late night checks.

By Sunday night his temperature was back in the normal range at 100.7 and on Monday night it was down to 99.8.  He seems to have kicked it.  I tried to take his photo, but he was very intent on eating after not feeling like it for a couple days.  Now to wait and see if Doc gets sick.  If so, it may affect our Christmas plans.

Big news--today is December 15th and this is the day Yellowstone opens for snow coach and snow mobile traffic (tours only).  I really want to go there for a winter visit.  I really thought that for my milestone 60th birthday in March that I'd get to take my dream trip, but that didn't happen.  I'll have to make it happen myself.

Speaking of National Parks, I may be transferring to another park next summer.  They've already contacted me for an availability check so who knows where I'll end up.  I'm also considering not going to any park until the covid vaccine is widely available.  Here in Colorado people in my age group who are healthy aren't scheduled until summer.  I'll be first in line when the time comes.

I'm about to finish up the portrait of my Montana friend's horse.  I had hoped to get it to her by Christmas, but it still needs a little more work and then it has to dry for a couple weeks.  I think it's coming along good.  

I have an appointment with a knee specialist in a couple weeks to see what, if anything, can be done about my knee.  I'm already very reluctant to even consider surgery, but at the same time my foot surgery worked wonders.  Now that it's over and done with I wish I would have done it a year earlier rather than suffering for all that time.  

What keeps you busy in lockdown, or are you in lockdown?