Life on the High Plains

I always have a project or two going on in my mind much to Irv's chagrin.  One of those projects that I've been thinking about for a couple years is my front flower bed.  I wish it could look as nice as my sister-in-law's gardens in Oklahoma, but we live in an area that has been experiencing a severe drought for years.  It's hard to get much of anything to grow out here. As you can see from the picture above, the beds have become overrun by weeds, many of the shrubberies died a couple years ago after a hard winter.  However, the daylilies I planted 17 years ago are flourishing and have become so large.  It was time to pull out all that rock and lay a new layer of high quality landscape fabric, and then replace all those rocks. This is not an easy job for two old people.  Many breaks were taken because it was hot outside and moving that rock is a backbreaking endeavor. We only did a few feet per day.  During the process we also transplanted some random ...

 A friend recently shared with me how she keeps fruit fresh for weeks in the refrigerator. First, you wash the fruit and then set it out until it's completely dry.  She even suggested rinsing them with a little vinegar water. Once they're completely dry you put them in Mason jars.  I can attest that this really works.  The fruit I put in these jars two weeks ago are still as fresh as the day I bought them.  They're still crisp and completely edible. We throw away a good amount of spoiled fruit around here so I'm thrilled to know this kitchen hack.  I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first.

What a week this has been for my park.  This summer is the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone being declared the world's first national park. I'm sure that no one has ever seen signs like this before. This is what the West Entrance looks like on a normal summer morning with the line extending about two miles back.  That's my boss down there conversing with the RV.  Oh how I've missed my coworkers this summer.  So many people have said it was a good thing I wasn't there this summer. I have to disagree.  This is what the gate has looked like since the park closed.  This is a fee collector's dream to not have anyone at the gate.  Although my coworkers now have to man the gate 24 hours a day to keep people from sneaking in at night.  Currently they have one booth open to allow employees and other authorized visitors entry into the park.  I imagine the rest of the crew is cleaning, picking up trash, etc. to get their 40 hours per week in. My boss se...

 If you're viewing this blog then you are an invited reader.  Why make the change to a private blog you may be asking.   A very wise person recently reminded me that blogging should be a joyful experience.  It used to be and I hope to get back to that point some day. I consider this blog to be a journal or diary of my life for the last 12 years.  Such a private journal wouldn't normally be shared with the entire world and lately I've felt a little exposed.  When you go to someone's house and your pictures are part of a slideshow on their computer's screensaver or if someone takes out their phone and pulls up your photos or videos to show to others and they don't even allow you to tell your own story, you realize maybe a little (or lot) more privacy is needed.  Don't get me wrong, if someone wants one of my pictures I'll usually be more than happy to share it with them after they've asked.  Just taking it is intrusive and quite frankly, creepy...

It's almost rodeo time here in Colorado Springs.  The festivities begin every summer with the street breakfast in downtown Colorado Springs.  We decided to get up early and make the trek downtown to support this event.  I used to attend these breakfast every year when I worked downtown during my YL days, but it's been years since I've been back. This event is a fundraiser for the local military installations.  Soldiers from Fort Carson always come out and cook up a great breakfast.  $5.00 gets you pancakes, eggs, sausage and a beverage.  I think it's wonderful that army cooks get to wear the uniform of a chef these days. The main purpose of the breakfast is to send off the range riders on their journey to the Elk Ranch where they camp out for five days.  It's a tradition that has been going on since 1949. The Sheriff's posse leads the way through the streets followed by some local dignitaries such as the local military commanders.  The Sheriff's h...

Last week we got to travel to our grandson's graduation from basic training.   It wasn't an easy trip.  It started with American cancelling our flights...we were up all night trying to make other last minute arrangements.  We left for Denver at 4:00 a.m. after being on hold with American for 6 1/2 hours.  At our destination we had to quickly book another rental car  Then when we got to our destination, the AirBnB wasn't as described or portrayed.  The furniture was different from the online photographs and it was obviously the host's primary residence and was full of his clothes, shoes, toiletries, dirty towels, dust, groceries, etc.  Amazing how the threat of a bad review can motivate a host to issue a refund ASAP.  Luckily, everything worked out fine. After the first ten weeks of training they have a family weekend.  (I'll be protecting his location, troop, and other information for this post.) The day started off with a patching cerem...

We're finally getting some afternoon storms here on the high plains of Southern Colorado.  We're in a severe drought as you can see by the brown pastures. They make for some very dramatic skie s  over  our little farmstead. We're thankful for every single drop of moisture that falls from the sky. Linking with Skywatch Friday

It's a great day when your little granddaughter can come for a summer visit and stay without her parents for awhile. This girl is so much fun.  She always has a smile on her face and loves her Grammy dearly. After sending her parents on their way home we loaded up the trailer and headed to the high country for a few days of camping. The snow capped Collegiate Peaks are a couple hours away from our house and we were headed to my all time favorite Forest Service campground at 9200'.  Most of those peaks are around 14k feet and are named after famous colleges such as Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, Columbia, Yale, etc. We encountered grapple on the drive and when we arrived at the campground it was snowing, but thankfully not sticking and yes, it was cold.  It was 36 degrees when we started up the fire pit. A little cold can't keep us from enjoying being outside in nature. Before our trip we had a second battery installed in our fifth wheel so that we would have heat throughout ...