Life on the High Plains

I've already broken one of my New Year's resolutions, not that I believe in resolutions.  When I used to belong to a gym I used to dread the first few weeks of the year.  The gym would be packed and it would be impossible to find a treadmill.  Now that my gym is in my garage and the basement of my office, I don't have to put up with all those people who think a new year is going to make them change their ways. You see, taking care of your body has to be a life style, not a whim when you want to suddenly lose 10 pounds.  Now I'll be the first to admit that my body is far from perfect.  I've struggled with weight my entire life, but it's not from a lack of trying.  I'm pretty sure I would be eligible to be on that 600 pound reality TV show if I didn't put the effort in to keep the weight somewhat under control.  I'm just so glad I'm a pear instead of an apple like some family members I know (not naming any names).  I'd hate to ha...

Christmas is over for 2015 and all I can say is "Thank God".  I know Christmas is supposed to be this wonderful, magical, enchanting time of year, but for me, it's the opposite of that.  It's an incredible amount of work which makes it very stressful.  Plus the fact that it takes place during the coldest time of year adds an additional layer of dislike.  Yes, I know I'm a scrooge. Don't get me wrong...I love spending time with my family especially my dad.  The problem is that our family is spread out all over the world and our family celebrations are really sparse.  I envy those families who are able to spend Christmas together at home.  I hope that some day we can have one of those big family Christmases including my brother in Oklahoma and his family who we haven't spent a Christmas with in ages. After spending weeks picking out gifts for everyone I trusted FedEx to get the packages to Idaho on-time.  They failed me.  Not only d...

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!