Life on the High Plains

Today is half marathon day.  It's also some other big day...Super Bowl with the Broncos!  It's also my running buddy's birthday.  But lets talk about what's most important. Me! My first half marathon! There probably won't be a blog post today or maybe even tomorrow. If I can't make it to the finish line I will have to hang my head in shame and I'll never blog again. Wish me luck! By the way...happy 36th Mary!  I hope you know that not many people love you enough to run a half marathon for you.

My cat has a new obsession thanks to the big snowstorm. The snow was so deep that it came up to the windowsills in the living room.  If you look through the window you will see a patch of grass (that's what happens when you live on the windswept plains--2 feet of snow here, no snow there). Anyway, the rabbits are flocking to that patch of grass to eat.  Then they climb up the snow drifts and look at Sophie through the window. She's obsessed with the rabbits now.  24/7 Last night I had to close the blinds so she would take some time to eat and sleep and snuggle with her mama. I hope that snow melts soon so I can have my sweet kitty back!

After getting my DNA results last week I decided to try and ancestry.com membership.  It's one of the best things I have ever done. After entering my name and my parent's name, Ancestry starting giving me hints.  I've spent about two hours a night digging deeper and deeper into my lineage.  The path hasn't gone very far on my mother's side, but on my dad's side I've gotten back to 1655.  One thing I was very thrilled to have found is my 7th great-grandmother, Ellen Jensen.  She of course got my attention because of her name. Ellen was born in 1716 in Viborg, Denmark.  She was the daughter of Jens and Mette Jenson.  I think she had about 13 brothers and sisters.  Jens is a very common name in this Danish family. Ellen married Knud Sorsen when she was 22 and then she married Knud Jensen  when she was 27.  I don't know what happened to the first Knud.  Ellen and the second Knud had seven children.  I haven't found all t...

Last week on the Front Range of Colorado we were having grass fires spark up all over the place.  (Makes for a beautiful Denver Broncos sunset.)   This week Snowpacolyse 2016 happened.  Not one, but two snow days from work!  As much as I dislike the cold and snow, I am grateful for the much needed moisture.  Next time, however, I hope it comes an inch or two at a time rather than a foot at a time. Happy Skywatch Friday!

Last night when we went to bed the wind was howling and the snow was flying. I know it's not very clear, but this was the view from the front window. About 5:45 this morning I got a call from my boss.  A two-hour delay.  Irv and I went outside to take a look.  The snow had pretty much stopped, but the wind was still howling.  We had at least a foot of snow everywhere and 3-4 foot drifts.  It was going to take a small miracle to dig the cars out of the garage.  Luckily, my boss called back about 8:15 and said not to bother to come in.  The streets weren't plowed and the parking lot was drifted over.  She ended up closing the office for the day. I took calls and answered emails most of the day for work, but by late afternoon Irv and I headed outside to start making a path to the road. We had quite a bit of snow to move.  We didn't bother trying to dig the cars out of the garage.  I'm just going to drive the truck tomorrow...

For Christmas Mary got me an Ancestry.com DNA kit.  Irv also got one.  We filled up the tubes with our spit and mailed them in for processing. On Friday, I was surprised when I received an email saying my results were in.  Surprised, excited, and a little curious to see what the results were. I expected Irish and Danish. Here's what I got. 59% British Only 15% Scandinavian Only 13% Irish 6% Eastern European 3% Western European 2% Iberian Peninsula 1% Caucasus What the heck?  I was in a bit of shock.  59% British?  Can this mean Northern Ireland?  Although my family were Irish Catholics.  Grandparents on both sides were of Danish descent so why only 15% Scandinavian? Details on the Eastern European showed Russian.  And where the heck is Caucasus?  Now I know it's the Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey region. What about the Spanish??  I couldn't figure out where that came from, but my dad just gave me a history lesson...

I've done it again...I have neglected my blogging duties.  Last week I was swamped at work plus I was sick, but I'm feeling better now so I need to get back on track. Late last week they started predicting the "snowpacolyse" for early this week.  What's the first thing you do when snow is in the forecast? You go to the grocery store to stock upon the essentials.  Most people think they need to stock up on milk and bread.  Here's my cart with the essentials...water, shrimp, pasta and some greens.  I don't drink milk and I eat very little sliced bread.  When you're preparing for a half marathon, carbs and protein are what's important. This morning I was expecting to wake up to a blizzard.  All the area schools were cancelled on Sunday night along with a lot of the local businesses and government offices.  Something big was on the way.  I waited and waited for the call from my boss this morning saying we were delayed, but it never came....