Life on the High Plains

A couple months ago we contracted for a completed bathroom update and it's not an inexpensive update.  It's costing the same as our complete kitchen remodel seven years ago. Everything was to be gutted--shower, floors, vanity, garden tub, etc.  They guaranteed us it would be finished in five days.  The problem is that they only sent one guy. I didn't capture any before photos, but here it is after demolition. The guy shows up between 11ish and sometimes as late as 1:00ish.  He only works between 4 and 6 hours per day. This was 8:30 p.m. on the final day.  He wanted to pull an overnighter to get it finished.  Nope, I don't think that's going to happen so he had to come back today.  Told us he'd be here at 10:30 and pulled into the driveway at 1:00.  The problem is that he starts a new job on Monday and we aren't going to be able to stay home next week anyway. Contractors who can't manage their time and have no respect for their customers can drive ...

It's been busy around our house lately.  Here's a few highlights. I have a friend that I used to work with at YL that now lives in Denver.  We've been friends for 25 years and we get together at least twice a year to catch up.  This time it was at the Denver Center for the Perfor ming Arts to see The Book of Mormon.  It was fantastic especially if you're in need of a good laugh.  We didn't get home until after midnight, but it was well worth it. The next night we had tickets for Dwight Yoakum at the brand new Ford Amphitheater.  It was a delayed start because of a rain storm in the area.  After the storm ended we went and got into line, but it was probably another 45 minutes until they let us through the gate because of a "shelter in place" order due to possible lightning.  They kept telling everyone to go back to their cars and wait it out, but we never saw any hint of lightning in the area. The rain shower really cooled things down.  I had ...

 Happy Mother's Day Mom!  I've missed you each and every day for the past 22 years  What I would give for just one more day with you.  Love you!

A couple months ago we planned our camping trips for the season.  The first time out with our RV we always go to the local state park because invariably something will have broken on the trailer during its winter storage.  In Colorado if you wait until March for camping reservations at our state parks you have to take what is left.  The only time until October that we could get four nights together was in early May.  It can be very iffy--beautiful weather or snow and cold. The campground is only about 30 minutes from our house.  We arrived in late afternoon. After setting up we had to get the Dutch oven on the coals.  My dad was a Forest Service Ranger and he passed onto me the skill of cooking over coals. The sun started to set over Cheyenne Mountain and we still had a couple hours to go--it starts getting cold in the Rockies when the sun goes away. My specialties are beef stew and peach cobbler in the Dutch oven.  When the stew was nearly done I put ...

 It was sad waking up to the news that Pope Francis had passed away. He seemed to be a godly man who lived by his Christian values.  Always kind, generous and inclusive of all humans.  He brought some reform to the Catholic church although they still have a way to go. Wouldn't we all be so lucky to celebrate Easter one day, give a last message to the world, and then passing away the next morning?  You will be missed Francis.  Let's just hope the Conclave picks another progressive pope. Easter was very quiet this year. I hadn't planned to even cook an Easter meal, but at the last minute we went to the store and bought all the fixings. Here's my once every two or three years potato salad.  I prefer to buy the pre-made from the store, but this year I had a special request for my homemade potato salad.  I will admit it's a lot better than the pre-made.  I even put eggs in since they were down to $4.12 a dozen last week. Irv likes my homemade apple pie...

It's finally beginning to look a little bit like Spring here on the high desert of Colorado.  My tulips from Amsterdam have bloomed! I can't get too excited though because a storm front is moving in later this week and we'll back down to lows in the 20s and highs in the 30s and snow!  I hope my beautiful tulips thrive in the cold. At least we don't have tornadoes here, thank goodness. Has spring arrived at your house? Linking with Skywatch Friday

 Recently I browsed through some photos from 20 years ago.  It's hard to believe that much time has gone by. I'm throwing in some shots from Christmas 2004 which we apparently spent in Arizona.  Nothing better than big smiles on my girl's faces and look at that precious grandson. It's always fun to go to the zoo lights at the Phoenix Zoo, definitely the best I've ever seen.  I can't believe how heavy I was back then.  After leaving a job that truly made me truly unhappy in 2006, I lost 50 pounds and for the most part I've kept it off. Jillian with one of her best friends, Ashley.  This photo brings back happy and sad memories because we lost Ashly a couple years ago. Here's our sweet little Keira not long after we adopted her.  She was a gift from heaven because she was born on the day my mother died.  What I would give to have one more day with my mom.  I hope she knows how much I loved her and that she is missed every day. Here's Jillian wi...