Week of Staycation in Loveland.

I just drove back to Thornton after a wonderful week in Loveland. It was so nice waking up in the morning listening to the birds chirping, having coffee on the deck while reading the newspaper, then walking around the gardens enjoying our Crops.

OK, the gardens are still a work in progress after all these years but some parts are looking much better this year. The main crop we can grow, without any problem, is OREGANO!!  That stuff is growing everywhere and has almost completely taken over one of the raised gardens and we are finding it all over the yard. The good things are; it is green and lush, smells divine and has pretty purple flowers. Of course, with the flowers comes the bees! Maybe we should get some hives and harvest honey.....NO I THINK NOT!

The herbs are looking great this year. Bill cut back the Sage and it looks strong and healthy. The Lemon Thyme is large and so fragrant but I admit I have not used it this season. Actually, it does taste good in tea or on salads. We planted Thai Basil this year and it has such a wonderful smell but the leaves are so small I have not figured out what to do with it..use in salad or maybe a stir fry. Since I do not have a Wok I may need to take another trip to the thrift store. I picked our first jalepeno and fried it with scrambled eggs..yummy.

Back to the Staycation. We really had a great time last week. One of the hikes we went on turned into a big adventure! Thursday morning we started out at Bobcat Ridge. I told Bill I would run the 1.4 mile to the cabin and meet him there, then we would decide our next path. While waiting for Bill, I decided to eat some of my trail mix and drink some of the water that I had in my fuel belt. Believe me, I was not conserving because I thought we would be out just about an hour or two. Also, it was hot so I decided to pour a little water on my head to cool off.  After Bill got to the cabin we decided to take one of the paths that was called the Power Line Loop.  This LOOP was quite a climb..a few times I ran up the path (building my endurance!!) and quickly wore myself out! Well, we hiked and hiked and finally came to a sign post with arrows pointing in two different directions. We picked one ( can't remember the name of the path..it was in the 90's about 11:30 at this time and I had drank most of my water) and started on that path.  Again. we hiked and hiked and were not making any progress going down the mountain. We would make a little downward motion and then the path would go up and around the next area taking us further and further from where we knew the car was parked! 


Finally, Bill said we needed to turn around and go back to where the sign post was..OH MY GOSH ARE YOU KIDDING..that is two hours back to the car!!  Logically, I knew he was right, but emotionally, I could not stand the thought of turning around and facing two more hours on that path.  After thinking about it for a few minutes I put on my Big Girl Panties and  started the trip back, head phones on walking as fast as I could. Something amazing happened on the last part of the hike. We were in this beautiful area looking down into a meadow with the ridge on the left of us, beautiful blue sky when a song by Il Divo started playing on my I pod.... the song was Hallelujah (Aleluya)!  It was the most amazing song in such a spiritual place. I think I hit the repeat button three times and it put me into the right mental space to continue the journey. Bill conserved his water and was such a savior making sure that I was drinking enough. What started as a little hike turned into 4 1/2  hours. Luckily, the trail head is fifteen minutes from our house so when we finally found the car it was a quick ride home. I think we both crashed on the couch and between the two of us drank a whole jug of ice tea!

Friday night we went to the concert at Centerra. I made a picnic dinner with sandwiches, fruit and ice tea, we packed the camp chairs in the car and drove to Centerra. It was a beautiful evening, not too hot, and the band was great! There is a mini hill covered in grass and the little kids were rolling down the hill, laughing and having a great time! One of my favorite places at the Mall was there selling Gelato. Of course, that was the first thing I wanted after dinner..heck with the fruit, bring on the ice cream!  The band was great and played old Rock music. It was so nice being at a concert and knowing all the words to the songs!

One other note about Bobcat Ridge: the first day we went hiking there, I think it was Tuesday, we came upon a young man in his 30's who was walking a large, hairy dog on the graveled path. At first I felt sorry for the dog because it was so hot and he was panting pretty hard. Then I looked down at the feet of the man and he was BARE FOOT.  This man did not have any shoes on..I asked him how in the world he could walk on the gravel path without shoes and he said that he started slowly and now the soles of his feet are like the pads on dogs feet.  I could not believe it. I had not seen anyone without shoes, on a gravel path, since I was a little kid and went to the Indian Reservation with my Grandparents..none of the children wore shoes ( and most of the boys did not wear clothes) at that time of my life that really bothered me. I could not imagine how they ran around the desert without shoes!


All-in-all we had a great week. We had lazy mornings on the porch, hiked, went to Farmers Markets, attended a party at the Griff's, went to Loveland's Summerfest where we enjoyed the exhibits and concerts. I was going to add some pictures of our adventures but I do not have the cable to download from my camera to the computer.  As always, when I am in Thornton what I need is in  Loveland and when I am in Loveland everything I need is in Thornton!

I will end for now and add the pictures ( if I figure out how) as soon as possible.

Bill's Side of the Family!

When we were married, nine years ago, I gained three daughters and a son. Along with this new family came TEN grandchildren. Unfortunately, we seldom see seven of these grand kids because they do not live in Colorado.

Debbie, and her daughter Whitney, are wonderful strong women. Debbie has been a single Mom for many years. Whitney is now living in Grand Junction and from FB it seems like her life is going well and she is having the time of her life! Debbie has a good job with the State of Colorado and we love, and cherish, our visits with her.

Thomas lives in Washington and is raising his three daughters. Although we have not seen them in a few years, they are always in our hearts! Meadow, Chunsi ( I always need to look up the spelling of this one..may have to edit), and Mignon are beautiful, sweet, young women and I am so proud to be their Nana Shawn. One of my favorite memories is when they were trying to teach me how to use chop sticks!!

Lisa, and her family, live in California. Luckily we were able to visit last summer after Aaron and Kelly's wedding. What a great time we had with them! Lisa is also a very strong woman. It amazes me the things she  can do: from working on a car to her new hobby making jewelry. Lenaea, her oldest daughter, is an amazing,compassionate, thoughtful woman. I have loved my visits with her in California and when she came to Colorado to visit us. Nile, the next in line, dances to the  beat of a different drummer, and we would not have it any other way! I remember being at Boulder Creek with Nile and he was walking by the creek picking up , and disposing, the trash others left behind. At the time, I marveled at how thoughtful he was.  Yma, the second daughter, is now a Teen. She is a beautiful young woman and as any teen  FB , the phone and friends are very important aspects of her life.  Mesa, the youngest, is one of the most artistic little guys I have ever met. He makes wonderful objects out of the Twisty Ties his mother "borrows" from the grocery store. It is amazing the boxes of art work that he has made.

Bill's youngest daughter, along with her husband and two children, has a home  just a few miles from us in Berthoud  but she has chosen not to be a part of our life. We have made the effort but there has been no response on her part. Sadly for us, we do not have a relatioship with these grand kids.

Well, I think that sums it up. I was so lucky to have such support from his family when we were married. They all welcomed me with open arms and I felt so much love from all of them. I love each and everyone of them. I truly am a LUCKY woman!

Anniversary

It is hard to believe that we have been married for nine years! Where has the time gone?  Our family has seen so many changes..marriage, divorces, births of grandchildren, deaths of my parents and grandmother, the addition of a whole new family; one thing that never changes is the love and support well all have for each other.

For some unknown reason Bill has put up with all my *#?! for the last years. Like any couple, we have our issues, but we have made it this far! It will be interesting to see what the next years will bring. Hopefully, all will stay healthy, ( none of us are wealthy $$$) but wealth comes in different ways, and wise.