Wind Gusts of 57 mph

The sky is clear to the east and it's 32 degrees outside; there is a solid mountain wave cloud sitting on the Front Range, but it will probably break up during the day. We're expecting another dry day - but it isn't supposed to be windy like yesterday; yesterday afternoon while I was walking the Irish kids there were quite a few powerful gusts of wind, and the TV reporters said we'd had 3 gusts of wind in the 55 to 60 mph range during that time. The kids hadn't been walked in the morning (they went to the groomers') and, so, were full of themselves. We visited Jim and Suki and Boo on the way out and Rosie and Remy romped for 8 minutes in the backyard prior to our actual walk. During the walk, Rosie found a newly used fox den and got very excited; then we began overtaking an older couple out walking their small dogs (off leash), so I turned the kids aside and we visited the Chandlers' chickens. My big mistake of the day. Rosie was so eager to get to the birds that she practically climbed the chicken coop - but I was able to get her off the side of the pen without any hurt to her or the chickens. Remy found the chickens interesting, but not anything to get excited about. We're supposed to get a rain and snow mix tomorrow, but the southwestern corner of the state is getting snow right now - they're expecting 24 inches in the Silverton-Durango area by midnight (and yesterday's high in Gunnison was all of 1).

Let's see... I'm currently booked up for house-sitting through May 17, and I walk the Irish kids 3 to 5 weekdays each week. I've also been asked to do some research for a local librarian, but that won't begin until March, so I can continue investigating the family... mine, my husband's, and various other friends and relatives. Sometimes a person's name sticks with me and I want to find out more about that person - or I see that they are a second or even third sister to marry the same man - that always raises my curiosity (or is it just plain nosiness?). I guess I just find following the past enthralling - and some of the names I've found have been extremely interesting, too. My husband has relatives whose last name is Dingleberry; and one of his past ancestors arrived from England with the surname of Waterhouse, and after four generations "Down East" in Maine, the name had changed to Watrous; and several of his Dutch ancestors were rabble-rousers and constantly in trouble for drinking in pubs when they should have been in church... On my side, the one ancestor I've found that took a Native American as a bride was hung at Jamestown for his part in Bacon's Rebellion; apparently we were Royalist supporters, for quite a few were imprisoned during the Commonwealth for writing and/or saying things against Oliver Cromwell; on my paternal side, most ancestors were farmers (and one was given the first name of Eight-one), while on my maternal side, most ancestors were either fishermen or farmers.... I just think it's fun to dig into the past.

Have a grand weekend!