A Nice, Quiet Weekend

For once, I had no other animals to care for this weekend, so the kits and I (and Beatrice) had a nice, quiet, pretty-much-at-home kind of weekend.  I read two books and started a third,and loved all of them.  Decades, a television station, showed a marathon of the old Peter Gunn series, and I got to enjoy the fantastic music of Henry Mancini all weekend.  I cooked supper for Saturday and Sunday - preparing Chicken Parmigiana, with mashed potatoes and buttered, steamed green beans with crunchy bacon bits on Saturday; I don't usually make mashed potatoes on back-to-back nights, but the pork chops I baked Sunday gave the makings of a rich gravy, so I fixed glazed carrots and mashed potatoes to go with them.  When I took the pork chops out, I put a nice pan of gingerbread in for dessert...  Everything turned out well.
   Nedi and Lovey were very content, as both Beatrice and I were home, almost the entire time, to wait on them and see to their needs.  Nedi wanted in and out onto the balcony, Lovey wanted to touch me at all times.  Nedi wanted chin scratching and stroking, while Lovey wanted to try eating everything that entered my mouth.  She discovered that while she likes the sauce that comes with baked beans, she does not like Tropical Blend Diet V-8 Splash.
  Yesterday afternoon Beatrice and I went to the cinema - the first time I've been in 18 months.  We saw, of course, The Secret Lives of Pets.  We laughed hugely at several points, and giggled through several others.  In scenes where the pets were in danger, I was like a small child, trying to lend them my strength.  Happily, it had a very happy ending and we left the theater feeling satisfied.  If you want to see a sweet, cute movie about pets, this is for you - even though there are a few scenes that might be a bit traumatic for very small children....
   Getting ready to go walk Rosie, and I'm watching the helicopters carrying dump buckets and the planes carrying fire retardant pass overhead on their way to the fire in Nederland...   sigh....

Chincoteague Calling

I wish I could convey the yearning I feel each time I think of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  The Teaguers used to say that a person "had Chincoteague sand in their shoes" if they kept returning to the island and ended up moving there.  I wasn't born on the island, but my Mother was, and her family ancestors have lived there since the mid-1600s.  Chincoteague was always my place to escape - and still is.  I'm sitting at my desk, gazing westward out my window and seeing the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, the foothills and Flatirons of Boulder.  I see beauty in them, and their rugged graciousness, but I don't feel the compelling (almost tidal) pull that I feel when thinking about, or looking at photos of, Chincoteague and Assateague Islands.  Island friends and family say that I have Chincoteague sand in my heart and soul.  I guess I do.
  Boulder, Colorado is a wonderful place.  I love my clients as an extended family, and I love all the critters I care for as if they were/are mine.  While in Boulder, and it's surrounds, I have come into contact with wildlife that I haven't experienced "up close and personal" before - but that also happened when my husband and I lived in Crows, Virginia.  I had my first experiences with groundhogs there.  Each place I have lived has allowed me insights to the natural world - walking into the back yard and finding a mountain lion crouched over a freshly killed deer,  watching groundhogs raid the vegetable garden, seeing bobcats and bears mark the trees in their territories.  I learn from each of these experiences.  I look up information on whatever weird questions pop into my mind regarding an animals' behavior.
   Mom and Dad told me to never stop questioning.  I don't think I have.  One of my biggest questions is, why do I have this compulsion to return to Chincoteague and Assateague?  Yes, my maternal family has lived there for over 350 years.  They were watermen and farmers.  Do I get all this yearning for the islands as an ancestral need or memory?  I love to hear the skree sound of a hunting hawk or eagle, but my heart bubbles with joy when I hear the cacophony of a flock of sea gulls squabbling over fish offal, or emptied clam and oyster shells.  All I know is that I want to smell the odors of the sea, of the salt marsh and hear the cries of sea-faring birds and hear the surf on the shore.  I can be happy in a forest, I can be happy in the mountains, I can be happy in a museum or reading history, I can be happy exploring another country and their culture - but I am only truly joyful on two islands off the coast of Virginia, in the Atlantic Ocean.  There is my home.

Happy

I had forgotten what it's like to be able to "sleep in."  I spent last night at Tess, Lily and Lyra's house - and I had last allowed Tess outside at 1:30 this morning, to chase a raccoon from the deck.  I turned off my alarm when  we both went back to bed.  I had the most wonderful dream, and awoke smiling at 5 a.m., my usual time to get up and get going.   I turned over, instead, and went back to sleep.  It was amazing to awaken and have sunlight outside…  It was 8 o'clock, so I got up, fed the kids, got the newspaper in, and looked at the news.  If my kits will allow me to do this on Sunday, I'll be extremely happy.
   I watched the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl yesterday.  Even though I grew up in Gainesville, Florida, I was rooting for the Oregon Ducks to defeat the Florida State Seminoles - and they did, by a huge margin.  I just don't like their quarterback, Jameis Winston, and how he gets charged with all kinds of wrong-doing, but, somehow, never gets convicted.  It just makes me mad.  I was conflicted regarding the Alabama and Ohio State game - Alabama is an SEC team, but I also liked Urban Meyer, the OSU coach, when he was at Florida.  I would have been OK with either winning, but Dad always rooted for the underdog, and so I found myself wanting OSU to beat the number 1 ranked Crimson Tide.  And the Buckeyes did it.   That leaves the national title game to be Ohio State and Oregon.  Even though I live in Colorado now, I'll have to root for the Buckeyes.
  And I get to spend the next week 9 nights in my own bed, with Lovey and Nedi!   I am happy.

Vacation Rental Complete

Since I asked Kathy to help me decide which place we should choose to rent for our Family Reunion on Chincoteague, I've watched 20 homes disappear from the list, as other folks have rented them.  When my sister told me Friday night that she was cancelling our meeting this Wednesday to make the decision, and she didn't know when it could be rescheduled, I decided to send a message to the other adults involved, and determine their preferences.  I rented a townhouse on the Assateague Channel that sleeps 10; has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths; has two upper decks (or balconies) and an open porch.  All of the porches and decks look over the Channel, and one can easily see the Assateague Lighthouse - and we have the use of a pier, too.  It's about a half-mile from the Pony Swim area, and immediately next to a place where we can rent boats, canoes, and kayaks.  I'm so happy that I've already paid and have the confirmation of the reservation.  Now I feel I can relax again.
   It was pretty chilly here in Boulder yesterday - never got above 56 degrees, and the wind was constantly blowing and shifting directions.  The news reported that Breckenridge had had 4.5 inches of snow yesterday, and that the low last night would be 26.  Arapaho Basin and Copper Mountain are having their usual race to see who will be the first ski resort to open....  After a low of 34 this morning, we're looking at 10 days of clear, sunny skies with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s.  We'll see.   I know I saw cars and trucks this morning that snow on the roofs and the windows were scraped...  I'm guessing they came down from Nederland, or somewhere higher up.
   My kits are having a blast this morning - they keep racing in and out of the apartment, and chasing one another.  Lovey is sitting at my elbow on my desk, while Nedi is out of sight.  Squirrels are eating walnuts and two are sharpening their teeth on the deer antlers.  Rosie and I had a quiet day yesterday.  We went for several short walks, and watched the Broncos game, taking another short ramble at halftime.  Last night, Rosie's folks called a little after 8, as they were going out for a late dinner on the East coast, and I had to admit that Rosie and I were in bed, reading Archaeology  magazine.  (Of course, the Giants and Eagles game was on the television, but I turned it off after 5 minutes of the third quarter...)
   I'll be staying at home again beginning Wednesday - and, unless something urgent happens, I'll be here at home for the rest of the month.  Happiness.

Home, But Not Sleeping

Well, here I am, at home.  It's 2:10 in the morning, and I thought I'd be sleeping peacefully, with Lovey and Nedi, in my own bed.  I went to bed at 10, having been up since 5 a.m.; I have not had more than 30 minutes of uninterrupted sleep since then.  At first, I thought the screams, yells, and laughter were from a disbanding party at the Harvest House Hotel.  (They do big weddings and receptions and other "large events.")  Then I realized that the noise was bouncing off the privacy fence and coming back at me.  At 1:50, I finally got dressed and went out into the apartment hallway to investigate.  As I stepped into our lobby, I saw that the recycle box for mail and magazines was stuffed full of empty beer cans, which it hadn't been when I arrived home from Cooper and Lola's.  I could hear voices and laughter as I walked toward the stairs; upstairs, I easily identified the source of the party - A-215.
   I just called the police with a noise complaint, and they are on the way.  Maybe I can get some solid sleep soon.

Ah..... Peaceful Sleep

Some people may not agree with my assessment of last night, but I found it extremely peaceful.  The fact that I shared my twin bed with two full-grown cats is what I believe would cause the disagreement.  But I had Lovey attached to my shoulder like velcro - with frequent face and chin washes administered by her - and Nedi curled up, either by my right side, or down at my feet.  There was plenty of purring and lots of love.  I guess that I heard the 3:30 (a.m.) train go through town with the horn blowing, but it didn't disturb me at all.  When the alarm rang this morning, I certainly didn't want to get up, either.  I was snuggled under the afghan my friend Kathryn made for me a few years ago, the window was wide open, and Lovey was asleep on my shoulder, while Nedi was curled up around my feet.  It was heaven.
  I "spaced out" last night in a very disturbing way.  I had gone to the Denver Airport, to pick up a returning owner.  She asked me to drive back to my house, and I did, happily.  The problem occurred about three miles from my apartment - in a construction area on US 36, the main road between Boulder and Denver.  Lynn had been talking to me, and I was concentrating on what she was saying more than I was on my driving - and I was very tired.  I suddenly realized that Lynn had said, "This lane ends," very calmly, three times in a row.  The left-hand lane that I was in, was, indeed, being narrowed and cut off by orange traffic cones - and there was a car beside us, in the right hand lane.  I had to step on the brakes and move sharply into the right lane, immediately behind the car that had been beside us.  I have no reason that I can give for my lapse in driving concentration.  (Was it that infamous "white line fever" that truckers report?)  All I know is that it scared the daylights out of me.  Thank goodness we were near my place, and thank goodness that Lynn did not freak out about it.

Long's Peak, Boulder Creek, and Home

This is the ledge from which the young man from Quebec was rescued (on Long's Peak) that he isn't being charged for:

This is a photo of Boulder Creek today a couple minutes after 12 noon beside the Boulder Public Library.  If you draw a line from the man sitting on the grass slightly left and upward, you'll see two white posts sticking out of the Creek.  Immediately to the right of the post on the right is the back of a park bench that is almost completely under water....

Thank goodness the bongo serenade has ended.  As soon as I opened my patio door after arriving home, someone - a very good player, actually - started playing the drums on their second floor patio.  After 45 minutes, I'm ready for sounds other than timpani.  .... I've been having a blast baking cobblers and feeding Shirley fresh fruit. I'm making pineapple cobbler this afternoon.  This evening I've got to pick up the dog poop in the back yard, as trash day is tomorrow.  Cooper, Lola and Pounce sleep with me every night - Tipsi only does so occasionally.  ....  I miss sleeping and spending time with Lovey and Nedi, though.  And while I do have access to a laptop at the house, it freezes frequently when I want to go to a  site with a large number of pages of information.  I've found I need to do that here at home.

   The birds are waking me up around 4:30 each morning, so I really can use a nap in the afternoon.  It was extremely humid here (for Colorado) Saturday afternoon - I checked my weather application and saw that the humidity here in Boulder was higher than that at Chincoteague Island, Vero Beach, or Gainesville.  I was very surprised.  But the humidity dropped yesterday and with that, and the heat, one can now see rocky sides of mountains mixed in with striations of snow in the Indian Peaks Wilderness area and on Mount Audubon.  Since it's now June, maybe we won't have more snowfall until September or October.  I hope.

   And the third and final race of the Triple Crown will occur Saturday at Belmont Park in New York...  Will California Chrome become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to be a Triple Crown Champion?  We'll see.......

   Oooops.  I forgot.  The prosecution has rested in the trial of ex-Boulder police office Sam Carter; the defense has begun.  Carter says he will not take the stand (at this time).  The Sheriff's Deputy who assisted Carter and Curnow in loading the elk into Curnow's truck testified that he thought it was a legal, justified kill.  When faced with the testimony of  two veterinarians that they found nothing to indicate the bull was previously injured, he stated he was just doing a favor for a friend, and thought that Carter was in the right. Carter is having another vet from Oregon state that the elk probably was injured, but since not all of the elk was available for the necropsy, he couldn't make a definite statement. Geez!

Zephraim Cenedi is Four Today

Today is Nedi's fourth birthday - he has grown from a handful of black fluff that I adopted at the age of 9 weeks, to a big ball of black fluff with a penchant for chasing his sister.  Zephraim Cenedi looks like a very large cat, thanks to a very full and fluffy coat; actually, he weighs about 6 pounds - half the amount of his "sister", Lovey.  Small-boned, extremely active, and having a personality that enjoys interacting with other cats, birds, and squirrels, Nedi is a bundle of joy.  And, like any brother, he knows precisely what to do to get his sister to lose her cool - and it's kind of fun to watch him plot things to do to his sister.  He doesn't stare at her, but he gives these measuring glances, and then looks away to plan his strategy.  I bought a special dinner treat for them both, and will do the same when Lovey's birthday comes back around...

Nedi, with his favorite catnip toy, sitting on the box he is currently deconstructing (with his teeth)

  It was so marvelous to sleep in my own bed last night.  I'll have to watch The Blacklist on line this week, as I collapsed in bed last night when Kathy brought me home, after answering my collected e-mail.  We had wind off and on throughout the weekend and yesterday. Today the sun is shining in a bright blue sky and it's all of 35 degrees out.  I've taken care of my kids and fed the squirrels walnuts for breakfast.  I think that I will just laze around today - read and do some genealogy research, but not push anything.  Spending 24 hours at home, without needing to go out and do something, seems a wonderful thing, these days.
 

Home Again

The kits and I returned home about 2 this afternoon; it's a little after 3 now, and it thundering and lightning outside.  We expect thunderstorms through the evening.  Lovey and Nedi have been playing in the back yard, but are now under my bed, as they really dislike thunder these days.  I am so very lucky - both my apartment and the Snow house did not have any flooding.  Monday evening, Mike and I looked in the crawlspace under the house, and saw about 5 inches of water pooled around the base of the furnace, but no other standing water.  Four Mile Creek, thanks to all the silt, sand, mud, and debris it was carrying, built up the east corner of the Snow yard by 3 1/2 to 4 feet.  The fence that kept the dogs in the back yard now protrudes only 3 inches above all the new sand and fill...  I told Jim I'd be happy to help put up new fence along that side of the yard, as Mona is due to start staying at the house tomorrow evening, when Mike and Erin leave for the belated honeymoon (to Ireland).  Boo started walking across the fence this morning, then Rosie did it.  It will not keep Mona, a Catahoula Leopard dog, inside it for the time it takes her to look at it...
   I am still feeling shaken by the shootings at the Washington Navy Yard ....
   And when I see the destruction caused by this flood, it takes my breath away.  At least I was able to help some people clean up, afterwards, as well as keeping the neighborhood apprised as to who needed help. The two Echols sisters, who live at the corner of 26th and Topaz, had four people helping them this morning, when a volunteer group of 40 individuals showed up, and helped them clean out their house in just a few hours.  It was a wonderful thing to witness.
  I will take photos of Topaz Drive tomorrow.  I walked from Kathy and Jim's house up to 26th for the first time today...  From 20 feet east of the Snow property line, all the way up to 26th Street (3 full blocks), there is a gash in the roadway; 6 inches to 15 feet wide, and 6 inches to 6 feet deep.  Gas pipe lines are exposed.
It's amazing to look at.
 

Back Home, a Short Post

Something must have been going on that I didn't (and still don't) know about last night.  After making sure that Maggie's house was in the same shape as when I moved in, I called the local Yellow Cab service.  I was on hold for 12 1/2 minutes before giving my pick-up address and name; then there was a 25 minute wait before the cab arrived....  There were no big events occurring in the area, so I'm still puzzled.
   Lovey decided that since I had been gone for several nights, she was going to talk to me all night long.  She did, and I didn't get much sleep.  Nedi was sprawled on the back of the love seat, with his body and tail stretched out along the top, legs hanging on either side, and his face looking directly at me.  If Lovey was't talking to me, Nedi was.  It was a noisy night.
  This morning, we had breakfast, then I took the bus and cared for Tinkerbell, and then walked Rosie.  The kits and I have been reconciling ever since.  I do love my kits.

Home, Sweet Home...

I really enjoy myself when I stay at Alexy's  during her travels.  She should return home within the next 15 minutes.  Me?  I've got all my gear, clothes, and food back home in my apartment, with my kits.  Even though it's really early here, I'm going to bed with a good book and Lovey and Nedi.  As Dorothy Gale has said for many years, "There's no place like home!"

Home And Relaxation

I'm home for a little while - since it's still cooler than it was, Nedi is having a ball running in and out, while Lovey is sleeping in my reading chair.  I sleep at home for the next 8 weeks, minus three nights; it will be heaven.  I'm taking care of a house during the day, but I get to come home each night and sleep with my kits in my apartment.  I'll read aloud to Tugger and Sasquatch while I'm at their house, and I'll continue walking the Rs on a daily basis; next week I start walking Lucy on Tuesdays and Thursdays again, too.  So I'll keep walking as the seasons finally start to change.
   Tonight, I'll watch the Packers and Bears game, cheering for the Packers; but, at 9 p.m. I'll switch over to see Person of Interest on CBS.  I'll be able to watch the Gators and the Gamecocks on Saturday - and I hope to see both the Jets and the Redskins Sunday, and then the Broncos on Monday.
   I just received my slew of photos via the mail, that I need to get into order; and I just finished writing a short story.  I've had two people offer to illustrate my story, and they want me to send it to a publisher.  Grandma Anne is going to check my grammar before anything else goes any farther...  I had fun writing the story, but I really can't believe it would be published....  But - who knows?  One can always dream.

Slept In This Morning

Arrived home at midnight, kissed the kitties and fell into my bed.  The kits let me sleep for 8 whole hours.  Now I feel "draggy" because I was able to sleep that long - but it was great!  It was cool enough to turn off one of the fans, and the kits curled up on either side of me.  Pure heaven.  Lovey is now on the cat tree, and even though the raven family has chased Nedi inside multiple times this morning, he's back out there, taunting them. Besides spending time with Rosie and Remy and with Cloudy and Shady, I was able to renew my acquaintance with the 5-point buck who sleeps under Alexy's fir tree, and I was able to watch a lot of hummingbirds.  The high point for me was having a male goldfinch fly within inches of my face, and then alight on a lattice with a yard of me.  (I haven't seen a goldfinch up close and personal over the past five years...)
  I plan on lazing around the house today, and doing a little bit of a clean-up.  Other than that, I hope to just relax and spend time with my two furries.  I had a great time watching the end of the Olympics last night - and the passing of the torch and flag to Rio was refreshing.  Of course, being my age, I was thrilled to see the rockin' tributes to the bands and singers I grew up with - and I must admit I laughed hysterically at (with?) Eric Idle close to the finale.  London was a wonderful setting, and the people of Great Britain made this edition of the Olympics extremely pleasant.  I especially appreciated the streaming of events online, as one got to hear the local announcers introduce new-comers to the different sports and explain how they came about.
  Now, I just hope to win the $305 million lottery...