I hope that all of my other American friends and relatives had a wonderful Independence Day celebration yesterday! I spent it quietly, running from home to home to home, and tending to a variety of cats, dogs, fish, bees, and chickens - not to mention gardens. In the middle of the afternoon, I stopped at the supermarket, because I realized that I didn't have any potato chips and I wanted a few with my supper. I was amazed - there were so many people shopping at 3 in the afternoon; singles and whole families.
There were two oddly-acting male college students (drunk? high?) almost jogging in the area of the meat and seafood displays. They were almost, but not quite, yelling about looking for hot dogs - and they used quite a few descriptive terms regarding said hot dogs, that I didn't think small children and older adults wanted to, or should, hear. So I yelled - "Hey, guys! Follow me to the luncheon meat aisle, and I'll show you the hot dogs and the brats..." They were so effusive with their thanks that it was embarrassing - maybe because they had been so obnoxious to begin with?
Then I really paused when I saw five full, different families standing in line in front of a RedBox DVD kiosk. Three in the afternoon, on a holiday that's a Friday, and the best these folks can do is rent a movie to watch? Why not a picnic? Why not a hike? Why not a swim? Why not the Arts festival that had free admission? No one in any of the families looked ill, hurt, injured, or disabled. (I am very well aware that 50% of disabilities are not visible ones - but this was ridiculous!) If you didn't do things outside on the Fourth of July when I was growing up, the only excuse was the weather - a lightning storm - or being so ill that you were at home, in your bed, under the covers.
Our family, and family friends and/or neighbors, that we invited over, wandered in and out of the house, the porch, and the car port - Dad ran the grill, and the charcoal was first fired up at 9 a.m. (this was before fancy propane gas grills) - we had all kinds of cold foods to go with the meat from the grill, as well as plenty of beverages. Everyone participated in playing games and doing activities - we usually had a game of tag football, played badminton, built teepees for us kids to play in, and we played games - word games, card games, and memory games. We told wild and crazy stories - sometimes one person started the tale, and then each person sitting there, listening, joined in with their part of the story. The stories could be very funny, or adventurous, or full of family love… We didn't sit around a TV and watch it as if our lives depended upon it….
Today, I have taken care of three homes and all the resident critters, plus I took my friend Beatrice in to her job. I played with and loved on my kits, and I went in search of freeze-dried bison and turkey to feed to Boo - she ate a little of both kinds I provided… Plus I ordered a pound of freeze-dried turkey hearts to be delivered to Boo's home. I hope she continues to want to eat them!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Colorado Ghost Towns and Mining Camps
Alta
Aspen Silver Mines, 1898
Mary Murphy Mine near Salida
Bridge at Camp Jeffrey
Engineer Pass, near Ouray, San Juan Mountains
Haze and a New Fawn
The haze in the sky that I've been commenting on is from 15 wildfires in Canada - located more than 1,000 miles away... Seems there are multiple large fires in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories that are burning in heavily forested areas. The eastern half of Colorado has been blanketed, and there have been complaints and questions about the smoke in Billings, Montana, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and even Aspen, on the western slope. With higher temperatures today, we also have an Ozone Alert and an Air Quality Warning in effect for folks with breathing problems...
I was privileged this morning to witness the first breath of a fawn on Redwood Avenue, just after 6 o'clock. I had fed and watered Tessa, Lily and Lyra, and taken Tess for a quick walk around the block. Then I went to feed and medicate Tugger and Sasquatch. After cleaning their litter boxes, I walked into the kitchen to feed the boys - both of whom were staring out the sliding glass door and down into the back yard. That's pretty unusual for them, so I started peering out. A doe was giving birth just within view - so we all watched. This mule deer had only a single baby, but it was still a wonderful sight! We watched her lick and dry and massage the fawn with her tongue; we saw the first tries to stand; and we got to see the first nursing. After the boys had finished eating, I glanced out to see the fawn making little leaps and bounds - it was just awe-inspiring to see the baby up and running in less than an hour... Beautiful!
I had just arrived home this morning when my cell phone rang - it was my sister, in a panic because she had lost her backpack in between her front door and their car. They were on the way to Denver - could I go find it? So I turned around and drove back to their house, and there was Kathy's backpack sitting just beside the front door.... I took it inside and came back to see my kits. They were not terribly impressed with me this morning - I loved them and fed them, and then opened the patio door. Five minutes after I did that, someone let a visiting terrier loose in the backyard; it chased my kits back inside. Once the dog was inside, our maintenance man decided it was time to mow the back yard.... I just couldn't time things right for the kids today.
I was privileged this morning to witness the first breath of a fawn on Redwood Avenue, just after 6 o'clock. I had fed and watered Tessa, Lily and Lyra, and taken Tess for a quick walk around the block. Then I went to feed and medicate Tugger and Sasquatch. After cleaning their litter boxes, I walked into the kitchen to feed the boys - both of whom were staring out the sliding glass door and down into the back yard. That's pretty unusual for them, so I started peering out. A doe was giving birth just within view - so we all watched. This mule deer had only a single baby, but it was still a wonderful sight! We watched her lick and dry and massage the fawn with her tongue; we saw the first tries to stand; and we got to see the first nursing. After the boys had finished eating, I glanced out to see the fawn making little leaps and bounds - it was just awe-inspiring to see the baby up and running in less than an hour... Beautiful!
I had just arrived home this morning when my cell phone rang - it was my sister, in a panic because she had lost her backpack in between her front door and their car. They were on the way to Denver - could I go find it? So I turned around and drove back to their house, and there was Kathy's backpack sitting just beside the front door.... I took it inside and came back to see my kits. They were not terribly impressed with me this morning - I loved them and fed them, and then opened the patio door. Five minutes after I did that, someone let a visiting terrier loose in the backyard; it chased my kits back inside. Once the dog was inside, our maintenance man decided it was time to mow the back yard.... I just couldn't time things right for the kids today.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Various Photos
Three photos taken of Crystal, Colorado (a gold mine ghost town, settled in 1883) and its surrounding area.
Who will take umbrage over this?
Connecticut's Fort Griswold State Park
Today, I feel like the gargoyle looks....
Mid-Week
It's another beautiful morning - and the weather folks say it'll stay that way through Tuesday. I feel for my friends on the east coast, however. It sounds like tropical storm Arthur might make the days leading up to July 4 wet and windy - which means cleaning up and, hopefully, clearing skies on Friday itself (except in New England). I have been invited to the Snow family gathering in Niwot at Dave and Tracey's house - but I'm also still house sitting for Tess, Lyra and Lily, plus caring for and medicating Sasquatch and Tugger. I'll have to see how I feel on Friday….
Apparently, what I've been doing for the drooping, fried-looking plants has been successful - the petunias and pansies at the Hawkins' looked almost normal last night; and the Chinese wisteria (tree) on Lynn's porch is beginning to stretch it's leaves out again - instead of everything falling off…. I've never been able to keep green things, other than catnip, alive. I either over water or under water; I have a black thumb. Luckily, the garden is still going great guns - if no one else grabs the cauliflower, I guess I'll harvest it for Lynn and put it in the refrigerator for her return.
I was able to grow things, for a while, when I was in my apartment in Gainesville - I was quite successful with several types of pepperomia, and a couple of huge asparagus ferns. I had them on the balcony railing of my walk-up front door - and one night, after working a normal night-shift at Shands Teaching Hospital, I returned home to an empty rail - all of the plants had been stolen. Since then, I've killed everything - so I'm always apprehensive when I agree to care for green and growing things…
I've fed and watered the cats and dog here, and walked Tessa; have watered all of the outside plants; have taken care of Sasquatch and Tugger; and have taken my meds and had blueberry waffles for breakfast. Now I'll be getting ready to go walk Rosie, and then go home and visit my kits. And I'm having tea with Alexy at her new home at 3 this afternoon. That means I'll be able to visit and love on Cloudy and Shady, her cats, as well.
I guess I'm lazy - I just want to sit and do nothing… But I need to get my rear in gear and get moving. Time waits for no one and nothing.
Apparently, what I've been doing for the drooping, fried-looking plants has been successful - the petunias and pansies at the Hawkins' looked almost normal last night; and the Chinese wisteria (tree) on Lynn's porch is beginning to stretch it's leaves out again - instead of everything falling off…. I've never been able to keep green things, other than catnip, alive. I either over water or under water; I have a black thumb. Luckily, the garden is still going great guns - if no one else grabs the cauliflower, I guess I'll harvest it for Lynn and put it in the refrigerator for her return.
I was able to grow things, for a while, when I was in my apartment in Gainesville - I was quite successful with several types of pepperomia, and a couple of huge asparagus ferns. I had them on the balcony railing of my walk-up front door - and one night, after working a normal night-shift at Shands Teaching Hospital, I returned home to an empty rail - all of the plants had been stolen. Since then, I've killed everything - so I'm always apprehensive when I agree to care for green and growing things…
I've fed and watered the cats and dog here, and walked Tessa; have watered all of the outside plants; have taken care of Sasquatch and Tugger; and have taken my meds and had blueberry waffles for breakfast. Now I'll be getting ready to go walk Rosie, and then go home and visit my kits. And I'm having tea with Alexy at her new home at 3 this afternoon. That means I'll be able to visit and love on Cloudy and Shady, her cats, as well.
I guess I'm lazy - I just want to sit and do nothing… But I need to get my rear in gear and get moving. Time waits for no one and nothing.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Places and the Denver Stage
Colonial cabin in Indiana
The Jean B leaving the Crisfield, Maryland dock
The new public fishing pier in historic downtown Chincoteague (looking east)
Camping area at Llewellyn Johns State Park in South Dakota
Scene from Steven Sondheim's Company at the Equinox Theatre in Denver.
At left is Joel Silverman, who employs me five days a week.
July the First
Today is 22 degrees cooler than yesterday,but the sky is hazy. It's a nice break from the 90-degree weather that we've had the past few days. Today, they say a high of 75, 82 tomorrow and close to 90 Thursday. Warm. I am currently home with my kits, trying to recover from a headache that walloped me at 7:30 this morning. I'm much better, but not my normal self yet...
I took care of three households before the headache struck, but had to cancel walking Rosie. Then I took migraine medication and went back to bed. Had to get home to feed my kits, and pick up my daily medications from the pharmacy, otherwise, I'd still be in bed with Tessa, Lyra and Lily. Getting up early to take care of three homes before 7 a. m., I've seen quite a bit of wildlife recently - between raccoons, young cottontails, bears, a mountain lion, and loads of deer. A young doe was standing in a traffic lane this morning, not moving; I was puzzled by it until I saw two fawns, less than three days old, poke their heads out of some bushes and then stumble their way across the road behind their mother. I was very glad there weren't any speed-demon drivers in the area!
Tugger seems pretty much the same, but I can see changes in his brother, Sasquatch. Sasquatch was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May, and he is starting to have some balance problems. Other than being a little wobbly on his feet, and traveling up and down stairs more slowly than he used to, Sasquatch is in pretty good shape, though. Considering the boys are 18 years old, and Sasquatch has pancreatitis, and Tugger has hyper-thyroidism, they are in great shape. The only thing I do differently these days is that I don't stroke and pet Sasquatch when he's on the stairs, or at the top of them, as I don't want to over set him.
I've been watering plants like mad, with the heat we've had. Everything looks half-way decent, except for a flimsy tree in a pot on Lynn's porch, and three pots of petunias and a pot of pansies on the wrought-iron table at the Hawkins' house. The leaves are pretty wilted on all of those items, even though I've been watering them 3 times a day... I might have to reimburse Lynn the cost of the tree - I just haven't been able to get it to thrive since she left.
... And, Australia, the winner of the Epsom Derby has now won the Irish Derby, making him the 17th double-Derby winner in Great Britain. Here's to Aidan O'Brien and his son, the jock who rides Australia.
I took care of three households before the headache struck, but had to cancel walking Rosie. Then I took migraine medication and went back to bed. Had to get home to feed my kits, and pick up my daily medications from the pharmacy, otherwise, I'd still be in bed with Tessa, Lyra and Lily. Getting up early to take care of three homes before 7 a. m., I've seen quite a bit of wildlife recently - between raccoons, young cottontails, bears, a mountain lion, and loads of deer. A young doe was standing in a traffic lane this morning, not moving; I was puzzled by it until I saw two fawns, less than three days old, poke their heads out of some bushes and then stumble their way across the road behind their mother. I was very glad there weren't any speed-demon drivers in the area!
Tugger seems pretty much the same, but I can see changes in his brother, Sasquatch. Sasquatch was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May, and he is starting to have some balance problems. Other than being a little wobbly on his feet, and traveling up and down stairs more slowly than he used to, Sasquatch is in pretty good shape, though. Considering the boys are 18 years old, and Sasquatch has pancreatitis, and Tugger has hyper-thyroidism, they are in great shape. The only thing I do differently these days is that I don't stroke and pet Sasquatch when he's on the stairs, or at the top of them, as I don't want to over set him.
I've been watering plants like mad, with the heat we've had. Everything looks half-way decent, except for a flimsy tree in a pot on Lynn's porch, and three pots of petunias and a pot of pansies on the wrought-iron table at the Hawkins' house. The leaves are pretty wilted on all of those items, even though I've been watering them 3 times a day... I might have to reimburse Lynn the cost of the tree - I just haven't been able to get it to thrive since she left.
... And, Australia, the winner of the Epsom Derby has now won the Irish Derby, making him the 17th double-Derby winner in Great Britain. Here's to Aidan O'Brien and his son, the jock who rides Australia.
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