Supersonic September

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This month has rushed by. We started with Battlemoor and will end with the Spanish Peaks Celtic Music Festival In between, we have had birthdays a plenty. Morgan’s, Dan’s, Mom and Dad’s. And, since we got paid, there were new glasses for Dan and Morgan, new shoes for Dan and new tires for the truck. Then it was back to the daily grind of house work, computers and cleaning.

I thought I’d get a breather in there. Wrong. Day after his birthday, Dan felt ill. By Monday night, he was in bed. I won’t share the gory details, but he was not a happy camper. Oh, and he passed out/fell at one point. One moment he was fine, next… out. So, he spent most of the next day in bed and has been making a slow recovery ever since. Why? Well, when he fell, he smacked his hip and cracked a rib. We knew about the hip right away… Can’t miss it if it hurts to sit. And yes, plenty of bad jokes were made about cracks… However, it wasn’t until he actually began to feel better, and stopped hurting everywhere, that he realized he’d cracked a rib.

Now of course, it’s the beginning of the music festival. Dan is up in Gardner today with some of the musicians at the school. Tonight is a pot luck which I need to make a cake or something for and Thursday night is The Taste of Things to Come, the first concert. It is going to be a really good festival this year.

Oh, and on top of that, we are 1) cleaning house to do the plumbing-don’t faint, 2) cleaning house because it’s time to get ready for winter, and 3) Natalie is coming to visit October 1st!!!!!  I’m sorry that she’ll be here when it is all chaotic, but we haven’t seen her in nearly 6 years. (bounce! bounce! bounce!)

After mid-October, when I think I’ll get some time to sew, we’ll see what else crops up.

Battlemoor III, Plums and too much going on

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August ran us over and we crashed in the Middle Ages. Aka… Battlemoor III. I barely got all of my sewing done in time to head out on a Wednesday to camp. Originally, Dan was not going to stay the whole time. He’d planned to work and then come out in the evenings. Serendipity swung her mighty fairy dust wand and Poof! Things changed. Dan got off of work a little late and didn’t have to go back on Thursday. He got his class work done and realized he might actually have a chance to take some time off. Not like we needed it or anything.

Wednesday as we sat up camp after sundown, we got to know a few of our fellow campers in Artisan’s Lane. Then we slept for the first time in ages with no real schedule for us in the morning. Ahhhhh!

We woke at dawn and started getting ready for the day. I worked on the potters wheels and the pottery tent. Dan started running errands. Then he discovered that there was no ice truck this year. So, he started running ice in from First Choice, our local grocery store. At least two trips a day. He gave free ice to the Troll gate, Chirgeons, the watch and to the parties.

I had a lot of fun working with the pottery and the fiber tent. It was the first time I’d thrown on a potter’s wheel in about 8 years. I didn’t do to bad, but I realize I will have to build up my hand strength for next year. I made a couple of hand built pieces as well. One was a small rose. It was about the only piece of mine that made it through the firing. We did do a kiln fire and realized that we need better air control next year. At least there was enough pottery to award some to the king and queen. 🙂

I got a lucet this year and learned how to make cord. 🙂 Dan bought me presents too. A torque, shears, a small knife, shoes, hair pins, a shuttle and the lucet. 🙂 I’ll post pictures below.

I think that camping with the Artisan’s Lane group was the best thing we did. I really enjoyed the company and the way it all worked. We all pitched in with cooking and cleaning up.

Once we got home, we were thrown into the craziness of ‘life’. I picked 50 pounds of plums off of my mom’s tree. Since then I have made plum jelly, syrup, jam, butter and chutney. Oh and cake and cobbler. Yummm!

We also have been to visit Morgan at least two times. Once on her 16th birthday. We took her out to eat, gave her a prezzie Dan picked up for her at Battlemoor III and gave her some money. She is really adjusting to college well. While she may be the youngest person on campus, she is on par with many of her fellow students mentally. For others, she is the adult supervision. LOL!

Wednesday, it rained almost all day long and oh was it COLD! I pulled blankets out of boxes and threw quilts on the bed. Today we got a clear glimpse of the Spanish Peaks. There was snow on the tops and the Trincheras were white! Brrrr!!!!

Last night we drove to Pueblo and had dinner at Bingo Burger. 🙂 It was Dan’s birthday treat to himself. We went to Barnes and Nobel for a while and then came home. Tomorrow we are heading out to pick her up, and then we are going to Pueblo. She and Dan need new glasses. Maybe, just maybe we will eat at Bingo Burger again. 🙂

Oh, and week after next is the Spanish Peaks Celtic Music Festival!

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Morgan and Anabel

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Life has been just a tad hectic. Between work for Dan, lots of meetings for me and life in general, we’ve had two big events. The first one was Morgan going off to college! Earlier in the month, Dan and Morgan got her Colorado ID and then registered her for college at Otero State Jr. College in La Junta. Locals call it La Hunna. 🙂 It’s about 78 miles east of us. Morgan took her accuplacer test and maxed it. I’m not sure who was more proud. Dan, because she did so well that she doesn’t need any classes below 200 level, or Morgan because she beat her dad’s scores. 🙂

Then the great packing began. Morgan had lots of stuff. Some she left, some was trashed and loads was packed to go to college. Our big worry was housing. At nearly the last minute, we did find her some temporary housing. It is a very nice house about 3 blocks from the college. So, on Sunday we drove her out there, met the woman who owns the house, unpacked Morgan and then took her to Walmart for some groceries. Morgan had a little melt down, but not bad at all. Especially as she won’t be 16 until next month!

Then we said our goodbyes and headed home. On the drive home, we hit a coyote. 🙁 No help for it though. We dropped like rocks into bed.

Monday morning, Dan went off to work by 6am and Anabel, my grandaughter arrived at 9:30am.  She’s 8 and I hadn’t seen her in a year. It was so good to see her. We talked, took lots of pictures, made a carob cake and a carrot cake. My parents and my ex husband came over to see Anabel too. Anabel and I looked at treasures, made her a pillow, and two necklaces. She played on the Xoom while I did dishes and cooked dinner. Luckily, Dan got home in time to see her too. She’d been asking for him all day, which I thought was great. 🙂

Her Great-grandma Sue picked her up around 7pm. I’ll miss her, but we will see her soon. 🙂

And now the house is so quiet.

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Cheyenne!

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Last week we went up to Cheyenne, Wyoming. We visited my son Erin and his wife. It was a good visit with Logan trying to do genealogy and figure out the family connections. 🙂

Logan: What do I call you? (meaning Dan)

Dan: Well, you can call me Dan or Grandpa Dan or Papa Dan. It doesn’t matter to me.

Logan: You live with Grandma Sudar, but you aren’t my Grandpa, so I’ll call you Dan.

Which was great. Ewan on the other hand was a giggle. I asked for a hug and got “No! No touch!” Okay, he hasn’t seen me in a while, I understand. Logan hugged me and Dan. I asked Ewan if he’d hug Dan, thinking we’d get the same answer. Instead, we got… “Paaaapa!” and a great big hug. LOL! Ewan did make up with me later.

We drove all over Cheyenne. Lots of beautiful houses and buildings and these big 8ft cowboy boots. I took lots of pictures, and some of them are posted. We also drove out to Vedawoo Rocks. I remember a picnic there as a kid.

All in all, it was a really good trip. On the way home, we stopped at IKEA and bought a desk for Dan and a bed for us! Wheeee! Dan wasn’t too enthusiastic about it at first. Thought it was just an expense we could do without. I said I wanted a bed frame!  I explained it had been nearly 24 years since I had a nice bed frame. So, we bought it. Morgan and I put it together and it is heavenly. About 30 minutes after we went to bed that night, Dan rolled over and apologized. He decided that I’d made a good choice. 🙂 Come to find out he’d never slept in a bed with a whole frame, just one of those frames on wheels things. So,… 🙂 I forgave him.

Here are the pictures of the trip. Oh, and as usual, I was behind the camera.

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Kitchen renovation

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We took yesterday to reorganize the kitchen. It just didn’t work the way we needed it to, so… we changed things around. First up was to remove the cutting board surface between the stove and the cupboard. We took it off and moved it to the other side of the kitchen. Then we cleaned up the stove and moved it closer to the cupboard. After that, we turned the refrigerator and cleaned up the breakfast nook area. It took about four hours between all the cleaning and moving. It looks really nice.

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Rain!!!!!!

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Okay, it isn’t often I post three times in ONE day… We are in the midst of one hell of a rain/hail/thunderstorm. Wow! Brandy of course is barking and trying to attack the lightning at the same time she hides from the thunder. Silly MUDDY dog!

Of course, I will have fun cleaning up the Wendy House. We still have a few leaks. Dan is reorganizing the office and back porch, so I am staying out of the way. 🙂

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Rock Garden

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About ten minutes after I posted about it being cool and cloudy, the skies opened up and it poured rain for at least twenty minutes. 🙂 Ahhhhhh, delightful! After the rain, I took some pictures of the rocks in the front garden, Redtom our feral friendly neighborhood cat and my herbs. 🙂

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Heavenly Cloud Cover!

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After nearly two weeks of 100 degree days, it is Finally cool. Yesterday, was the first day in Pueblo that only made it to 97. We are south of Pueblo, but we are usually close to the same temperatures. It’s been so hot that I’ve had issues with my laptop overheating!

The day we cut the weeds in the front yard it was 98. It rained, and we just stayed working as the moisture felt so good. Granted, we were dry by the time we finished. I now have a lovely brown front yard with designer rock piles. 🙂 I stacked the various rocks in little towers where possible because I didn’t know what to do with all of them and having them line the sidewalks was a pain. We plan to tackle the back yard today or tomorrow. Maybe. 🙂

It rained yesterday. A nice heavy but constant shower that soaked the dusty ground. And of course, the rains have been across the state which helps the fire danger, but also makes those area prone to flash floods. sigh… However, I plan to enjoy my cool morning! It’s 60 degrees! 86% humidity and only a 5mph breeze! Wheeeee!

Pagosa Springs Pictures

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On the way home, we stopped and I took pictures. First off is Downtown Pagosa Springs and various views of the river walk. Oh, and lots of chipmunks. They were a riot. Next are Treasure Falls and the western side of Wolf Creek Pass. Last of all, the Great Divide, at the top of Wolf Creek Pass. There were lots of beetle killed trees, and we contemplated what it would be like if this part of the state caught fire. Not a good thing. I would have taken more pictures, but my camera batteries died.

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Pagosa Springs

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I’m sitting in the Boulder Coffee Cafe in Pagosa Springs. I am suppose to be in a meeting for the CRWC, but I’m not needed until about 2pm. So, I’ve run away for a few minutes to relax.

To say that the last few months has been stressful is an Understatement. So, I’m trying to mellow out on this brief trip out of town. I walked around downtown Pagosa Springs and took some pictures that I will post later. I forgot a USB cable. Oh well.

Guess I’d better finish my chai and head out the door. 🙂 I think I’ll take a drive.