May Spring Weather at Last!!!

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Well, we did have typical Colorado May weather on May 1st. Snow! It was very cold wet snow. The early part of the week wasn’t much better. While warm during the day, the nights were still very cold. And Windy!

Thursday we went to Denver. While the sun was shining and the weather was warmer, the wind was still chilly. Yesterday was warm and today it is a balmy 73 degrees!!! Springlike May weather at last! Who knows, at this rate I may be able to plant my garden by May 15th!

This year I plan to plant pumpkins, squash, onions, beets, salad greens and lots of marigolds. I’ve been avoiding working in the garden plot because of the wild violets. I’m allergic to them. sigh… However, they have about run their course and I can pull them up without needing an oxygen mask. 🙂

We have three small trees to chop down as well in the front yard. Suckers from an elm that went wild. I’d like to put a few apple trees out front, but that will have to wait a bit. Our front porch project may start sooner than we expected. The stairwell is beginning to crack more. So, we have almost totally evacuated the two front porch rooms. Business stuff moved to the back porch and the ‘Wendy House’ aka the guest house. My sewing room also moved out there. Weird. First time in 33 years that my sewing machine hasn’t been under the same roof with me. It does give me more space, but I need to finish up the organization of it. Dan has a shelf unit to build for me.

Part of the reason for the move was that I have been talking to one of the local SCA’ers and said I’d be available for costume work. With computer work as slow as it is, I’m back to sewing for cash. I’m also grateful that our local yarn shop, Edla’s Yarns, sells some basic sewing supplies. I needed zips for a couple of outfits and luckily she had some! Otherwise it would have meant a trip to Pueblo for a $2 item. So, while Dan goes to the Fox Theater to run the lights for the El Fandango show this afternoon, I’ll be cutting and sewing. Wheee!!!

What a crazy day!

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We tried to sleep in! Then Brandy wanted our attention. We got ready for a leisurely day… hahahahahahaha!!! Silly us.

Apparently the phone rang at nine. We didn’t know. At 10am, Erin rang to see if we could help Morgan move. I said yes, and started to get ready to go down and help. Hahahahaha. I checked the phone because it said we’d missed a call. The restaurant had called. Karen needed me to bake.

So, I showered and headed to work. Made bread, two coconut cream pies and did a lot of people ‘mopping up’. A refrigerator blew a coil or something and died. So, everyone was a bit frantic. Ooooooommm……. Lots of smiles, backrubs, grounding and other energy work along with the cooking. Phew! Ate lunch and finally got home around 3pm. Took a brief rest and tried to catch up on all the other calls I’d missed.

Meanwhile, when I was gone, Barbara Yule called with computer issues, and my Dad came by. He had pictures for the La Plaza Inn website for Dan.

I made arrangements with Pauline to pick up her washer and dryer and then called John to meet us at the house Morgan and Erin were renting. By 5pm, I finally had everyone in place. Wooohooo!!!! After that, I picked up some stuff that I’m taking to Stefan and Bryan in Arkansas. Gads those books are heavy.

Now to go do some sewing. I have jeans to hem for $$ and then I have two dresses to sew for the trip. Wheee…. If I am lucky, the only things I will have tomorrow will be a Huefano County Cat Coalition meeting and then helping Morgan and Erin pack. sigh….

Midway Thru Spring Break

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Gads…. Wednesday already! Four more days of spring break, and then back to school. The weather is still nice and warm too! Argh…. I am really not into the headspace for Fundamentals of Management. Yes, there probably is something new that they can teach me, but in all honesty, I’m 50. I’ve had a spouse and children…. run my own business and have been the business manager for LoboSavvy for 6 years. So, it will be a challenge not to blow off the teacher. Or heckle. Most of them are use to dealing with 20 somethings or kids just out of high school. They are not use to dealing with older students. Oh well.

Meanwhile, I am trying to do some sewing. I did a duvet cover yesterday. Yellow flowers and a boarder print. I’ve had the fabric for years, and never used it. I need to put some snaps on the opening and that is about it. Then there is the mending pile to attack. Oh, and curtains to make to match the fabric in the bedroom. Big problem is that what I feel like doing is taking a walk, or…. jumping someone’s bones. LOL. 🙂 Maybe I’ll just curl up with a good book… I have this one from my mom to read. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Have you seen a week floating around here?

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I’m missing one. I know that one went on, as it is over seven days since I last posted, but… where did the time go? Gads. Somewhere along the lines, I have:

  • Sent Matt to join El Fandango-a dance class/troupe/cultural thingy run by my cousin Gretchen
  • Been to parent teacher conferences with Morgan
  • Gone to work for at least 4 hours a day, M-F.
  • Totally rearranged the Workforce office and my storage area at work
  • Dealt with volunteers/board members/tourists
  • printed, collated, folded, stuffed, labeled and mailed 80+ renewal packets for the chamber
  • Gone to Pueblo for car parts for Divot
  • Cleaned out the guest house for a workspace
  • went through 2 years of microfilm searching for stories
  • seen my parents
  • sewn curtains, Yule prezzies and knitted
  • and did the whole Halloween thing last night.

Yesterday was fun. I dressed up for work. Or should that be dressed normally…??? Long black velvet dress, B&W striped socks, black shoes, pointy witch hat, pentacle and my hair going any way it wanted. I even had candy at the chamber to hand out.

After work, I had lots of errands to run. I didn’t bother to change, so I went to the bank, post office, San Isabel Electrics, Edla’s and Mountain Harmony (the local health food shop) in costume.

After I got home, I took off the hat and added my reading glasses as I was working on the computer. big surprise! We had treats waiting for the trick or treaters. Not too many at first, and then there was a rush around 7:30pm that went on for at least an hour. One little girl, probably about 3 came up to the door all dressed as a witch. I answered the door, and said Happy Halloween. She looked up… and then looked me up and down really well. Then looked at her own costume and then back at me. I smiled at her, gave her the candy and said bye! She was still giving me “the look”, with her eyes wide. Her mom, who has noticed none of this says “lets go” and starts to move the little girl down the stairs. The little girl is still giving me “the look” that says “she’s a real witch” the whole time. Steps down a step, looks back, steps, looks back all the way down the stairs. Mom still hasn’t noticed, and is nudging her down the stairs. I wave, close the door and start giggling. Dan asked me what I was giggling about and I explained. Dan started lauging and said, “No, she wasn’t expecting Aunt Jet to hand out candy.” I laughed. It’s true.

Today has been very warm. I think it was nearly 70! I ran around in a teeshirt and jeans most of the day. Beautiful Indian Summer weather.

I’d love to sleep in tomorrow, but I hope that we will be going to Pueblo for some grocery shopping. John is suppose to borrow Erin’s car as mine are still out of commission. sigh…

Drywall, perfume and thunderstorms

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Yesterday was busy. I started off with giving John a haircut. He’s worn it long for the last 15 years and decided that it was just too hot to do so any longer. So, I gave him a nearly military haircut. Never thought I’d do that again! Oh well. He’s cooler and happier. We’ll all get use to seeing him with shorter hair.

Then Daniel and I drove up to Pueblo in Blue, my ancient F150 pick-up. We were heading up to get building supplies. Yes, I did this a few days ago with Dan, but this time I had to get the drywall. I also needed to get a birthday present for John and Daniel wanted to find something for his girlfriend.

First stop was at Lowe’s for paint. A 5 gallon bucket of paint. Funny bit was Daniel drooling over kitchen cupboards and the cool washers and dryers. He was like a puppy running around the store. Finally got out of there and headed to the Pueblo Mall. Now, for some people that probably sounds like a really cool place. When it first went up, it probably was. However, in comparison to the malls in Denver or Colorado Springs, it is very small. Upside of this is that it is just about all the Mall I can stand.

We found the perfume Daniel wanted to get Breanna as well as some silly flip flops, lip gloss and a little bag to hold them. I got John a hat that said Authentic ’58 and a deck of trivia ’58 cards. He was 50 yesterday.

Then we hit Home Depot. $110 later, we walked out with hardware, 12 sheets of drywall, 1 sheet of OSB and loaded up the truck. We stopped for a couple of dollar hamburgers and then headed home. We aren’t on the highway ten minutes when I see this rain curtain heading our way. I think “shit!”, as there is nothing but the OSB over the drywall. I drove as fast as my poor old F150 could go in hopes of missing the storm. No such luck, silly me. We got within a mile of this one curve when the rain hit. Downpour! I go to turn on the windscreen wipers to find that they aren’t working. WHAT??? So, barely able to see, I pull off at the exit and while the rain is thundering down on us and lightning cracks every 2-3 seconds I’m crawling under the dash trying to figure out what is wrong. You see, the wipers work, but don’t always turn off. John had the truck the last time it rained, and he just unplugged them when he couldn’t turn them off! However, he didn’t tell anyone! ahem… First I tried to figure out where the plug was. Then Daniel. Fifteen sweaty minutes later, Daniel and I finally plug in the wipers. We change places yet again and I start off home.  BTW, the roadbed that we’d parked in had been dry, and now had 4 inches of standing water! We drove through 10 more minutes of pounding rain before we got clear of it. Daniel figured the drywall was ruined. I wasn’t too sure. 25 more minutes of dry weather and we got home. Dan and Daniel unloaded the truck. The OSB was soaked. However, thank Goddess, the drywall only had some damp spots. We put it in the front office to dry until we need it on Sunday. We were all exhausted. Drywall is heavy!

Later for John’s birthday we had steak, veg and German Chocolate cake. My stomach was upset, so I only had water although it all smelled good. John loved his presents. I gave him the hat and cards as well as a lap quilt and pillowcase I had made him. I had this cool bear fabric that I used.

Between rainstorms and loads of laundry I did some more sewing. I’ve been trying to make time to actually reacquaint myself with my sewing room and machine. Wheeeee!

Today we are finishing up the framing on the closet at 520 and hope to be able to drywall and paint by Monday. Wheeeee!
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Achievement!!!!

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Gads, you’d think I’d done something grand… like won a prize or been awarded an Oscar. No, I just finally got some sewing done! I’ve had some stuff in the mending/finish pile for months. Specifically, two of John’s waistcoats. I either have no time to start or just can’t think on how to work on them or anything else. Then there was the horridness of not having a clear space to work. I finally got my sewing area which everyone calls Area 51 clean. They call it that because it is full of UFO’s… (Un Finished Objects)

 Area 51

Area 51 part 2

So, I had no excuse not to sew… urk..

Last night when I got home, I threw dinner together, tossed laundry in the washer and dryer and then after we ate, I went down to Area 51. First off, I got a corset cut out for Morgan (my D-I-L). Did some more laundry and then finished the repairs on John’s tan and green waistcoat. Shuffled more laundry and started working on his black and red waistcoat. It’s only been awaiting buttons for 3 years. However, I decided it needed finished. Tonight I will finish up the button loops. Biggest thing that has stopped me of course was the fact that it is reversible.

My parents arrived today as well, to make things just that much more complicated. They came to do more work on the house. Tomorrow, Mom and I are headed to Pueblo to buy material for curtains. Wheee…. More Sewing!