Whirling Dervish Practice.

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This week has been busy, crazy, hectic… and a few more adjectives.

Monday was almost quiet. Lots of errands.

Tuesday: Up and running and off to Denver, for a computer client. Home by midnight.

Wednesday: In the middle of a Google Hangout, Daniel called. He needed brought home from Cheyenne because Angela’s father was in hospital. Daniel wanted to get to see Frank before he died. So, I drove up to Cheyenne. Traffic was horrid both ways and in the midst of Denver rush hour traffic, we got a call from Hillary, Angela’s sister, that Frank had passed. When we got to Pueblo, we met with Angela and Daniel went home with her. I got home around 10pm.

Today was another long day. Errands in town, vacuuming my parent’s house and then off to Pueblo. Why? Well, besides getting a new windscreen for the truck, picking up some groceries and items from Target, Lowes and JoAnn’s Fabrics, I had a brand new granddaughter to see!

Raven Alexandra was born at 7:50:16 am, July 18th. (A day she shares with her Grandpa John, Nelson Mandela and John Glenn.) She weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and is 20 inches long.

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We had dinner at Romero’s and then came home to collapse!

It’s the snow storm that never ends…

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Well once again, Mother Nature played chicken with us and we lost. After horrid winds on Sunday, warmth up to about 70 yesterday, we woke to clouds and damp this morning. I thought it would be rain. Smelled like rain. Looked like rain. Hoped it would be rain.

So, I went off to the County Commissioners meeting to hear the proclamation of Ludlow Centennial Year. This Saturday, April 20th is the 99th anniversary of that horrid day. So, the state has decided to have a year long event. Our three commissioners signed the proclamation and handed it to our local UMW representative. In June there is usually a memorial service out at Ludlow. I’ve written about this event before. Here and here. I will be writing more about it as the year goes on.

Once that was done, I did my usual Wednesday thing. Vacuumed my mom’s house and did laundry. I was just getting ready to leave when I realized that it was SNOWING! Oh My was it snowing. Big Fat Flakes. Instead of heading to the Laundromat to dry my clothes, I picked up Dan. We headed out to George’s and had lunch. We celebrated our 9th anniversary with pie. 🙂

Afterwards we stopped by my parents as they had just returned from Colorado Springs and Pueblo. They brought us fried cinnamon rolls. Yum! We went to the grocery, then to the Laundromat and dried clothes.

Now we are home and curled up next to the wood stove keeping warm and working on our computers. Oh, and watching snow fall on top of the 5-6 inches we have from this storm already.

Quiet at last

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… for at least a little while. Erin came by to visit with Natalie on Thursday. We had pizza and chatted until he had to get back to his truck around 9pm. Friday we went to Pueblo. We took Natalie to Bingo Burger for dinner and then we looked around in various shops for a light coat for me. No luck. Finally around 9:30pm, we took Natalie to the bus station and saw her off to Austin Texas. After a quick stop for a drink, we drove to La Junta and picked up Morgan. She had a meeting in Colorado Springs the next morning. We got in late, up early and headed out.

The meeting was a People to People meeting about a trip to Australia. Morgan was really excited about this, but as the meeting wore on, it was apparent to us that Morgan had ‘out grown’ what People to People could offer. That jump in maturity has sent her straight out of PtP’s league. So, it was a rather sad trio that drove home. We are now thinking of just raising the money for Morgan to go visit Natalie in Oxford.

To take the edge off, we went to the Citadel Mall and got Greek gyros for lunch. Yum! Then we did the great coat hunt for me again. In the end, we gave up and I bought a pattern and material for a coat. I’ll be making that this week. (hopefully). We drove home and after a bit of dinner, headed to bed.

We slept in for the first time in nearly 8 weeks! It was glorious!!! We got up, pottered about and then after watching the Space x launch, had a bit of dinner and then drove Morgan back to La Junta. It was a nice ride home, as we watched rabbits zip across the highway. We also talked a bit about my project for NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month) I’ve decided to give it a try again. Last time my computer died. We talked about the plot, some characters and where I’d like things to go. We discussed just how much I was going to have to pick his brain too. 🙂

Today, it was back to the grind. A much quieter house now that the girls are gone, but good to be back to a more ‘normal’ (?) schedule.

A Tortilla Run!

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What? you say. Tortillas? Running? Well, Dan and I got up at the crack of yawn and went with my parents to Las Vegas, New Mexico. Why? Because of Charlie’s Bakery. Oh. My. God.

Every four months or so, my parents drive down and pick up 12 dozen or more tortillas from Charlies. This time they took us with them. We could share the driving and help carry the tortillas to the car. Plus, we were treated to the most heavenly lunch! I’m still stuffed and it is nearly five hours later! After a heavenly lunch of enchiladas with carne avodovo, I got an apple fritter and Dan got cookies. We had to save them until we got home.

Now I have six dozen tortillas to savor until the next trip. Below are pictures of the bakery, the tortilla cooker and the pastry shelf. I couldn’t find a picture of the cooler where the 10″ high cream puffs or the 12″ x 5″ x 3″ long johns made with REAL cream live. They probably got tired of people licking their computer screens. Next time you’re in Las Vegas, New Mexico, stop at Charlie’s.

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A Wild Time in Walsenburg!

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Just in case anyone in the universe missed the news yesterday…. This   is what happened in Walsenburg. Around 9:45am, Dan called to tell me that he might be late getting home from lunch. He’d gone to get gas at the Acorn when suddenly everything went crazy. He got over to George’s Drive Inn and managed to grab a burger while waiting to see if he could get out of the area. He finally ended going up over the hogback and through the back side of town to get home. He also got the chance to talk to our local sheriff, Bruce Newman.

Meanwhile, Daniel and some of his work buddies were getting gas as well. Everyone got hung up. My parents were trying to come home from Pueblo where they’d gone early this morning for groceries. I don’t know how long it took them to get home. Oh, and Morgan and I were suppose to go to Pueblo to do some shopping. We got delayed and had to go out of town by the southern exits. We passed the scene and could see the car and the traffic backed up for miles.

We got our shopping done, had lunch at Bingo Burger and still managed to be caught in the traffic jam. We did see the Dougherty Gang being taken in convoy to Pueblo. Lots and Lots of law enforcement vehicles with flashing lights.

It certainly has been a media circus. Walsenburg’s one day of fame. Now to going back to a quiet sleepy town in Southern Colorado.

Fountain Valley School

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Sunday we went up to Colorado Springs. This was so we could be at the Winter visiting day for Fountain Valley School. This is a private college prep high school that we’ve been looking at for Morgan.

The hotel was um… a joke. Yes, it was cheap, but we’ve stayed in nicer hotels for about the same amount and had much better service and rooms. Oh well. We got up early and headed for FVS. We were WAY early, so we grabbed a second bit of breakfast at Burger King, because the breakfast at the hotel was….um….horrid.

We arrived on time and guess what…. Third Breakfastses!!! It would have made a hobbit proud! LOL! We had a lovely tour of the campus, visited with teachers, student and parents. Lunch was fantastic, and we were assured that Morgan would Not Starve if she attended FVS. We had an interview with one of the admission assistants and that went well. After that was over, we visited the stables that we had missed earlier due to a bit of rain. Yes, rain in January. Better yet, rain in sunshine in January!

After the visit, we headed home with a stop in Pueblo to find Dan some dress clothes for his upcoming trip to Washington DC. He really wanted a suit and an extra pair of trews, but we ended up buying a sports coat, two pairs of trews, a shirt, a belt and a wool overcoat. It took forever! Morgan got bored with waiting, so we let her roam JCPenny’s, which is where we were. She found a sweater and we got it for her. Biggest issue we had was finding the size that fit Dan. Normally he wears 34/30 jeans. However, when it comes to suit pants, he wears a 38/29. Just weird. Snakes on shoes weird! I don’t understand their sizing. Oh well. We got the stuff purchased. We also all remember just how much we hate shopping!

Afterwards, we went to Bingo Burger for dinner. Yum!!!! It was a good ending to a long day. Especially as I had an asthma attack in the Mall due to some perfumes in Bath & Body… which we just walked by! uggghhh…  When we got home, Dan took the truck back while I crawled in bed with a hot water bottle. Between the asthma, the long day and the inhaler, I was out in moments!

Of course, waking up today was a real effort. I was so tired. I was bribed out of bed with a cup of tea and then later Dan took me to lunch at George’s. Yumm….

The rest of this week will be busy with clients and working on our business plan. wheeee….. On Friday, we have to go to Trinidad on business. I am really looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday!

Calm-er?

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Sort of. Maybe. Perhaps… It was a bit calmer this last week. We still had computer jobs, but most of them were in town. La Plaza needed their cash till adjusted. Marianne needed her ‘well computer’ checkup and we had a school board meeting to attend. Oh, and I did up about 40 holiday cards. Not too bad all total.

Friday were a bit hectic. I started off my morning by meeting John at the bank to notarize the separation agreement for the divorce. Also got my name taken off of the joint account. I paid the water bill, filed the separation agreement, mailed off umteen holiday cards, and went to George’s to get breakfast for us. We love sausage pete’s with green chile strips. Yummmmm.

Saturday,I got up early and went for a job interview at La Plaza for the new First Choice grocery store. I think it went well, but have to wait for the next interview and the store to have the construction finished. Then we borrowed my parent’s pick up truck and drove up to Canon City. We went to visit Adam, Judith and Brendan. They have a house up above Canon City. They have a micro farm. Geese, ducks, chickens, pigs, goats, dogs and cats. 🙂 Dan fixed Jude’s computer and we all had a great visit.

After we left, we headed to Pueblo to get a few groceries. Funny bit is that we saw John and Beth in Walmart! LOL.

I have to admit that some of panic and stress I have been dealing with over the job situation and the divorce have finally settled. After two weeks of not being called in to La Plaza, I figure I’m done. Her business, her choices. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Meanwhile, I’m applying for other jobs and trying to drum up business for LoboSavvy. As for the divorce… I filed my financial paperwork on time before the December 3rd deadline. John managed it on the 9th. His delays in doing that is what prompted me to push for filing the separation agreement on Friday. Next week is slated to be busy and I didn’t want to mess up the filing date of December 15th. So…. it is now done. Nothing else to do until the court sets a date. For all intensive purposes I’m as divorced as I can get until the Judge drops the gavel.

Big Deep Breath!!!

Not to continue to de-stress. Next big event is Xmas with the family in Littleton. Dan and I have made reservations at a hotel and are borrowing the truck again to go up. Mom and Dad will stay with Lori. Should be fun. Hopefully, I’ll get to see Mari and David again too. The rest of today is going to be a take it easy day. Too damn cold to do much else.

To Denver and Back

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Yesterday, we left at the crack of dawn for Denver. Dan had a meeting of the Colorado Workforce Development Council. So, we dropped Morgan off and headed up I-25. We had breakfast in Monument at the Village Inn. Not bad food, and we were rather hungry. We got to Denver by 10am, which was a good thing. Why? Because we got LOST. Or to be more exact, we couldn’t find the hotel where the meeting was being held. We finally found it at last. It is one of those dark glass buildings where the name is embossed on it in letters only slightly lighter than the smoked glass of the rest of the building. We found parking for $8 and then walked back to the hotel. Dan went to the meeting and I headed to the 16th Street Mall.

I walked around in various shops and finally made it to the Tattered Cover. I got Dan a copy of Common Sense and us a copy of Terry Pratchett’s latest book, Unseen Academicals. Then I had lunch at the Noodles shop just up from Tattered Cover. Then I went to Barnes and Noble and walked around another bunch of shops. Dan got done with his meeting around 2:30pm and we headed home.

We went shopping at Vitamin Cottage and King Soopers in Pueblo for things we needed for the house and got home around 10pm. We were both so tired, that once we got the groceries put away, we straight to bed. Yawn…

Today it was back to work as usual. I had to wash our bedding as one of the feral cats peed on it. Yuck. Of course that made for a wheezy day for me. Tomorrow is house cleaning day and a volley ball game for Morgan. 🙂 Hopefully, they will do better than they did against La Veta.

Can I buy a Day?

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I know it is Monday, but… I think I need a few extra days this week. I simply can’t figure how to get everything done this week. While there seems to be plenty of time, I keep feeling like I’ve forgotten to write something down and that it will sneak up on me with a resounding thump when I least suspect it. Part of it is the whole Autumn Cleaning Urge. Second of course only to the Spring Cleaning Urge. Part of it is also trying to find places to put bits of furniture, decorations and the like. I picked up more stuff from the other house today. There is also a shuffling of the office to be done once Ian heads off to the Air Force. We are still in limbo about that. argh… I am so sorry that he has to deal with ‘hurry up and wait’.

Work is driving me a bit nuts too. While I don’t mind doing prep-chef work and pastry chef work, I want to be making bread! Pastries! Biscuits! Oh well. I could do with more hours as well. 6 to 9 hours a week just isn’t going to cut it once the winter bills set in. Aieeee!!! I don’t want to have to look for another job, but I might not have a choice. Or, I may have to have a second job. That would be equally frustrating.

Tomorrow, I’m going to Denver with Dan. More as company than anything else. Oh, and an excuse to get out of Walsenburg for a bit. A day in Denver reminds me of ALL the reasons I like to live in a small town. 🙂 I may hit the book stores or the big fabric stores. 🙂 I haven’t been to Denver Fabrics in ages. I could certainly use a new couch cover.

Well, I had best get my arse in gear. Dan should be home in about 15 minutes and it is off to the bank and the store. Wheee…..

Oh, and my computer, while better, is still having some funny glitches. hmmmm….. I may have to get a new one sooner than I expected and give up the laptop for the bone yard. pout!

BTW, would you wrap that day up and make it a Saturday? I could use an extra one!

A very odd day

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We borrowed my parent’s truck on Friday and went to Pueblo. We had some parts to pick up for a job Dan has on Monday. Plus, we decided to buy some groceries and Morgan needed some school clothes. We ran around and did the job shopping first. Then we went to lunch at Wendy’s. Morgan biffed the door and did the whole spin and land on the floor thing. She felt so ditzy.

Then we went to the ARC. It’s a second hand shop, and while we looked at tons of clothing, the only things we got were a pair of sleep pants for Morgan and 6 tiny bread pans for me. Figured that it would be useful to have them when I do the bake sale for the the Celtic Music Festival in a couple of weeks.

Then we went to Old Navy. Morgan found 2 pairs of jeans, a top and a pair of exercise shorts. After that, we went to Walmart and found her 3 sports bras. All total, about $65 worth of clothing. Sort of an expensive month when we add in the $20 I paid Gardner school so that her athletic fees would be paid. Oh well. Hopefully, I will get some more hours and not be so short on cash the rest of the month.

Then we drove home. It was a crazy day, but a fun one.