I'm ready for better days.....

 Colorado is burning.     Glenwood Canyon is one of the most beautiful places in our state.   It follows the Colorado River as it winds it's way westward.     This mighty river carved a deep narrow canyon in  15 miles of raw beauty.     The highway in the Canyon is a major east/west route. It was a remarkable  engineering feat to construct a two lane interstate concrete ribbon through the narrow pass without destroying or detracting from the best of nature.   

This is the very beginning of the fire.    These two avid hikers were tubing on the Colorado and saw the fire and smoke.   They saw fire trucks racing to the site but it was already consuming large pine swaths.  And so it began..... they think it was from a cigarette thrown from a car window.    We are in a severe drought and this was all it took.     Over one week later, the fire is not contained and 1-70 remains closed. 

   

This is the view south.    Normally, the San Juan mountains are clearly visible and the Colorado blue sky dominates.    There is another  very large fire, out of control as well,  about 1.5 hours north of us and between the two, we are smothered in smoky haze. 

Yesterday, we went Jeeping up Corkscrew Pass.    It was hazy at 12.000 ft as well.    It looked so dry everywhere.    Last year we had record snows and this year, not much.     It is sad.

I finished "Migrations".   It is a somber,  complex novel.   I feel I should reread it but right now, I need something a bit lighter.    I'm also listening to "Children of God", the sequel to "Sparrow".    I'm thinking that listening is better than reading it.   The narrator is good with the various dialects.   

  On our return from the mountains yesterday, we stopped at our favorite restaurant in Ridgeway.  (Believe it or not, this was the FIRST food not made in our kitchen since we returned from AZ in March).   Taco del Gnar makes tacos that are nothing like what you think.    They had window service only, masks required and they wiped the IPad after each signature.    We threw out all of our thoughts of  plant based food and indulged.    The tacos we ordered are a soft flour tortilla, filled with greens, pico, red peppers ( I think) and marinated portobello mushroom slices.    All dampened with queso fresco,   It is served with tater tots with more pico and queso and a container of smoky baked beans.    We sat in the park and ate our drippy delicious meal.    Of course, there a lot of meat/fish  based tacos.    Normally, there are great concerts in the park in the summer.    We pick up our dinners and find the perfect spot to listen and enjoy the summer evenings.    Not normal any more..... but the tacos are as great as ever.    In case you are in your 2nd home in Telluride, there is a Taco del Gnar there as well....a block from the ski lift.  

I should be out walking and biking but the smoke is irritating and I'm not sure it is wise.    I feel like it is winter and we are confined.   

To all my blogger friends.    For quite awhile, 6 months or more, I haven't been able to comment on your blogs.  I still follow all of you and I have tried and will keep trying.  I type out my comments and they never show up.    I'm doing it the way I've always done it.    I suspect it is operator error but if you have suggestions, I will listen.     Anyway,  I'm still enjoying all you have to say.    

Colorado is beautiful.....

Today, I played golf with 3 friends at The Divide Ranch Golf Club.    It's about a 40 min drive  up to 8000 ft on the top of a mesa, Log Hill.   The views of the San Juan Mountains are stunning.    We seriously looked for a home here when we found that Florida, in the summer was not an option.    Ultimately, we decided that the altitude would be difficult for any guests and that there was going to be a 40 min drive to play pickleball and get groceries.   

It's more of a rustic , natural course with serious hills and valleys.   If you miss the fairway, there is no mercy.    I was pleased with my efforts on the back 9...the front was forgettable.    One fairway is called the Plunge and it lives up to it's name as you need to work your way downward until you come to a shelf .   You then hit down to the green.    If you miss the 'shelf', you end up on a very steep incline covered with tall weeds.   It is difficult to stand comfortably not to mention trying to hit a ball.   Luckily, I landed on the shelf so didn't have to mimic a goat.    

  It was in the 90's and clear so the UV index was about 20 !   I covered up with sunscreen, a hat, a UV shirt and still came home wiped out and feeling fried.   

The air is hazy these days due to wild fires north of us.    They are not contained and have closed I-70 in all directions.   There are no easy options to get around, all requiring a few hundred miles detour.  

 This is Mt Sneffles, a fourteener and always a focal point from our back yard.   That's my friend Marcia.  She is always coordinated in hat/shoes/ colors.... she even had pink golf balls until she lost them (she didn't play well )

The deer have no fear.   Many of the lovely mountain homes have very high fencing to keep them out. 

On another day, we headed over to Silver Jack Lake to meet up with friends for a socially distanced picnic.    So good to catch up in a safe and beautiful setting.   Coming back down the trail, we encountered this walking roadblock.   They were in no hurry.   

Meet Murphy.   He lives in CT with our favorite teenage boys.    He is not yet a year old.    And yes, he is a lab/pit mix but is small and seemingly docile.    Andy describes him as the "wallflower of dogs".   He clocks in more miles than most people on the Strava app along with his walking /hiking family.  

And, he's a generous grand dog, sending me these sox so I won't forget him. 

  

And speaking of socks, this is my latest version.   And the yarn is dyed so both socks will exactly match.   The next ones are even more colorful...stay tuned.   

 

 

 I somehow managed to rearrange pics, thx Robbie.   It's still time consuming but these days, I have lots of that.  

Life is good.....considering....

The new Blogger format is challenging and it will take awhile to figure out it's quirks.   One of which is that I can't put the pics where I want them....so I will have to narrate around that annoyance.  

We've been biking more.    Jeff and Jon introduced me to the Strava app.   It allows me to keep track of my mileage and to share it with others.     It's also a good motivator to get moving, biking, hiking, walking, swimming, Jeeping so you can show others that you are not just sitting on the couch eating Cheetos.   ( I love the crunchy Cheetos but alas, haven't had one in forever)    And we can give each other kudos and comments.   I also share with a couple of friends.   

This was today's ride on the Montrose bike path and around the neighborhood.    

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The Bike path is a real gem for Montrose. .   It's been newly upgraded and lengthened and is busy with walkers, joggers, strollers, bikers of all ages.   It follows the Uncompaghre River and there has been a big investment to make a portion of it a safe recreational area for kayakers and water enthusiasts with added picnic areas and playgrounds. 

 Just finished reading "Sparrow".   Interesting premise of 4 Jesuit priests who take a 17 year journey to another solar system.  It is a good sci fi read but also a compelling examination of faith.   I'm taking a break before I continue with the sequel.     Thx, Jan.   

I just started "Migrations" , a highly anticipated novel (according to reviews) about a woman chasing the arctic tern before it is extinct.   So far, she's in Greenland in the winter and I get cold just reading it.  

I finished the 2nd book in a trilogy by Hilary Mantel,  "Wolf Hall' the first, then "Bring Up the Bodies" and the 3rd just came out, "The Mirror and the Light".    All based on Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell.   Historical novels are a favorite, especially British.     I just read that Ken Follett has a prequel to "Pillars of the Earth".    I read that many years ago and all I remember is they kept trying to build  those cathedrals and then some marauders would burn down their efforts and they'd start again.    

The expression, "so many books, so little time"... is beginning to be my mantra.   My list keeps growing.

I need to keep reading because I certainly am not a gardener.   My roses are non existent.    I feed them, I prune them correctly, the sprinklers work and yet, they seem stunted with withered blooms or none at all.   I assume something is eating them or infecting them.   I use a recommended feed that is supposed to take care of all those issues.    I'm tempted to prune them down to the ground and let them have a rest until next year.   I have 10 bushes and each year they flourish without a problem.  Frustrating....

In order to improve my golf game.... ( the amount of money you put into golf is not reflected in a better score)....I got a new driver.    Well, it's not new new but just used enough to drop the price by half.   The Pro Shop always has the latest and greatest to demo and I've been trying the Callaway Maverick.   I definitely get longer and straighter drives but I wasn't willing to pay $$$.   I learned in my research that the Maverick is the same as last years Epic and I could get it at a used price much cheaper from Callaway Pre-owned .....   I'm very happy with it.     Now if I could putt.   

Lots of building going on around here.    Our Club ordered name tags for us since there are a lot of new people and .......masks😷 !      I made a couple more today.   I'm always trying a new pattern or a different layering or something.      We are mandated to wear them in Colorado...finally.     Some of the bikers on the path today were wearing them.    I don't feel I need to when I'm outside and distanced but I always have one with me.  

For over 6 months, I have doubled down on healthy eating.    For about 6 years, we have been meat and dairy free, eating a plant based diet.     Laziness had brought in some processed foods and that nagging person  in my head was not happy with that.    So, I got serious and reset my intentions and surprisingly, the pounds fell off.    I am back in a healthy groove and now have a new ( old ) wardrobe.     I haven't worn some of these clothes for about 10 years and my closet is getting a good re-organization.   Of course, now I have no place to go to wear any of them and I had to buy more comfortable leggings and T-shirts to match my current stay-at-home lifestyle.  But someday,..........

Time to get on the bike and ride............

Hollyhocks

 We donned our antennae and played our best in the annual Lady Bug golf tournament.   It's a popular Cobble Creek event and draws women from around the western slope.    This year, the numbers were down but the enthusiasm was high.    We had fun,  met  new people and we were one stoke away from the $$$.....

 Still baking bread..... still eating bread.

A couple years ago, an errant seed blew into our yard and took root.   I thought it a weed but since I am a first rate procrastinator, it grew and grew.....and then blossomed.    What a surprise to see these old fashioned holly hocks.   In my youth, the neighbor's yards were full of these, especially along fences.    Here, in the high desert, these seem to flourish in a multitude of colors.

















I don't think I saw them anywhere else that we have lived....CT and FL...and my first glimpse brought back memories of making flower ladies in their colorful ball gowns.     Creativity and imagination helped us pass the summer days.


I'm finding the future gloom and doom is starting to drag on me.   When I think of last year and the trips, the grands visits, the West Point concert, the theatre in Denver and Christmas, Arizona.. I know that this year will be much different.    I know that we are so much better off than many and we are grateful for our ability to stay safe.   And we don't have reservations to cancel, or family gatherings to reschedule or anyone in harm's way (well, except for the Dr and the pilot).  

I try and think positively but with our leaders doing their level best to look the other way and to not be making a herculean effort in every way to make us safe ..... it is frustrating and scary and baffling.    

Meanwhile, I walk, I ride my bike, I read , I knit and we play a lot of golf and pickleball.    And we live in a most beautiful part of the world.

Making the best of hibernation....

Finally, we can watch this brilliant production.      We signed up for Disney Plus and have been absorbed in "Hamilton".     Just an unequaled  event.    There's so much depth to this and I understand more with each viewing.    I knew the words/music quite well but then realized I had the wrong people singing them and now it makes more sense.    And isn't King George just the best !

And now I want a bigger TV !

 I've always wanted those flag banners but never think about it until right before the holiday.   This year I was prepared.     We also lined the golf course border and the front of the house with small flags.    Very festive.   No fireworks this year.  

And then we headed over to Salida to meet up with Mike and Jenna for a picnic.   It was a 2.5 hr drive for both of us but it seems as if all of the Denver Front range decided to head west so it took them forever in slow traffic .      We sat in the park along the Arkansas River.    This area of the river is designed as a safe place for kayaking and paddle and body boards.   It's only about 2 ft deep with large rocks for sitting and watching the fun.      Farther along, the river gets very serious and is known for it's white water rafting.     I was pleased to see so many families wearing masks.     It was a great getaway and a chance to catch up.  

I find the news to be so appalling and frustrating and somedays wonder if I'll ever see a return to what we used to think was normal.       We are still hunkered down.   I miss Target and know I could mask up and wander about ....but like so many other things....is it worth it?
But the wonderful Colorado air feels perfect and we golf ... a lot..... and never tire of the mountain views out back.  

Squatters....

We spend our days battling the swallows for property rights to our eaves.     Although I've heard mention of the nuisance of swallows nesting on porches, we've never even noticed them before.    And then, a week or so ago, we were inundated with the swooping, dark, raucous, squatters.

 We found them nest building in 4 of our peaked eaves.... 2 stories high.    Not only are the mud nests unsightly, the droppings below (one at the front door area) are disgusting.   Once they build the nest and occupy it, they are protected by the 1918 Migratory Bird Act and it is against the law to remove them until the young ones have left.      And then, next year, they return with all their relatives and make larger colonies.      So, determined beyond measure, I took up the only tools at my disposal, a tall ladder and a forceful hose. (Where are those grand boys when we really need them ? )    So far, after 4 days of knocking down blobs of mud every hour or so,  we have seen no more building today.    I'm not convinced they have given up and moved on.    But I also suspect that they are running out of time to lay eggs.      Our street has a large concentration of 2 story homes and everyone has been invaded.    Our neighbors ask us if the water works but they are not willing or able to climb ladders and so the unsightly nests are growing.     Next year I will be ready....

 N

I finally got out with the Hiking Club .....   we did a 4 mile hike on the trails along the rim at BlackCanyon NP....only about 40 min from here.   Strenuous and intimidating in spots but so good to get out again.  

And then we headed up Owl Creek Pass to get back into the forests and views.   This road is not scary like the Jeep trails in the mountains.    

 Courthouse Peak, a popular hiking trail....  

We've been playing a lot of golf.   Always a challenging outing but aren't we all optimistic that the next hole will be better.    And fun to get out with friends where it's easy to catch up with everyone from 6 ft away.

We're still pretty much in hibernation mode with no plans to change that.   Things are opening around here and cases are rising about 2-3 week in the County.   Hospitalizations and deaths are not changing.  
 Neighbors  have families and friends in and play cards and dine out and have tried to get back to their usual life style.   We're not there yet.

And sun tea makes it feel like summer.....

Nature never disappoints....

 If we must stay home, at least we can enjoy nature at her finest.       This rose is called 'George Burns'.      I'm hoping that my favorite, "Doris Day' will be in full bloom
 next week.

This is a lovely tea rose bush that I've watched on my walks.   

 Peonies are showing up....

And, in keeping with the floral theme, I'm determined to finish up this needlepoint.  

Spring in the time of a pandemic....

This seems to be the fashion of the day.   I'm all in and will do all I can to protect me and my roommate.    I could use a haircut tho.     Note the masks on the door in the background....so we won't forget.   I've made about 5-6 and find them less fiddly and have rediscovered my sewing machine.

Still making bread although I am close to needing more flour....which still doesn't exist.   This time I made a cinnamon/raisin from a different recipe.   It was flatter than I liked but assume that was due to altitude issues.   But it was delicious and we ate the whole thing.   If we were butter users, it would have been gone while it was still warm.  

I'm using a new shampoo.....in bar form.    It's made in New Zealand and it leaves my hair smooth and more manageable.  ( I have a lot of hair ).    I also use the purple conditioner bar.    I can only find it on Amazon.   It doesn't really have much of a coconut smell as you might thing from this ad. 

I had a birthday.... I'm good with having more of them and am grateful for the healthy abundant life I 

have.   

Got the outdoor spaces powerwashed and windows cleaned (well, not the high ones) and now can savor the views from the upper deck.  



















We had a fair amount of families visiting on Mother's Day.    And  friends are having gatherings on their patios and even playing mahjong.     We are just not there yet.    Montrose County is still having more cases each day.    I'm still doing pick up at the grocery.    If I need to go in the store, I grab what I need and use self checkout.      We play golf but everyone is in their own carts and distancing is pretty easy.      I'm not totally bored yet and have plenty of projects.   I do get tired of cooking.

Not sure what I would do without audio books.   Have a good long one going now for my walks and knitting.    And pondering  the writings of Terry Tempest Williams....currently saddened by "Erosion" and the assault on our open lands.    I'm reading "Pride and Prejudice"......sometimes a bit of a slog through the flowery English style of conversation from the 1800's.      I have quite a list of books waiting but I'm determined to finish what I start.

I watch entirely too much news.....but now I look forward to people's background Skype rooms.    And since discovering Room Rater on Twitter ...(no I'm not on Twitter but if you type in room rater tweets, it pops up). ...   I've learned that a green plant, upright books on your shelf, good art or children's art and decent lighting will get you 8/10.      A 10/10 is scarce altho it does happen, especially if you are very old and wise.     And if you are a certain cable news host with a liquor cabinet as your background, you will get few points.     And animals help.

It's almost time for jeeping.......

Blogger, we have a problem.....

It seems that I have a problem and am unable to write a new post.    I'm attaching this to the last one I did as I am able to edit my blog but they changed something and I can't find the 'new post" button.   I know that I can just delete the previous blog but I like having all of my posts in order to know what I did yesterday....... So, stay tuned.....(I'm still making bread ).

 I've been waiting over a month to get bread flour and yeast. My diligent
searching finally paid off and City Market came through with the flour.      Amazon allowed me to buy TWO pounds of Red Star yeast at TWICE the regular price.  

I've studied the basic boule' recipe and yesterday, I mixed up a batch of wet sticky dough.   I had to follow the high altitude directions which gave me  a lot of doubt about achieving  a successful final product.    I let it refrigerate over night to rise slowly ( at HA, it would rise too rapidly at room air and I used  less yeast and more water)......(at the rate of 1/2 TBSP of yeast per batch, I can live to be 102 and still have some left over).  

This morning, I formed a lovely little ball, thinking it was going to be a bun instead of a loaf but still following the precise directions and comparing the pictures.   After about 45 min, it blossomed beautifully into a round sturdy loaf.    Then I was to cut slashes into it....not sure why but they looked good in the pictures.    Well, drawing a serrated knife across sticky dough does not result in neat gashes.    But whatever.......    It went onto a 450 degree preheated pizza stone with pan of steaming water underneath.   I hovered for the next 30 min.   

 

 And then, it was done !!  










The recipe makes enough for 4 loaves so I'm baking up the rest of the dough for the neighbors.      I have to say that it was very easy despite my constant angst. The bread is crusty/chewy on the outside with lots of holes on the inside for strawberry jam.



My mother made bread every Monday, enough to last a week to feed a family of 6.   She also made caramel rolls and buns.    And she didn't need a recipe, nor a fancy mixer, nor a pizza stone.     And it was much better than mine.

520 miles later.......

We're back where we belong.     Did the long drive again on Thursday.    We're kind of getting used to the route and there's enough  variety to mark our progress.    We'll miss the beautiful landscape of Arizona and my hilly walks and bike rides.    And of course, the nice weather.  

Navajo Nation has a fair number of COVID cases and it's the first place where we've seen masks being worn.    We avoided  everything and everyone.     I found 2 full bottles of 70% alcohol in the laundry room when were home a couple weeks ago . ( It does not expire for a couple years)  So, I put it in a Windex spray bottle and we spray hands, soles of our shoes, car door handles etc.    I do have hand sanitizer but the spray bottle is more efficient.   I wipe all groceries before bringing into the house with Clorox wipes....even bananas 

I decided to try the grocery pick up system at the local City Market.   Their site is not as smooth as it could be but I was able to make a list of a few things.    If I need to change anything, I need to call them which would be a pain.    Interesting that the first pick up time available was 2 days later.    Ours will be ready at 5 pm on Sunday.    It's a small trial order as we are well supplied with food.    

One thing we are running low on is oatmeal.    We eat it everyday and buy in bulk at Costco.   I went online and found that it was sold out everywhere.  ( Eventually, I was able to preorder it at Costco for delivery in about 2 weeks).    Who would have thought?   I happened to mention this to son #3.   He promptly answered with this picture.........    We actually bought that oatmeal on a visit at Christmas !   He says "it's desperate times".

Meanwhile, it is just great to be home amid these uncertain times.    I worry about family and friends who aren't able to remain as isolated as we are.  

And then, we woke to this beautiful scene this morning.