I heart nature, pt II

These pictures are from Sunday's sunset. The sky was such a beautiful blue - the intensity and saturation of color was unbelievable. And despite racing for the camera and snapping a few pics, the color cannot be duplicated. I was swoony standing next to Thomas. The blues, the pinks in the clouds, the way the light was not quite clear and bright. It seemed as though we opened the door of the house and walked into a painting.

And now the storm has subsided and the power went out. In lieu of pounding rain or thunder, I now hear the splashing of cars driving by....ah, nature!

I heart nature

Right now I am taking a personal moment at work. I am working late tonight, so for the moment I am enjoying the rain pouring down in sheets. The sound is soothing, though loud; the breeze is cool. I am grateful to be protected indoors, as the road is a brown river flowing down the hill. It looks like blue sky in the direction of home, but I am hopeful that this rain might be reaching Miami, too. The thunder claps are ear-splitting, but storms like this don't last long out here.

It's true that I heart nature! On my way to work Friday, I saw a bear on Philmont property. On the way home that afternoon, I saw a golden eagle. Never in Denver...

The sunsets have been amazing, too. The colors are so vivid and radiant that a picture will never compare. Here are a few from Saturday night - it was like fire in the sky!

End of Summer Fun

Thomas and I did not have a summer vacation. We aren't students or teachers afforded this privilege, nor were we able to take a sustained period of quality time away from our jobs for leisure. Both of us kept very busy with work at our jobs and with work at home. This will probably be true of many summers to come. We did have fun with some weekend jaunts from home. And we certainly enjoyed the company of friends and family a few times. This, we hope, will also be true of many summers to come. Labor Day used to mark the end of "summer", though calendar-wise it should be my dad's birthday. Growing up, school didn't start until the Tuesday after Labor Day. Out here (including my years in Denver), school starts mid August and usually ends by Memorial Day. Thus, "summer" was over for our nieces and nephews a couple weeks ago, even earlier for their parents. For Daniel, who works at Philmont, summer is the "on" season, so he is actually just coming off many weeks of extra long days and no weekends. We made a celebration of the transitions on August 13th. Thomas and I got up early - a little earlier than we needed, but we didn't want to miss the Colfax County Fair parade. David invited Thomas to drive the fire truck, so he could ride up top with his kiddos - an opportunity he has not yet had, since he is usually driving. Thomas and I biked down to the fire hall, leaving shortly after our arrival in the tender. We were told to arrive early and not miss the cake walk! We got registered for the parade and walked back toward the cake walk. Pop was hard at work collecting quarters from the walkers, but there was no sign of the Salas gang. We hung out in the shade until they arrived, and then I joined the fun with the girls. I won a cake right away - a red heart cake. Maya won right after me. Marie quickly called Julie to say that we had dessert for a family dinner planned for the evening. Cakes in hand, it was time to get ready for the parade. I declined my ride in the cab with Thomas, so Marie could join in the fun. We had a great time, saw lots of friends and people we knew, and ran out of candy too quickly!

You'd think there was a cool float behind us or something or that they were posing for a "Go West, young man!" poster, but nah...just an alarm or something that caught their attention simultaneously.

Maya was hiding on the other side of David. Someone has a smart mother who knows that the top of the fire truck is hot!

To continue the festivities post-parade, we gathered for dinner at Daniel and Julie's. The ribs and beer were a hit, and as soon as dinner was over, we got toned out for a fire. It was a false alarm of sorts, but more than anything, it was a damper on a night of relaxing and celebrating. Julie kept the beers cold till we returned, but the vibe was lost. Maybe we are getting a re-do Labor Day weekend with camping and logging in the mountains!

And a random shot from the car on my way home from work this week. There were about forty elk cow hanging out at the polo ranch munching away. Hunting season is almost here - an unfortunate change of seasons for the elk...

Videoing Portland (not calling)

I love having a land line! First, the cell service is pretty spotty out here, but there is just something nice about picking up the phone instead of pulling it out of my pocket. There may come a time when all that has to change, but I really do like the feel of a full size phone, the sound of the phone ringing, and the cord that keeps it from going everywhere with me. On the other hand, I have just made another technological leap into this century with skype. My laptop at work has a camera built in, so I considered, after OMG arrived, that maybe I should learn how to use it. I have had a couple of video calls to Portland and really enjoyed getting to see the party on the other end, as well as hear them. It turns out that the signal is even a might bit slow in town, but out here in the country where internet comes via satellite, it is too slow to sustain a conversation via camera over the internet. Another fun plus is the snapshot feature. Here are a few of the people I have gotten to see and hear...

Dad up in his office, aka "Captain Jack's Bar", aka man room...

Marty came to claim Abba for a bucket of balls at the driving range.

Ollie showing off his momma and his skill for keeping his lunch down (Miki had just finished feeding him).

Saying "good night" in the afternoon, as these two were ready for an afternoon nap.

The snapshot feature can capture some nice shots, but they have also afforded me some good laughs of the funny faces of family captured in photos!

OMG - He's Just SOO Cute!!

I have been busy - consequently exhausted, too. I have been giving the happy family a hard time about posting pictures or updates to their new family blog: www.greenleepdx.com. Of course, I am not one to talk. I have been stalking their blog for updates and am grateful for the e-mails of pictures that everyone else has sent. I got an e-mail from my fairy godmother with some pictures...an interesting coincidence that the night before the pictures came, I actually dreamed about them together our in the backyard around the patio table.

Marty, Miki, and Ollie - looking so photogenic in their back yard (pic from the Dorseys)

When my dad came to visit in June, he wanted to go the notorious Colfax Tavern, generally known in these parts as Cold Beer. Tom and I have gone for pizza on occasion and even a cold beer. He and his brother shuck oysters on Mardi Gras for the big party there, and it's a popular hangout year round. We ended up celebrating our anniversary at dinner at the St. James and listened to Rod Taylor out on the patio afterward. But we did save time for a trip to Cold Beer, which is typically crowded all summer long with seasonal staff from the scout camp. It turned out to be a slow, slow night up there, but the t-shirts were sold out all the same. Abba's Father's Day present came in the mail, and he was only too proud to send me a picture.

Ollie and his grandpa hanging out in the backyard...rumor has it there might be a beer named after him soon!

The little man ready for an afternoon nap. Notice that big foot!

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Phew - I made it!  Friday when I left work, I wasn't sure I could get to Tuesday.  I was feeling a little overwhelmed.  I was helping with reading and singing at a funeral on Saturday morning, baking cakes all afternoon for the enchilada dinner on Sunday evening, singing at Mass Sunday morning and staying all day to prepare for the dinner, and then after wrapping up that presenting my first parent meeting up in Eagle Nest Monday evening.  Lots of long day, late nights, and general tiredness! 

 

Those three days are over, and while there is still plenty to do, I can breathe a little easier. 

 

When I got home at 8:30 pm last night, I made myself a fried egg sandwich and read for awhile.  There is nothing like a good book (House of Spirits by Isabel Allende) to take you to a different space and time.  I was getting sleepy, but Thomas wasn't, so I tried to hold on a little longer, but not long enough.  I lay in bed trying to fall asleep listening to the list of things to do run through my mind. 

 

Then my hopes got up that Thomas was coming to bed.  I felt the house shake, but I didn't hear his movements.  And it wasn't the kind of shaking of heavy footsteps.  And it kept going.  But it wasn't windy, and there weren't any storms.  And he still hadn't moved.  And it kept going.  It was kind of nice, being in bed, because it was almost like being rocked.

 

This morning I read the report of a 5.5 earthquake about 11:20 pm between Trinidad and Raton.  One more thing I survived in the last three days...

Eating My Words

Yesterday I received a message from a colleague, catching me up to date.  It included the predictable question about the weather.  It's not just that anyone and everyone asks.  This area has been experiencing such a terrible drought this year, so people know this and often pray for us to get rain and want to know if anything has changed.  Mostly the answer is no.  And in a lot more words, I responded about how little rain we've had, and though there have been good storms here and there, they really are too few and far between. 

 

Now I feel like I am supposed to eat my words.  Yesterday it was a little overcast at 5 pm when I got home, but hot.  I set to doing a few things outside, and then Tom got home.  Hot and tired, he layed down, and I turned the cooler on for him because there was no wind, and the heat was just exhausting.  I kept about my tasks and debated about weeding in the garden, but headed in the house to check on Tom.  By 6:00pm the sound of a few raindrops tapping the roof was enticing me to the window.  It only sprinkled a little at first, but by the time we were supposed to leave for firehall, it was a downpour.  We were testing the pumpers at training, and we were both pretty soaked from working outside.  It was a welcome change to be working out in the rain, though I don't like to be clammy.  In the hour and a half we were gone, the 55 gal rain barrel filled up (and it only collects from the mud room section).  It rained on and off for quite a while into the night. 

 

I had expected it to have been muddy this morning, but that is just how dry it was - the ground soaked it all right up!  Crazy!  I know the garden was grateful for it, and I am grateful for not having to water it for a couple days.  As I passed the lake on my way to work, it was noticeably fuller, though still terribly low.  I hope there is more rain coming our way!

Respect for Your Elders

It's finally happened.  I received a note from a high school senior addressed to Mrs. Vigil.  I am still a little in shock.

 

Sure, teachers are used to this kind of respect, young and not as young.  However, I have not worked in a setting where younger people were encouraged to call me Ms. Ford or now Mrs. Vigil.  The school in Jersey City encouraged the students to call teachers by their first names, though a number would still call me Miss Tori.  And in all my work in Denver, I literally worked with over a hundred people older than me, mostly retirees, and I was on a first name basis with all of them.  I suppose it is because of my familiarity and comfort around older people, or maybe I am just a disrespectful little brat for calling people by their first names. 

 

Anyhow, I wasn't prepared for "Mrs. Vigil".  Somehow the name connotes someone else - maybe my sister-in-law who teaches high school or my mother-in-law or Granny.  Or maybe I just need a little more time to grow into the title. 

Eeek!

I don't think the neighbors heard, or at least they didn't bother to see if all was well.  I got in my eeks with some little visitors, and though Thomas didn't come running, he obliged me all the same.

 

We have some buckets around that catch water.  Though we can't have rain barrels in Denver because it is illegal to capture water that belongs to people downstream (yes, it really is a law), we have barrels up here in Miami.  There are a couple of other miscellaneous buckets around, too, capturing water.  And though we have had little rain, I use what we do capture to water the strawberries and trees in the circle drive.  Last night we had a good rain, but even still, it doesn't overflow the buckets. 

 

Evidently, mice like water, too.  I have found not one, but two mice floating in the little buckets.  Yuck!  That got a big eek from me because I certainly hadn't expected to see that.  And then maybe my eek tripped the eek of a little garden snake, who then got me eeking again.  It wasn't a big snake, but it still startled me.  It was also difficult to see him because of the plants he slithered through.  I can only hope that little snake is having his fill of spiders.

 

Thomas, such a good man, relieved me of seeing the mice while I watered the vegetables.  I was and am terribly grateful!

Remembering....

It is hard to believe that four years ago I was headed home for my grandpa's funeral.  It hardly seems like it has been that long, especially when I am gripped so strongly with a longing to be with him.  I still miss my grandparents both, and I know I have posted before about how sometimes I am overwhelmed with a need to call them.  For a long time, I couldn't delete their phone number, sometimes even calling it just to hear my grandma's voice.  But now the number is being used by the hospice organization using the house for their ministry.

 

Many know that I am that dopey, sappy kid who hangs on to little things that remind me of others.  Memories come back in detail when I look at items around the house that are connected with friends and family.  And it is a comfort to be surrounded by these things.  I will forever be the kid in mismatched hand-me-downs because it feels comforting.

 

My Auntie Rose sent me a package for my birthday.  Of course I started crying before I even finished reading the card.  I am good with dates and remember a lot of birthdays, but mine was the one family didn't have to try to remember because it is the same as Grandpa's.  Having seen my post about hand-made whipped cream and Grandma's hand mixer, Rose went to the trouble to get it and a few other kitchen items packaged up to send me.  When I opened the box and saw the red handled mixer in the box, it teared me up all over again.  What a great gift of memories and comfort!

 

I am not the only one who has lost grandparents.  My girlfriend just said good-bye to hers. and it was almost a year ago that her husband traveled half-way around the world to bury his.  And everyday grandparents are born.  My parents became grandparents all over again a week ago.  Here's to grandparents - with us still in body or in spirit, our own and all the other; may we always know their comfort and love!

Case of the Mondays Out the Door

Monday ended well.  The blahs of the morning gave way, and for two great "things" I am grateful.

 

First - I got to skype with Ollie.  Miki held him up to the camera, so I could see him, and he could see me.  He was definitely checking out that crazy face moving around the computer screen.  He made some cute faces and even showed me what it's like to burp up on himself (Miki was spared).  She and Marty and I chatted for a little bit, but mostly it was just really awesome to get to see the little guy kicking and waving and wiggling around.  I am already looking forward to the next call.  Maybe we'll just have to set a weekly date to video chat.

 

Second - Tom & I installed the swamp cooler.  I know; summer is nearly over.  It really would have come in handy a lot earlier.  We have AC on the trailer, which we rarely use.  It doesn't quite cool the place down as well, though it always feels chilly over the vent from which it is blowing in.  And it is a bit more expensive to run.  The cooler fit into the window next to the fireplace, and it dramatically dropped the temperature in the place by at least 20 degrees.  That is a big shift!  I was actually a little cold.  (It also tells you how hot it gets in the place.) 

 

Yes, there were other highlights of the evening.  Pop stopped by with some treats and visited.  It was good to see him.  And I finished another book.  I got to talk with both my parents.  I got new pictures of my nephew Cole.  Really, not a bad day after all!

A Case of the Mondays?

Is it surprising that I would not want to wake up on a Monday morning, roll out of bed, and head to work?  Not terribly, no, but when all other signs suggest I should go back to bed, why don't I?

 

This morning before I poured the milk onto my cereal (yes, I am back on cow's milk), I took a whiff.  It didn't smell quite right, but it didn't smell sour.  I took the tiniest sip and almost lost it.  Indeed, it was sour.  It should have had a few more days shelf life.  Bummer!  Dumped it down the drain...

 

Then as I approached Monkey Hill above Cattle Headquarters on my way in to work, I realized I don't have office keys.   I pulled over to loot my bag in search of keys and found none.  What a bummer!  I decided to try my luck, but the office was locked.  I knew that turning around to go home for the keys was a waste of time and gas, especially because our secretary would almost be here by the time I returned.  Gratefully, one of our parishioners who is very active has a key and has told me I can call as early as 8 am, as he is an early riser.  And so I got in...

 

I am sure the last hour will fly, but these first hours of the day seem to be dragging and dragging and dragging....

IT'S A BOY!!!

My little sister Miki and husband Marty just gave birth to their first child!!!!Oliver Martin Greenlee came into this world 8 days late (he was supposed to come on my birthday), but he is here now! She started labor about 3 am (PST) this morning and dilated quickly. Surrounded with Marty and her girlfriend Kori who is a midwife, she made it through the morning until about 5:30 am and headed in to the hospital. Mom called about 8:30 am their time to say it was close, and an hour later OMG was born. No longer LG (Little Greenlee), Oliver has a great set of initials! He has lots of dark hair, a long tongue, and evidently a good appetite. He weighed in at 7 lbs 9 oz and measured 21.25". Looks like he might have Miki's feet (actually, they both wear the same size shoe). I am a very proud tia today!!

Our Garden!

Yes, it is "our" garden, and Thomas has been a great help with watering. We bit off a pretty big space, and we have certainly learned a few things for next year. But this year is still just mid-stride. The season seemed to start so much later here - that extra thousand feet really makes a difference with night temps. Oh, and then it has been the driest year in forty years, or something like that. So we are judging that anything we pull off this year should give us hope for even better years in the future.

The cucumber are starting to get big, but probably won't yield a big pickling crop. The dill never came up - could be the challenge of the dryness and germination.

The chiles are starting to produce, but the plants really never got a chance to get very big. We have just a few roma tomatoes in the mix and one okra that doesn't look any bigger than when we planted it.

This is Pop's squash. I saved seeds from last year's crop. They had a setback when we slowed down watering when it rained. The reality is that the rain was not enough to make a dent in the day's heat. We lost a few, and I think something ate a few. We've got about half a dozen looking good.

These are the pintos that Tom planted. He's quite proud of them and hoping to dry them. Not sure we'll have a big yield, but he enjoys planting and watering (I weed).

The garlic has almost all been harvested. The onions are big on top, but still small down below. Hopefully, they will get bigger, and we'll have a nice supply of red onions. (rows of bean in the background)

We got lots of peas, and they mostly got eaten off the vine. They are sure tasty. Less than half the snow peas took off, but the sugar snap peas did pretty well. I am not sure if we had birds in their helping themselves or if it was the rabbits. The rabbits definitely did some damage in the peas.

The potatoes (left side) have done really well, though it looks like some potato beetles recently helped themselves. I have been finding them on a different plant - tomato family, but they came up on their own. I have been squishing and smashing the eggs and pulling that other plant, but they finally made their way into the potatoes. It will be especially exciting to see what is growing under the dirt. Hopefully lots of little potatoes! In the right top corner are spaghetti squash. They are doing really well. I wanted to plant butternut squash, but I think next year I need to be more strategic about where all these squash are planted, or we might just end up with a Pop's spaghetti-nut!

And I will need to get a picture of the garlic drying under the tin shed. I harvested about 150 heads of garlic last week. Admittedly, we lost a bunch. Better luck next year! And as I weeded tonight, I even found a few carrots that germinated. They were surrounded with bindweed, but I had already long given up on them. Guess there were a few tough seeds left in the row!

It's getting closer...

Okay, this first picture with throw you off for sure, but I thought it was a very great illustration of how it can rain in one little area and leave big puddles, and then a foot further it is completely bone dry. It's raining at the Tooth of Time, and we didn't feel a drop. Nor did anyone else around. I am sure some scouts got soaked, though.

The Tooth of Time gets rain. Still working weather in Miami!

But really what is getting closer is the hole for our basement. We have been digging in earnest. It really was kicked off by Dad's visit six weeks ago, and now we have a ramp. These pictures are all from July 31st. Today Pop actually cleared out most of it.

The ramp will eventually become a steep set of stairs down to the cellar!

We're actually standing where the water heater and furnace will be, but you can see that there is a lot of dirt pile up north of the hole. The north-side of the basement will actually be fully buried, but the south will have room for windows!

Tom is squatting in the family room - downstairs we'll have the TV and computer.

And while this is all well and good, we still need to trench and pour the footer. Walls won't go up until next year. It will be a while before our hole becomes a home...

Birthday party pics

So my sister didn't have her baby on my birthday - nor now, one week past her due date. Guess it wasn't meant to be. And while I may have been blue about not having my grandpa with me anymore to celebrate our birthday together, I am sure blessed to have another birthday boy: Pop celebrates his the day after me! Marie and Dave hosted a party on Wednesday, and it was awesome! Marie made seafood enchiladas that were delicious. I'm sure the beef ones were, too, but I passed on them. Pop had German Chocolate Cake and I had apple/blackberry cobbler. Yep - spoiled rotten!

Maya and Sara were entertaining as box-heads!

Happy with our bellies full of good food!

In fact Thomas was there in balloon form. Thoughtful that they chose an orange balloon to represent him.

Sara caught me about to make out with balloon Thomas (no, I wasn't drunk!), but really he was just thinking about how he'd rather be in Miami than Socorro. Sadly, when Thomas came home with the girls and I the next day, he blew out to the garden and then popped on a cactus. I still haven't found his remains!

And pigs fly...

Well, I guess it is more likely that Auggie will make it all the way to New Mexico than pigs will fly, but it was close. Despite a little car trouble, he made it all the way from Grand Junction (where he traveled for a friend's wedding) to Miami, NM. It was too short a visit, but we'll take what we can get. And now Thomas won't let Nicholas forget it! It's always fun to show your big brother around, but I think he was just relieved to have a bed, hot shower, and computer to research the rest of his journey. He stopped by in early July and talked my ear off...yes, it is true that he is quite a storyteller once he starts!

A shot be the garden..

It really is us!

Brothers don't shake hands... nor did they think my request for a posed hug was amusing.

Fourth of July pics

Yes it is true. These are a month in coming, but here they are! I was delighted to harvest my garlic scapes before the fourth, so I could bring garlic scape pesto to our BBQ. Aren't they so pretty - even prettier when they flower, but I want the garlic more than the flower.

Thomas took me dancing at the Maverick Club Dance on the third. It was a lot of fun, a little stepping on toes, and great music by a friend from his days as a horseman at Philmont. Our boots were pretty dusty when we got home, and our legs were plenty tired! The Fourth of July feast was at Ma & Pop's place. Gratefully, after gorging ourselves this holiday, soccer was not the planned after dinner activity. Bocce ball is a little easier for digestion. Andres seemed to be the master until we made him rotate through the order, giving up the advantage of the last thrower. So there you have it...the fourth of July in photos...