Blessed Monday!

It is no secret that I am not a Monday person.  The shift of weekend to work starting all over again on Monday mornings has certainly lessened with as many Sundays that I work a couple ours with youth group or other retreats, but Mondays still remain my least favorite.  It's also usually a long day with our evening classes, getting me home between 7:30 and 8:00 pm.

Yesterday was not a Monday, even if the calendar said Monday.

Tom's alarm goes off before mine, again and again.  Usually I grumble about it interrupting my last minutes of sleep over and over again, but yesterday it announced that school was on a two hour delay in Raton and still snowing. This meant Tom, who works in Raton, would also be getting a two hour delay (this did not, however, result in the turning off of the alarm).  When I peeked out our bedroom window, the world was covered with a blanket of sparkling white, and the sky was nearly cloudless from that vantage point.

In snowy conditions I wait it out, not wanting to hit the highway in the midst of "rush hour" traffic.  I also wait until I can call the office to see what it is like in Cimarron.  Better to be safe than sorry, right?  And after requiring assistance out of a snow bank a couple winters ago, I am not eager to find myself there again.  Needless to say, I got to sleep in a little with Thomas, too, and getting in late meant that it wasn't such a long day after all.

Work was work was work - got stuff done, had a good class, etc.  I may have been a bit jealous of Thomas, who ended up getting to stay home after school was cancelled in Raton (his office's policy is that when schools delay or close, so do they).  It would have been fun to have a "free day" with Tom at home, though I felt certain I would have ticked him off by pushing to get stuff done and be productive.  But it wasn't a bad day for me by any means.  I enjoyed seeing the kids at class and had a good drive home with my nieces and nephew. 

When I arrived home, I started unlacing my boots and to my surprise looked up to see a clean kitchen floor.  Tom also vacuumed the living room.  I could tell because I accidentally tracked dirt through the living room and kitchen in the morning when I put on the shoes I wore Saturday when we worked in the dirt.  I fully intended to come home and clean up - even told Tom I would when I kissed him good-bye, but Tom beat me to it.  What a great surprise - plus he'd just pulled a cheese pizza out of the oven before I got home and shared a few pieces with me.  What a terrific guy, huh?

GO RED!!!

I may have inherited a few traits from my dad.  The obvious are the shape of my eyebrows and my talkability, but unless you know him well enough and were also with me Saturday, you probably wouldn't guess it.  I like to cheer at sporting events.

It's not that my mom didn't cheer at my siblings sporting events (I use "siblings" because they are far more athletic than I could have ever hoped to be).  Rather, it's that my dad would come home from a game hoarse.  I can't say it was that intense for me on Saturday, but I had the privilege of watching two nieces play superb basketball.  Since I know many of their teammates through work in Cimarron, I really cheered for the whole team, but the real reason I went was the excitement of getting to watch the two girls play and cheer for them.

Out here in the country, these girls have to travel to find other teams.  Several of the other smaller communities are in the same boat, so each hosts a weekend of tournaments for the various age groups.  I think all the teams are two grades, and as some communities don't have enough for both an all boys and all girls team, the teams are sometimes mixed.  I have had the pleasure of watching them in the past, though I admit I kind of hold out for the closer to home tourneys.  Many families travel the hour or two for the games and hang out in the gym all day as the teams make their way through the brackets.  Gratefully, they played in Springer this weekend, which meant I actually went home between the games.

Sara - either defending her territory or being double-teamed - can't remember which;

I do know she played her heart out against a team that was a lot bigger than her

This little one wondered why I was hiding behind a big camera and yelling so much.

Arms up for some tough D!

Smiling with a ribbon around her neck and the team's third place trophy!

 After a quick trip home to do a little more work on the house (I actually did some work before Sara's game, too; lest anyone think I was slacking) and grab a bite of lunch, I headed back in for the next game.  As the previous game wrapped up, Dave pointed out the other team.  I think I did a double take: the girls looked like freshmen in high school compared to out 5th and 6th graders.  What's more, they had a team of ten.  Maya is on a team of 5, which means no subs unless they invited some boys to play with them.  Saturday they were missing one girl, so had a few boys join them. 

Maya pushing to the hoop

 

Like her sister, arms up and ready for the rebound

It was a lot of fun hollering "Go Rams" and "Defense" and "Way to go, Red".  The girls both played their hearts out and gave it their all.  It looked like they were having a lot of fun, and admittedly, there is some warm nostalgia for my own days of playing basketball and volleyball and softball and soccer.  I don't remember the scoring (might not have) or the outcome of the games, and I am still trying to forget getting trampled as a catcher in softball and the asthma attacks that sometimes followed a game of hard running.  But I do remember the feelings of satisfaction, the adrenaline, and the excitement of being part of a team.  Watching the girls on Saturday reminded me of that, and I am looking forward to a couple more "nearby" tournaments.

Rooms with Views

My Auntie Rose requested pictures of the views from our windows.  I snapped a few pictures on Friday to capture the loveliness, but may not have found the best light.  Or maybe I need to clean the windows (fat chance of that happening!).  Though spring has arrived, the colors have not - lots of browns framed by a big beautiful blue sky!

If I count correctly, there are 8 south facing windows.  There are four little ones in the basement - fresh air and natural light, plus an emergency exit.  Then there is the bay in the kitchen, where the view may be obstructed by plants when we move in:

 The dining table will have a view out of the three paned window.  Next to it is the sliding door to the "back yard".  The gap in the mesa, which seems to fall right between the windows, is where our road gets its name.

 The stairs to the basement sit in the SW corner.  The window to the south and the window to the west will let in light upstairs and down, plus the west facing window slides open for a breeze:

The other easterly window we bought new (yep, all those ones pictured above were obtained for a steal at the ReStores around Denver), and we haven't stripped the protection off the window, so the picture was pretty hazy.  There are six windows facing north.  The two bathroom windows are block-style for allowing light in while protecting the privacy of whoever is showering.  These two are in the guest bedroom:

 This is in the front door:

And the sixth is a new one in the master bedroom.  It hasn't shed it's protection either, but this is roughly the view from it.

The last window faces east from the master bedroom.  The view of the side of the shed, old carport, and construction trailer isn't photo worthy, but the sunrise into our bedroom will be.  We're moving the mudroom we built when we first arrived to Miami.  It will be attached to the east side of the house and house the chest freezer and laundry machines as it does now.  It, too, has a few windows, but we'll just have to wait and see those after it's moved.

The light in the house is excellent, and it reminds me of my sunny apartment in Denver that sat on a SW corner.  I think we'll have really good oxygen with such good light - yes, the open layout on the south side will have lots of room for green friends.  The houseplants we have might multiply....(maniacal laugh!)...and I can't wait!

Spring is here!

Spring is surely here, but I'm guessing it will feel like summer very quickly if we don't get much more moisture.  Driving to work this week, I noticed the new calves in the fields with their mamas.  To me it is a sign of spring.  I have also noticed the migration of deer from around the road to the road - the first signs of green are showing up in patches of grass along the highway. And this morning I saw a young bobcat.  It crossed the highway from the north side just west of the lake and stopped in a little hollow in the dirt.  I stopped the car and watched him, and then he turned stumpy tail and moved on further south.  (Of course, I don't know if it is a him or if it is young.)  The rabbits are also out en masse.  I am noticing them out of their warrens more anyway, as well as in the road.  One that didn't make it home was breakfast for a big, big golden eagle.  It is the second time I have interrupted his breakfast, but the previous time was on a blind hill, and we startled each other pretty good.  (Again, not sure if it is a him or a her, but it was a golden eagle and big, big!)

I was just telling my sister on Saturday how overcast days are so rare for us (Saturday was unusually overcast).  It's been so sunny and warm over the past week or so that it was a wee bit shocking to wake up yesterday to cold and clouds.  There wasn't any precipitation, but the clouds stuck around all day.  I guess winter was just asserting that it still had one last day.  Surely there is still a chance of snow for yet another couple months, but it looks like we'll have another drought year.  I just pray that we don't have a terrible fire season.

So spring will mean longer days, more work on the house, etc.  We are really letting the garden go this year.  Time and water seem to be precious commodities that we are not ready to spare in that direction, though we will keep up the garlic.  As the work on the house progresses, it will be all hands on deck, and God willing, we may be able to move in mid-fall.  Plus, there are two babies on the way for our sisters in Portland this summer, and this tia sure hopes to make it back once (or twice if I am lucky) to help out and visit.

Here's to hoping for some spring rains....
And I hope to get some pictures from the windows of the house, as requested, so maybe I can post them soon. 

Working Hard...

Really, driving through brown outs and strong winds is hard work.  And loading the truck with a few interior doors and a bathtub, plus groceries - more hard work.  Then cruising the aisles of the home hardware store comparing fixtures, counters, water heaters, etc....most fatiguing!  Yes, our weekend was not spent in Miami working on the house, but in Colorado acquiring goods for the house. 

Oh yeah, and we spent some quality time with family and friends!  The weekend was really centered around pulling into Denver in time to spend part of every day with Miki, Marty, and Ollie - and still achieving some productivity on our house to-do list.  Friday was warm, warm enough for porch weather.

this cool little dude in his "sunny-gs" had a ball pouring water from one cup to the next (and down his front)

Ollie was in good hands with Wallie - twice Ollie's age and knew where to refill the water

The porch sitting was just what we needed after a filling sushi lunch.  MM+O were visiting friends from Miki's med school days, and they were very welcoming for a couple of New Mexican party crashers. 

Matt and Mary Grace looking fine in the sunshine!

Ollie ditched the "sunny-gs" for a pair of (pretend) work goggles.

The goggles afforded better visibility perched on the forehead, and Ollie got down to business playing with the trucks and cars.

After some quality family time, we scooted on over to Mary's house for dinner.  She made an old favorite from Columbine days, made even sweeter with the company of Ahna and her kids.

Thomas read Ezra a story while we got supper ready.

For a special dessert, we lounged in the living room with lemonade and Deb and Claire.  What a treat for us to catch up and share stories about the house developments and other such fun.  We could have talked till the sun came up, but Tom and I had plans to hit the ReStores early enough to get back to the family in the afternoon.  We were successful in our hunt - found a clawfoot tub and a few beautiful alder wood doors - lots of character!  With the truck bed full, there wasn't much more we could fit, so we took a break for Mr. Sushi and headed back over to see the fam.

The Johnsons laid out one heck of a St. Patrick's Day spread.  Tom loved the corned beef, and we both enjoyed cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and soda bread - washed down with Guinness.  We may have to see about an invite for next year - so tasty!

We celebrated Marty's birthday with Miki's coconut cream pie - delish!

Other festivities included Tom's new 'do by Annie, who we suspect may have a crush on Tom, as well as singing and dancing in the playroom with the kids.

Not surprising, Ollie enjoyed the play kitchen, and maybe he's trying to tell Tom where milk comes from?!?!



We headed off for slumber at Mary's one more night, and boy were we tired.  Packing up all our things, we headed off Sunday morning to meet the fam for church and goodbyes.  I don't particularly enjoy that part of our visits, but we still had some stops to make along the way home.  Eight hours later, we were unloading in the dark and home safely!  Thanks be to God for a fantastic and full weekend.  Now to get back to work at home...

Roars in like a lion

I remember the saying from grade school that March rolls in like a lion and out like a lamb.  (April showers also supposedly bring May flowers, but out here in drought country...)  At least I thought it was "rolls in".  Maybe coming from Portland, that was appropriate.  It is not nearly as accurate a reflection on our winds as "roars in".

This past weekend I expected the trailer to rock me to sleep, so raucous were the winds.  I nearly lost my arm and the storm door when I tried to leave the house Sunday afternoon.  It took all my effort to hold on to the door and muscle it closed.  A storm was expected to drop some moisture, but the clouds were blown away too quickly by the strong winds.  Even more tragic, a small plane tried to take off from a nearby town in the winds and was fatally brought back down to the ground. 

With the winds roaring, it was a perfect time for Tom and I to lay low and not do too much.  A week ago, I expected to arrive home after a week in LA for a conference and visit with my mom.  Though I spent the time in full view of Disneyland (including the fireworks display every evening around nine - which will have to satiate my need for fireworks given the county fire ban we're already under at home), I brought home no mouse ears, only germs.  The time was well spent - I learned much at the conference.  But the time is also part retreat and part vacation.  I spent quality time with my mom, hung out with family friends, as well as visited with an aunt and a cousin.  I also made my now third annual pilgrimage to the Pacific Ocean and dipped my toes into the frigid waters.   

Trying to get home, I learned my flight was delayed 3.25 hours - a snowstorm in Denver cancelled the flight into California with the flight crew for my first-thing-in-the-morning flight.  They arrived on the first flight in Monday morning, but with one missing, we waited a little longer.  Then mechanical issues left us on the tarmac for another 1.25 hours.  I finally arrived in Colorado with the terrible realization that I was really not feeling well anymore.  My ears and sinuses and shoulders hurt, and I feared that I brought home the CA version of the influenza virus and would introduce it east of the Rockies.  My best laid plans for shopping and dinner with the Columbine ladies were thrown out the window, as I eased onto the highway and sped home to my bed.  Avoiding friends is hard to do, but I would have felt worse if I exposed them all to what I had.  I finally slunk in through the front door about 7:45 pm and clung to Thomas.  Three days in bed, plus a shot of antibiotics in my butt left me pain-free, but I still needed to work up some energy.

So while March roared to life around me as the wind pummelled anything in its way, I felt more like a gentle lamb easing my way into another month.  I finished a few books pretty quickly and even got to tackle one of the puzzles Tom gave me for Valentine's Day.  Maybe this weekend will be different.

February Progress into March...

February is our shortest month. I already shared that we spent the first weekend of February hanging some of the window trim and erecting our first section of framed wall upstairs.  The second weekend was a bit of a bust.  We'd been out late Friday hanging out with family, so our chance to sleep in was not wasted.   Saturday was awfully windy, and then I worked before and after Mass on Sunday.  With Tom's new job and the long hours he had pulled during the week, neither of were sorry to take it easy.  We were also waiting on an order of materials to keep up the work.  By the end of the second week, our siding and another pile of lumber was delivered, so we were ready to frame more walls the third weekend of February. 

Looking at the NE corner - the master bed and bath...

Looking at the NW corner - the guest bed and bath (still missing the hall wall, which will include closets facing the hall and the bedroom)...

 



The framing went up quickly.  It's exciting to give the house a little more "shape" by seeing the walls and where things will be.  In my absence on the fourth weekend, Tom and Pop worked on framing in the gabled ends.  They did a great job, as you can see in this picture:

 

The guys framed in a triangular frame at the top of our concrete wall.

 

It is great to see these things taking shape.  When not actually out in the house working, we are still talking about things.  Our next plans involve wiring the house (setting up our outlets and light fixture plans) and siding the outside of the house.  We weren't able to do anything this past weekend because of another gusty, gusty weekend.  We did, however, have a visit from the house fairy with a bunch of conduit housing and a book on wiring. 

 

Here are a couple other shots of work accomplished....

 

after some snow - looking at the front of the house with window trim (yes, it matches the roof)

our unfurnished dining and living room is equipped with a couple chairs for watching Tom work hard  "/

We foamed in our cellar in the NE corner of the basement for extra insulation.

Our monstrous cellar door.  I installed the handle for pulling it open, but we haven't affixed the super-duty slide lock.