Don't Judge another by her Laundry!

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning andcleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

As I was driving into to work on Tuesday, I noticed this line of motorcycles behind me that was being followed by "tail" cars with American flags waving in the wind. Of course, this picture doesn't do it justice but I thought it was cool, and it alone reminded me that Tuesday our new President was to be sworn into office. What a Historic Day to remember!

When I got to the office, the little TV that is in the kitchen was on so I turned it around so I could watch every now and again what was going on and eventually watch the Inauguration before leaving for an eye appointment.

After my eye appoitment I headed home because the doc dilated my eyes and I cannot read after having that done. We have a receptionist at the office, so I would have basically been wasting time at the office, when I could get some things done at home that I didn't have to read to do. I usually take Hwy 287 home because it has less traffic and to me is a calmer drive home. However, Tuesday, I was inconvenienced by what looked like a funeral percession. That seemed like a parade with all the civilians lining the streets with their American flags.

Once the end of the percession was completed, there was still the task of getting through the backed up traffic. I was glad that I skipped to the other side of town so that I could get in about 10 cars after the percession went through. I had forgotten that it was the service for a fallen soldior from Berthoud, Justin Bauer.

Once I realized what was really going on, a calmness came over me and I was overwhelmed with the burdens President Obama is faced with today. May GOD be with him!

I pray that President Obama will be able to turn us around and lead us in the right direction!! He has a lot of work ahead of him and I have faith that he will make the right decisions for the people of this country. He is faced with challenges that those before him have left and I believe this kind man will find truth in what we need to do and take us in the right direction!!

D"P"W"P"

Delmar "Pete" Wagner, also known as "Pete" to some, and "Popo" to his Granddaughter. He’s also known as Popo to us as he has become or grandfather!! He is the sweetest Grandpa alive!

Popo has always watched out for me and had always made me feel warm and special. When I purchased my first car, a 1993 Geo Metro, burgandy, he gave it a look over and purchased for me the extensions for the tires so that I would be able to inflate my tires more easily. That little gesture was so sweet!

Dad and Betty live in the Springs to be closer to Popo after his beloved wife, Grace [“Granny”], passed away in 2000. I’m glad they did, because every time we go to visit them, he makes an appearance. He doesn’t usually stay for long, but he’s there long enough for all of us to get to spend some time with him.


When Dad and Betty still lived in Longmont, Granny and Popo would come to visit. We would usually go to La Mariposa for lunch or dinner. Dad and Popo would talk to the wait staff in their native tongue. It was fun to watch them play with each other.

I’m grateful to have met Mr. Wagner and have the opportunity to call him Popo.

This year christmas was spent in Colorado Springs!

Although it was quiet, I spent it with Dad, Betty and their cute friend Mattie, it was very enjoyable. I ended up staying an extra night due to the windy weather conditions. It was nice to have that little extra time with my parents!!

I stopped by Mom's on Friday on my way back to Johnstown. It was nice to visit with her too, even if it was for just a few minutes!

I wanted to get home and get some things done! I ended up playing drums on guitar hero and then heading to the movie so I wouldn't continue vegging in front of the TV. Nothing like vegging in front of a huge movie screen instead of the regular boob tube! I liked the movie so much I had to take my kids back to see it!

Saturday was spent catching up on laundry and trying to get my house picked up and in order! I did get a lot done, but not enough! I HATE house work!

Sunday was spent watching football and lounging around the house! Monday was around the corner and I needed to rest up for it!

Monday was a VERY challenging day for me filled with emotion and a wake up call that I have a brother that needs to know he has unconditional love from his sister and sometimes I just need to relax and see, myself, that there isn't always going to be negative when emotions are high.

Tuesday was the busiest day and I felt as if I didn't have time to breath. Also had a hard time seeing out of my eyes from the tears of the day before!

Wednesday was a half day of work and then to the post office for Matt's passport application, lunch and to the movie. After that on to Robert's for Pizza and a little visit before dropping him to his destination and home to fall asleep on the couch before 10:30!

This is the second year that the New Year came in without me celebrating in more ways than one.

Although I didn't bring in the New Year I do wish everyone a safe and happy one to come, filled with laughter, love and family!

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Family Time in the dark

Waiting in line to see THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.

I fell in love with this movie!

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Last month, December 2008, I was leaving the Courthouse after checking Relay I noticed this outback with a modified bumper! LOL

Look close!!!

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I don't know where I was headed on November 16 at 3:45 in the afternoon but I must have thought that the sky looked cool!!

I was looking through the hundreds of photos stored on my phone to change my home screen and came across this picture!! I think it looks like an eye n the sky. Very cool!!
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We finally got snow in northern Colorado!

For Thanksgiving, the kids and I went to Colorado Springs. When we arrived, we could tell that they received a good amount of snow. There was at least two inches of it on the grass! We haven't received any form of moisture in quite a while now!!

When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, I saw the blanket of white powdery substance! I couldn't believe that it actually snowed! Yay! Yes, I've come to like the snow and even shoveling it is not really a chore, but something that I do enjoy doing. It's fun to see how deep it is after the work has been completed! There have been many times where the snow has been waist deep after the shoveling has been completed at my home in Johnstown. This morning's snow wasn't that deep. It was more of a powder than a heavy snow, indicative of the dry season that we've had!

I know wher Danette lives, they get a lot more than any snow that I've seen here, and I don't think I would like the snow as much if we got that much!!!

With the snow comes winter driving. That's not so fun!! The drive in to work this morning was a slow-as-you-go commute. I believe my top speed was 40 and that was a little too fast! There were 4 or 5 accidents on my route to work on I-25. Mostly SUVs that travel way too fast for the icy conditions. One car was flipped on its side in the North bound lanes just before my exit from the highway. Thank goodness nothing was wrong with HWY 66 and Longmont wasn't too bad either. As long as there weren't any lead feet around the commute wasn't too bad!

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Commute

I travel to and from work everyday using the same route. Today (120308) was no different than it has been for months and months with the exception of this van that travelled in front of me from I25 and HWY 66 to Pace. I'm assuming she was a mother because there were also small kids in car restraints in the back seat.

I noticed right away that she liked to use her brakes and most of the time there was no reason to apply pressure on the break peddle other than she was not paying attention to what she was doing in front of her and she felt the need to use the brake peddle. A couple of times she drifted into the oncoming lane of traffic, narrowly missing being hit head on! Those that travel HWY 66 know that could have turned out very badly!! I even said out loud to myself "You are going to kill us!"

I did take several pictures of the ladies van in case I needed to report her CARELESS driving I did this as we were stopping for a red light at County Road 1! She then decided at the last minute to turn off on to Pace! I laid on my horn as I drove passed her to show my displeasure! I don't think she cared!

I myself have had mornings like that where the kids were having a rough morning making all sorts of noise in the back seat distracting me from my driving and someone else reminded me by the horn of their vehicle that there are other people on the road and I needed to pay attention to that!

I was glad that she no longer was in front of me!

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Test

This is a test to see of I can publish from my blackberry!

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I've been lucky enough to have a very talented Father whom has made many artistic creations.

In my home hang four of his works of art.

I always looked forward to the things that my Dad made for me. He painted a table with strawberries all over it when I was a little girl. I don't know what happened to that table, I think it was given away. :-( I would love to have been able to give that to my little girl. He also painted a doll crib for me with a little girl that wore a bonnet. Same as the table, I don't know what happened to my little doll crib.

When I was in elementary school, I remember watching my Dad create oil paintings. This is one of them. This particular painting doesn't have a good history, as it was an object that my parents fought over in their divorce. My Dad won.

For a long time, Dad would offer this painting to me to take home. I would pass on the opportunity to take it because of the symbolic nature that the picture held for me.

I didn't want my Mother to come to my home and see the painting hanging in my home, especially after the energy she spent on trying to keep it! I eventually got over that hang up and am very proud to have this painting hanging in my home.

One of the things that my Dad really loves to draw, in this case paint, are columbines. I've had this painting for a very long time, and I honestly cannot recall when I took possession of it! I know it was after I was married. It was hanging in the stairwell to my basement and one day I realized that NO ONE besides myself and my family were able to enjoy the painting because of its location. I decided to hang it in my living room! I think it goes great in there!

I love the round frame this painting rests in. It's old and interesting, to me!

This plaque painting has companion paintings that went with it! There was a plaque with the name VANCE on it which had a few black ribbons that hung down with additional owls painted on them. I believe that my brother may have the other piece to this plaque. I wish that it could stay together, but at the same time, I'm glad that both my brother and I have these pieces. They tie us to our childhood with good memories of those times!

Phobia of Choppers

For the last ten or so years, I’ve developed a phobia of helicopters.

When I was a little girl, I would have this reoccurring dream where I step out of my home on Montrose Avenue and look up at the night sky to hear the neighbors screaming look at all of those helicopters, which turned out NOT to be helicopters. It was a terrifying dream, and I would have to say that I probably had the dream at the least 10 times, if not more and I’ve had it as an adult as well.

I’ve had other dreams where there are modified single-man choppers that have landed in the neighborhood where I live now. They are always searching for ME. I immediately drew the vessel upon waking up on a piece of paper. In this same dream a large military helicopter crashes behind my house in the ally and I’m screaming as I run and grab my children and head for the house for safety.

I believe these dreams have lead to my phobia of helicopters. Along with the fact that I feel every single medical, traffic, passenger, crop-duster, and military chopper flies LOW over my house.

About three years ago, Ashleigh wanted go to a function at her pre-school. She kept telling me that there would be a helicopter there. At the time, her communication skills weren’t the best, so when we go to the school and the helicopter wasn’t there, she wasn’t very happy. We went to the different stations they had set up for the kids, and then finally an emergency medical helicopter flew in and landed in the school yard.

I was having quit a hard time being that close to a landing helicopter. Once it landed and turned its blades off we stood in line so that she could see the inside of the chopper. It was pretty cool and I would love to one day ride in a chopper, but I still hold the fear of them.

On October 25 I was outside in the yard doing the first round of leave raking. For about 20 minutes I heard the deep sound of the familiar military helicopter blades chopping the sky above. I couldn’t seem to see where they were. Finally, I walked to the back yard and saw the triangular formation of the military choppers as they approached my house. Another ten minutes went buy before they finally flew over head,
heading north to Cheyenne. These guys were thundermakers!!!

I would love to be rid of this phobia!!!

Sunsets in Review 2008

Today is a NEW day.
I celabrate the opportunity for CHANGE!
I'm saddened by the FEAR most feel about the future we hold in OUR hands.
I'm disgusted that RACE still holds a very large part of the FEAR of this country.
FEAR breeds HATE!

I'm saddened and disgusted by this video:

Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves!

A blanket of leaves covers the lawn, smothering the green to a sea of yellow. The weather has been so nice for the past week. The day of this shot the temperature was in the mid 70s. This shot is looking to the West in the front yard that faces North. My Cottonwood is really the only one leaving this mess behind.

This shot is looking to the South from the NorthEast tip of my front yard. As you can see, I have a lot of work ahead of me. I didn't have Luke out helping me rake because he was with his Dad for his birthday weekend. Otherwise he would have been working off debt.

As I raked I made many piles. This one is just one of five piles I made in the front yard and was the largest!!

I loaded my wheelbarrow several times as full as it would let me fill it without leaving a trail of leaves behind to have to re-rake and deposit back into the wheelbarrow.

As fast as I filled the wheelbarrow, the leaves rained from the sky. Well, actually, they rained from the tree above and the tree itself still had quite a bit of leaves to fall and basically I was raking for no good reason because I'd have to do it again!

I hauled leaves to the back yard to my garden area. The leaves went from being a pile to a mound and what seemed like a mountain! There was a huge hole in the garden where Luke decided to dig what looked like a burial plot and I used garden dirt to fill a hole that my dog Bertha dug back in 2004 so the leaves filled these holes and still made a large mound.

After getting the huge pile of leaves in the front yard, I had a pile of leaves in the side yard that begged to be moved before I could quit.

Mika waited patiently as I raked, loaded, hauled, dumped, raked, loaded, hauled, dumped and repositioned my piles for another load to be loaded, hauled, and dumped in the back yard. I left the side gate open and even forgot that I left the gate open and she only ran after a neighborhood cat when I had stopped to get a drink of water and forgot about her being outside with the gate open.

Once I finished with the majority of the raking of the leaves and hauling of the same to the garden, I sat on my back porch and enjoyed the late afternoon light just as it hit the pumkins that the kids didn't take to carve with their Dad. I thought they made the most beautiful orange glow. You really cannot get that effect with my cell phone camera, but you get the idea.

After all that hard work, it was nice to be able to sit on the back porch and watch the sun setting behind the clouds, soon to the be mountains and then the entire earth as nights shadow settled upon the land.

Yeah, I'm cheesy. The next morning was Monday and after Matthew returned home from school he sent me a text to let me know that our neighbors to the East had blown all the leaves that gathered again on the lawn to the other side of the yard, completely blanketing my NorthWest lawn again!!! I have to work this evening after getting home to get the leaves hauled to the back before the weather changes tomorrow into Thursday!

Painted Faces

When I was a little girl, my dad would paint faces on pumpkins. He would paint faces on pumpkins for his school classes, the church, his friends, or me. One year I was really into Miss Piggy from the Muppets and he painted a pumpkin for me that looked just like her. He constructed her blond locks with yellow construction paper. He curled her hair with a pencil. I LOVED IT.

As the years have passed, I've attempted my shot at painting faces on pumpkins. Of course, mine will NEVER be as good as my very artistic Dad's, but I think it is fun just the same and I have enjoyed sharing that creative urge with my kids, every now and again. This year, Ashleigh wanted to carve the pumkins I grew in the yard over the summer. They are really too small to be good Jack-o-lantern pumpkins so I told her that we could paint a couple and that she and her brother's could take the rest to their Dad's to carve for Halloween, since they will be with him this year.

This is the end result of my creativity. It's not the best, but I enjoyed spending the time with my little girl to do something that she has been begging me to finish.

After a rough dinner, Ashleigh asked if she could paint her pumpkin since I had painted the whites of the eyes on them two nights before and they were beginning to get moved around and looking like they wouldn't get finished. We couldn't find any decent brushes and I was beginning to get a little frazzled. I decided to just let go and use what we had.

This is Ashleigh's version of her creation. I didn't do the regular lesson that my Dad would do when building the face of the pumkin, first because I needed to get Luke moving on finishing his homework so he can get better marks in school, and secondly because I cannot remember the lesson that he would give while painting the face. I just let her go all in and do it the way that she wanted.

I think that she did a pretty good job on a pumpkin face for a little person that has never done this activity with her mother before. I cannot recall if she was with Dad and I the last time that we painted pumkins together back in Longmont several years ago.

Ashleigh went all in and added a few written words on her pumpkin since I had added Happy Halloween, 2008 to mine. She added her name, and the phrase, I so pretty! She cracks me up! She even went as far as to add two faces to her pumkin.

I believe she was telling me this face was Jackson. A boy that goes to her school. She kept saying his name over and over again. I think she is crushing. I can't believe how much she is like her mother! I'm really in for the long haul!

Once we were finished painting our pumkins, we set them aside and there was paint left over on our little paint dish. Asheligh asked that we both paint our pumkins on a piece of paper. She handed me mine as she began work on hers. I think she had a different idea of what I was suppose to do, but in the end, she liked the picture that I painted for her!

I'm glad that I took the time to sit with Ashleigh and do an activity with her. Sometimes we let life rush by us without stopping to see what's in front of us. Before I know it, she will be an adult and all I will have left are my memories of her! I LOVE YOU ASHLEIGH.