Debate

Denver has been selected as the site for the first Presidential Debate.  While that is wonderful and I would love to go see my favorite candidate (whose initials are M.R.!!), I'm going to stay home that day.  Highway 25 runs smack dab through Denver and because of the close proximity to the debate site, they plan on closing - yes closing - a good stretch of it that day.  On a Wednesday, on a work day.  It's going to cause quite a traffic mess and I'm imagining that the main street that our little track runs off of may even see some heavier than usual traffic with people trying to connect to one of the other freeways.  So I think I'll try to stay home as much as I can, although I do have an appointment later in the day.

What do you think?  Are you going to watch the debates?  Are you tired of the rhetoric?  Is your mind made up?  One of our local channels is doing something which I feel is great.  While being strictly impartial to party affiliation, they are looking at the campaign commercials and researching as to whether what is being said is true or false.  You'd be surprised - or not - as to the amount of stuff out there that is totally no true.  It's the old don't believe everything that you read - or hear.

My advise?  Pray about it and vote with your heart and your head.

Have a wonderful weekend!

OF ALL THE GIN JOINTS IN ALL THE TOWNS IN ALL THE WORLD, SHE WALKED INTO MINE

I know I have been M.I.A. and I apologize for that.  Sometimes life just gets in the way.

I wanted to mention my latest adventure.  The day before yesterday Maggie had been out in the side yard barking, something she rarely does.  She runs around and acts crazy, but seldom barks.  She started in again yesterday afternoon so I thought I would go see what she was up to.  The only thing on that side of the house is the neighbor's dog on the other side of the fence.  A little old, blind dog that is rarely out so I thought something might not be right.  Boy, was I correct!

I was under the distinct impression that the state of Colorado knew we were here and had taken care of all the wild west and wild animal "nonsense." Oh, no!!! We have basements here in Colorado.  Lovely basements with lots of potential.  That also means basement window wells such as this. We have three of them along that side of the house.  Maggie was standing by the one that closest to the front having fits.  The side fence goes over part of it so it's open to the back yard and the front.  I got this sinking feeling that a poor little bunny fell in and couldn't get out.  That would have not been too bad.  I could have figured out how to get the poor little furry thing out.

Was it a bunny?  No!!!!  Of course not!!!! That's what would have happened to anyone else but me.  Staring up at me was a rather large raccoon.  I could just hear it saying, "Get me out of here!" Now raccoons, although they look cute, can be dangerous, especially when cornered.  I figured that Maggie might have been chasing it and it fell in while it was trying to get away.  You have seen the movies.  Someone is running from the cops, they hop a fence and there is a hole on the other side.

I didn't know if it's little legs were broken from the fall and I certainly didn't want it to stay there and starve to death.  I called out local animal control and thought for sure they would come and save the day.  You have to understand that we have the occasional raccoon, rabbit, fox and coyote in our neighborhoods so I figured they were on top of things like this.  Does animal control do wild animals?  Oh, no!  I was told to call a pest control company and have them come out - and have to pay them to take care of it.  Good grief!

I went and got the neighbor and showed him my dilemma.  He's lived here for years and nothing like that had ever happened to him.  Of course not.  They were waiting for me to get here.  Anyway, he suggested that I put a large piece of wood down the well and wait for it to crawl out during the night.  About then, the hubs suggested a ladder.  I ended up putting a large dead branch and the ladder both.  After it got dark I went down in the basement to check, but it was still there.  I suppose I could have stayed down there and done some quilting while it watched, but those beady eyes were a little unnerving!

I checked again a couple hours later and it was gone.  Whew! I had a stack of old fence boards out back so I covered the other two window wells.  I covered the backyard side of the front well but don't have anything to cover the front yard part. Not attractive, but it will do the trick until I can get to Home Depot and get some window well grates to cover them all.

So, I need to go get the ladder out of the window well.  Then wait to see what happens next.  It's always something!  I guess dealing with snails in California wasn't so bad after all!!!

Sleep - I need sleep!!!

For some reason, since we've moved both hubs and I have had terrible insomnia.  It's a little disconcerting to lay (lie?) in bed for hours with your mind racing a mile a minute. I can't tell you how many times I've been up when the neighbors are going to work.  I'll be up all night and finally get to sleep around 7:00 a.m. and then sleep until after noon.  This is not productive!  Plus if I don't get enough sleep I get headaches. Even though I can't sleep, I am still tired so getting any projects done is out of the question so all I can do is watch television.  Do you know how terrible television is in the middle of the night?  Good grief!

Our paper gets delivered between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m..  Many mornings I have it read and the puzzles done by 6:00 a.m..  I'm lucky it gets delivered right on our porch.  I had to call them a few times complaining of missing papers.  The last time I called I had to remind them that I was too old to be fishing a newspaper out from under a car in the driveway.  I was a little concerned what I would do once it started snowing.   ("Honey, that neighbor lady seems to be frozen under the car again!")  When I called, the customer service rep said, "would you like it delivered on to your porch?"  Duh!!!!!

I've tried lots of things.  No caffeine after noon.  Taking Melatonin.  Taking Tylenol P.M..  Even taking sleeping pills.  Nothing!

So, dear friends, HELP!!!!  Have you ever had this problem?  What have you done that has worked for you?  I need to get a life and I have things to do and this isn't helping matters any.

Off to a quilt show with hubs Saturday and hopefully Sunday we can go see the Incredible Molly Brown Museum, a Denver native of the Titanic "fame". *We've decided to wait until the 28th to go to the Museum.  Here in Denver they have once a month free admission to most every museum in town.   The Denver Art Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, The Aquarium, The Molly Brown Museum and the Denver Botanical Garden to name a few.  How cool is that?

You all have a great weekend!

Maggie

Sorry - still can't load pictures!

I needed to take Maggie to get her hair done yesterday.  She was long overdue.  In California I took her every two weeks for a wash and comb-out.  It was her spa/play day.  Since being in Colorado, I had only taken her once and hadn't been happy with them so I've been searching.  I checked Yelp.com to get reviews but the best places are way downtown Denver and too far to go to.  One of my neighbors suggested a place near here, but the reviewers on Yelp all said, "don't take your dogs here!"

The one place that was near our home and had great reviews was, of all places, PetSmart.  Now I admit, I'm a snob when it comes to certain things.  Not all things, but a few.  When it comes to Maggie I want the very best.  But I knew she needed done so I figured once wouldn't hurt and I could tell by her demeanor how she liked it when I got there.

I was so pleasantly surprised!  One good thing was that her groomer, Jamie, had owned a Scottie so knew what she needed and the Scottie idiosyncrasies (they hate their nails to be clipped).  When I picked Maggie up, Jamie was sitting down holding her and Maggie was happy.  Maggie looked GORGEOUS and Jamie proceeded to tell me what the previous groomer had done wrong and what she will do in the future to get her into the perfect Scottie shape.  Whew!!!!  Also, I can set up the twice a week schedule like I had in California for the same price.  The "regular" grooming places here are much more expensive.

After we picked her up we went to the local shopping center with her.  Every Friday night they have a live band with music and it's great fun to walk around and people watch.  It's like one big party.  Maggie really enjoyed herself and got lots of smiles, although, I suspect some people thought she looked a little "girly" with two pink polka dot bows on her butt!  I, on the other hand, think she looks ADORABLE!  You just have to picture her running around the yard, pink bows and all, chasing rabbits!

My advise for the week is to check out Yelp.com for reviews and to realise that some places, even though you don't think they are worth going to, might just be the answer!

Have a great weekend!  We're off to the local Farmer's Market!  To my friends and family in California - Stay Cool!

New Cell Phone

I'm going to have to break down and get a new cell phone. My little old Samsun flip phone has seen it's last days I'm afraid.  I don't want to pay for an IPhone.  I'm much too cheap for that!   I would like something that is easy to use and is small enough to put in my pocket. 


Any recommendations - pro and con?


Thanks!!!

Blogger!

Ok, I'm having trouble here.  What is blogger up to now?  I cannot upload pictures.  I also cannot add any new blogs to my links over on the side bar.  Anyone out there know what's going on?

I am so not thrilled with the new "improved" format.  I know I put myself as risk for saying that.  What evil things can they do to my blog now?

HELP!

Basement Ideas

While we are staying at my son's home here in Colorado, we are going to be overseeing the finishing of the basement. So, I have a question for all of you out there that have finished basements that you use as part of your living space:

What type of floors do you recommend? Carpet, wood, laminate?

What wall paint colors are you most happy with? White, creamy beige, soft pastels such as yellow, teal or minty green?

What have you done to your ceilings, especially if they are full of duct work and putting sheet rock or ceiling tiles up would make them too low?

Any other hints? We are going to start getting estimates and when I talk to the contractors I don't want to sound like I don't know what I'm doing...which I don't but don't tell them that!

I'm on Pinterest and have been collecting basement ideas there.

Thanks!!!

New Email

One of the many things that happened to us during our move is that "that" internet/phone company locked us out of our email account. Don't ask me why because I don't even know. Free internet and they lock you out. What's up with that? Anyway, Sweetie contacted them once we got here and they finally got it fixed - sorta. They gave us a new email address ("Nope, sorry, you can't have your old one anymore.") and transferred our information over to the new address. Again, sorta. My email contacts were gone!!!!!! I'm not the type of gal that just says, "Oh, well." A friend of mine used to say, "Right's right and wrong's nowhere!" (I could get a job as a consumer advocate ala Ralph Nader! LOL!) So I got right on the phone. After what seemed like an entire afternoon, talking to people from two companies on two continents and being shuffled back in forth with a "he said, she said", I was able to talk to a very nice gentleman from Texas who knew what he was doing!! Imagine that! He said that what had probably happened was an "incomplete transfer" and he was given permission to have them do it again. I knew my contacts were sitting somewhere in the world on a server just waiting to come home to Mama. I was told to wait a day and then check them. The next day another nice gentleman called and asked me to check them and VOILA! THERE THEY WERE!!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Why am I telling you this tale of whoa? Two things. First, if you ever have trouble with a computer or phone system and you need to call them do not, I repeat, do not talk to the first person who answers the phone. Insist on talking to a "level two technician". If they refuse, ask to speak to their supervisor. Remember, your call is taped and they don't want the entire chain of command hearing how they made you angry. You have the right to have someone who understands your problem and has the authority to fix it listen to you.

Second, like I said, my email has changed. If any of my blog friends need to email me and have my email in their contacts list, it will need to be changed. Just check out the new email in my profile section.

Whew! That even made me tired reading it. I think it's nap time in the Rockies!

Toodles!!

Catching Up

I still don't have my lap top hooked up so I can load pictures. So another post sans pictures.

There hasn't been much going on around here lately as far as getting the house put together. Colorado has been experiencing record heat and we have had 100+ days. Even with the air conditioner on, it's difficult to get the energy to do anything. So I just use my retirement mantra, "There is always tomorrow!" I am getting a little weary of boxes, cords and unfinished projects so I'm hoping for a cool down soon.

I'm sure you are all aware of the fires that have ravaged parts of our adopted state. It is just horrible!!! The pictures in the paper are heartbreaking. One very poignant picture in the paper today shows a woman in Colorado Springs watering the lawn in front of her beautiful home. Across the street - just across the street, mind you- her neighbor's home is nothing but ash. Our little area of Colorado seems to be the only area that has not been threatened by fire. The state is supposed to be getting thunder storms this week which means more lightening which could mean more fires. By Friday, though, we are supposed to get some heavy rain which will be a praise.

With the Fourth of July coming up the state has banned the use of fireworks. Crazy thing, though, is they haven't banned, or cannot ban, the sale of fireworks. We have a big fireworks stand near our home. There are signs on the road just as you approach the stand that the use of fireworks has been banned. We all know, however, that there are crazy people out there who will still use them. So Wednesday, I'm holding my breath that there are not more fires started.

On another note, my sister from California came out for a visit. Other than having to deal with the heat we had a great time. Janice is not one to like to visit museums or the regular tourist spots. We spent an entire week of showing her around to the great restaurants in the area. We had so much fun. I lost count of all the times she said, "OMG!" when she tried a new restaurant. We did manage to take in a couple movies. One was at the Movie Tavern where you can order off a complete menu and eat while you watch. How cool is that? We saw Men In Black III there with the hubs. We also went to see "Seeking A Friend For the End of the World." What an awesome movie and I highly recommend it. Just take kleenex! The reviews in the paper say it's the comedy hit of the summer. This tells me that the reviewer didn't see it and thought that since Steve Carell was in it it had to be a comedy. NOT!!!! It's very poignant and a movie that will stay with you for days.

Well, that's all for now. Stay cool out there and stay safe on the 4th!!!

Bunnies

I still don't have my laptop hooked up for wireless so I can't post any pictures. My brain is too frazzled from the move to even attempt to figure out how to do it on hub's Mac.

Becky left a comment about the bunny that Maggie caught and for her to be careful because of their teeth. I can't wait to show you a picture of them here. In California we have rather large field rabbits. Not too cute and they stay out in the fields.

What they have here are the cutest little, itty, bitty, cottontail bunnies. Something you would give your children at Easter if you didn't know better, but that's another story. They are all over the neighborhood and burrow around the foundation of the houses. Sometimes Maggie will sit with just her head poking out the pet door waiting - hoping. If she sees one, she's off to the races. The other day she was sitting in the entryway and looking out the storm door that is glass all the way down. She spotted a bunny on the neighbors lawn and went berserk! She actually got up on her hind legs and just stood straight up like a person. I tried to get a picture but my camera wasn't fast enough.

I remember the first time I came out here to visit our son. I was taking a walk in the neighborhood and saw a bunny in a front yard. I actually went up to the front door to ask them if they had a pet rabbit that had gotten out! I'm so glad no one was home!!!!

I think it's ironic that I have collected garden bunny statues over the years. I have them sitting in the back yard. Now they have furry friends as well.

Gotta go - things to do, things to do.....