Long Nap

I took a long walk. Then I took a long nap. I woke up as the sun was going down and was confused. Then I went in the kitchen to make a lasagna and turned on the radio. Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion was on and he was in Colorado. Then I knew everything was going to be alright….

My Country Club Walmart

Went to doc’s up the mountain and country club Walmart on the way down. I call it Country Club Walmart because of the beautiful Elk statue out front and because I’ve yet to see a buttocks crack or neck hicky in this one. Time to rest with Peanut by the creek as tourists bidding farewell to summer start oozing in.:)

There’s a Zucchinni in Your Mailbox!

Old fashioned communication had to be used this morning.

Yesterday I went to the Farmer’s Market and bought some zucchinis.  I left a big one in my neighbor’s mailbox. We often surprise each other with gifts of plants, flowers and baked goods…and yes, vegetables. We share a duplex and I live on top.

This morning I sent my neighbor a picture and a text message telling her,  “there is a zucchini in your mailbox.” She texted me back that she was not able to download the message on her Droid. Her phone is not working right today.

So I took some practice crochet work and cut and clipped a note on it and lowered it down to my neighbor’s favorite chair on her porch by the creek.

She laughed her head off and looked up at me from her porch. She said that another neighbor knocked on her door yesterday and asked,,,”I just have to know, “why is there a zucchini in your mailbox?” haha. Now she knows it’s from me….the old fashioned communication way.

If You want to Go Fishing, Better not Say that Again!

I almost choked today. I was taking care of a friends little kiddlings, age 7 and 8 for half day after their morning camp. The choking part. Well picture this: We are in Green Mountain Falls eating sandwiches at a cafe before we fished. These little critters are usually very quiet, however, out of no where, my ears were ringing with Jacob’s exclamation, “I’M VOTING FOR MITT ROMNEY!” Everyone turned and looked at us, I pushed the bread down my craw and screeched, “where’s the soap?” OMG. It was so funny and mortifying at the same time. As most of you know, I am pretty liberal. I also live in one of the few tiny liberal pockets in Colorado. For the rest of the day Little Jake kept saying that and I finally told him, “It’s a free country, but if you want to go fishing, you better not say that again.” 🙂

Unusual Day

After playing phone tag for several days with a specialist I’m finally able to see (I say finally because I do not have medical insurance which made seeing this kind of specialist difficult), I was finally connected to his nurse. She used the word “unusual” when quoting the  dr. in reference to a test and it’s results, I had in the hospital, 10 days previous.  Unusual, eh? Hmm. I think I like that word better than another word he could have used.  I guess he could have said, positive, or concerning, or deadly, haha. I don’t know. What is the word that most drs. use when the results are not so great?

The word unusual was warm and fuzzy compared to the next few words the nurse spewed out of her cute little lips. They were words that I had NEVER googled in my life while researching my symptoms the past year.  I’d never googled that kind of specialist to which I was referred and I’d never googled or even had any knowledge of the next test she talked about.

So I hung up a little in shock, made some important calls with a dry cotton mouth, while at the shop and of course the minute the phone would return those calls, the empty shop would fill to the brim with shoppers. So I just told myself to wait. Wait. Wait. One of those shoppers was an eccentric man and his wife. I knew him from my social work career. He was what I would call a spiritual Sage with many professions. He has 9 children and when he walked in the store, like before, he announces, I have 9 children and I want to buy my wife a shirt to match this skirt. I think, oh crap, I don’t need this.  He is a Sage and has many helping professions, surely he can pick out a solid colored shirt. The conversation with my nurse was still reeling in my head. I was feeling much anxiety. But this man and his stories and wisdom calmed me while his wife was in the back trying things on. It was good he was there.

So the rest of the day brought in more neat people to take my mind of my morning conversation with the nurse. A couple from Minnesota came in and we shared stories of the North Woods and the Twin Cities. I laughed and had fun and I forgot the earlier morning for a few minutes.  I was so grateful these people came in. It’s like they were lined up outside with a purpose. Make her forget, make her happy until she can get home.

And then the time came to go home to google the medical words I had never googled in my life. I pull up in my drive at home and a woman about my age, clearly a tourist came right up to me as I was getting out of my car. I think,,,oh my, I don’t wish to talk, I must go upstairs to my little cave and computer. I need some alone time. But it was not to be for the next 15 minutes. She requested a ride up the hill 3 blocks to her car near the train. She was afraid she might pass out due to the elevation. She was also from Minnesota. So I said, sure, get in and we headed a few feet up the hill towards her parking lot, when a trailer jack-knifed in front of us. I was trapped in the railway and incline traffic just a few feet from my solace, my little home, my computer. She apologized and I told her not to worry I was just going to get on my computer and look up some words related to an illness for which I had just started taking tests. She turned to me and said she was a breast cancer survivor of 4 years and then she started telling me everything I needed to do to stay calm through whatever my illness is and know that there are people out there that will carry me through this. My eyes started to water.  I asked her her name because I was sort of getting a feeling that all these people walking into my life during the course of the day were sent to me. Sort of like angels. She told me her name. It was the name of a dearly beloved relative that had passed many years ago and then I knew this was not a coincidental moment.  She also said, I’m a prayer warrior, Nancy. I’m so glad we met and she hopped out of her car while we were forced to back the car away from her destination and I told her to have a wonderful year, thinking of how important the 5th year of being in recovery of cancer would be for her and I continued to back up to finally return to my home. After that final unusual visit with someone I knew was sent to me that day, it just didn’t seem as important to be alone in my little home with my computer in which to google unusual medical words.

God Moments

 

Open Your Life to the Gift of Today

Morning Serenity at the Foot of the Peak

I woke up to the smell of smoke coming through my bedroom window at about 4 a..m.; guess the wind shifted because Manitou has fortunately not had much smoke for the past couple days. I heard the first birds in the forest behind my place at 4:43 a.m. Their little chirps are the sound of hope. Manitou is still a little bit of a ghost town up where I live, for Pikes Peak is closed, including the Cog to the top. I think the Incline is too as well as Garden of The Gods. Maybe the Pea and I will take an early morning walk and enjoy the serenity.

Manitou Springs Waldo Canyon Fire Evacuation

Taken from Manitou Ave.

Much gratitude to be home in Manitou Springs after being evacuated due to fire at 1 a.m. Sunday morning. We are still on notice, due to possible wind shift. I’ll be ready.  This is called the Waldo Canyon Fire and there are still thousands of people evacuated in nearby communities. Firefighters have come from as far as Canada. Please continue your positive thoughts, prayers and gratitude for this “America the Beautiful” region.

Been able to return to my home in Manitou Springs. The wind is presently strong and gusty. Fire fighters state they are now on the offensive with 5% containment. The wind, heat and 9% humidity is making this a rough one.

Are You Relaxed Yet? Are You Relaxed Yet?

Goofy R’ Us on this Saturday afternoon in the mountains. It’s rare that my buddy, Marian, who I have known for 15 years,  is available for relaxation and goofiness.  She has one of the most stressful and demanding jobs in the region and usually I have to use my special persuasive  powers which sometimes include kidnapping, to get her away from the office or her several phones and pager.  She and I drove up the pass on some errands I had to run. We tasted some wines at Wines of Colorado and enjoyed a great meal on the deck. I eyed a big-ass trout in the creek below us and shrieked with excitement. She jumped straight up in her chair. I knew then that I had a job ahead of me. Get Marian to relax.  I questioned her often; are you relaxed yet? Are you relaxed yet? She finally laughed her deep laugh, declaring that yes, indeed she was relaxed.  And as you can see by the goofy look in her eyes,,,,she was able to embrace the scenery and the food and the wine tastings and the cool breeze coming down from the top of the mountain.  I pride myself in taking on the job of teaching people to relax. I myself was forced to take life at a slower pace so I feel everyone else should give it a try too. After-all, I worry about this dear, dear friend who puts others first in most cases and herself, last. 

Note: I had to get permission to publicize this picture. We laughed so hard while I held the camera on us for several shots that the soup I ordered almost made it into this portrait via my nostril. Other more serious pictures made it to the editing floor. But this shot of my buddy, Marian, is priceless. 

Marian and Nancy

  

Someone is Getting Grounded in Manitou Springs

Well, that made for an exciting evening. Smell of smoke, thought it was a neighbor’s medicine. Then Fire truck sirens. Grabbed my shoes and Peanut who was howling like a dog who hears sirens. Smoke, Flames 4 houses up the road, big flames, ran back in, turned off my bedroom window fan, put on my pants,,,only wearing moo moo. Big huge flames. Called Eunice below…PUT ON YOUR SHOES! Fire! Met her downstairs. Congregational Church minister driving jeep with TALLGIRL on license plate parks in front of house, jumps out in his volunteer fire pants. News truck appears. I sit in shadow of front tree,,,,moo moo not that great lookin and didn’t want to get on the news. Eunice and I were jabbering and speculating. Verdict. Brush fire.  Someones getting grounded.  Fireworks.