Wednesday and Friday, January 28 and 30, 2009

Wednesday

I went walking with the seniors outdoors group again this morning.  Did I tell you that I join them a little ways into the walk?  I'm still not sure I can do the whole five miles.  I think that I cut off two miles from where I join them.  Anyway, I talked to someone new on the way to our destination, and on the way back, Larry and I continued our discussion/debate from the last time.  We are on opposite sides of pharmaceuticals, and both pretty passionate about it!

Afterward, most of us went to lunch.  I sat with new people again, except for a couple people from Bunco the other day.  I had a great time, again.  Who knew I was so talkative?!  I am really enjoying these outings and all the people I'm meeting.

Friday

I did my walk in the morning, and ran into Rosemary.  I had met her at Bunco, and sat across from her at the restaurant on Wednesday.  It was nice talking to someone on my walk.  I am so used to walking alone every day but Wednesdays, and this was nice.  She lives not too far from me.

On my way to square dancing tonight, while driving on the road that connects to the main road, I saw about ten deer spread across both sides of the road.  It looked like a few of them were last year's fawns . . . this year's yearlings.  I stopped when I saw them, so I could admire their grace and beauty.  I looked at them.  They looked at me.  I looked at them.  They looked at me.  They were totally unconcerned, and just kept right on eating as if I didn't exist.  It was cool.

I had almost gotten to the senior center, where the square dance is held, when I saw fireworks going on in front of me.  Starting Wednesday, and going through the weekend, is an event called "Snowdown in da Nile."  It has Egyptian themed events.  Picture Cleopatra in the snow!  They were having a cool light parade down Main Street, but I couldn't give up my square dancing!  

I just saw a few fireworks, but they were cool.

Square dancing was a blast as usual.  None of the other newbies have been to all four lessons, so I am sometimes pulled into one of the main dances.  They are difficult with calls I don't know, but with a little pulling and pushing, I usually get through it!  That is the more experienced dancers pulling me and pushing me into the right direction!  If they didn't do that, I'd be really stuck!  Anyway, I had a great time.  I found out that if I stick with it, and I can't imagine not sticking with it since I love it so much, that in May I will actually "graduate."  How cool is that!?!

Saturday and Sunday, January 24 and 25, 2009

Saturday

I went to look at a couple places today.  The first was a mobile home, which I really don't want to live in, but I thought I'd take a look.  I liked the dog.  Everything else was a big no.  The second place I looked at was a nice basement apartment in a bright, turquoise blue house in a place called Waterfall Village.  How could I resist a name like that?!  It reminded me of Waterfall City from the book and mini-series Dinotopia, which I loved.

It was a nice place with nice amenities, but not the right place for me.  The coolest thing was that she had a bunch of apple trees that were regularly visited by hungry wildlife . . . including deer, elk, and bear!  The bears are sleeping this time of year, but she said they are often around at other times.  She said she heard some commotion outside one day, and looked out the window.  Mama bear was busy getting apples off the tree, while the two baby bears sat on the steps of the house watching!  When she told me about the bears, it was kind of a warning, but I took it as a huge plus!  But, bears and waterfall and all, it wasn't the right place.

When I got home to have breakfast, Pam said that the deal with the baby had fallen through, and I was welcome to stay.  I haven't told her yet, but I will stay.  Looking around and seeing other places made me realize how really great I have it here.

Oh, yeah, I did go see that other lady, who is recuperating from knee surgery in a nursing home.  She was very nice, and I'm sure we would get along, but I'd rather be where I am.  The only red flag with her is that she keeps the TV on every second when she's home.  I don't know if I could hear it in my room or not, but I should stay where I am right now.  In the future, who knows.  Maybe, hopefully, my own place.

Sunday

I haven't walked in days, and my body is feeling it.  So, I started out walking today and some kind of precipitation was falling.  I don't even know what you'd call it, sleet, hail, mini-hail, corn-snow, I don't know.  It was these tiny, heavy little pellets of ice, about the size of a grain of rice . . . if a grain of rice was round.  I liked it, except for the occasional one that found its way down my back!

There are three mountains that surround me.  As I turned toward the main street, one of the mountains that has kind of a split in it, had fog in the split.  I never even noticed the split before until I saw the fog there!  It was very cool!

I continued down the street, but didn't get to the stop sign - - my usual destination.  I was tired and getting warm, so I turned around about three quarters of the way to the stop sign.  When I turned around, I saw the mountain in front of me (not the split one) shrouded in mist.  It was so awesome.

Thad had built a small chicken coop, and today he and Pam brought home three chickens.  I feel sorry for the chickens, it is a small coop.  But, Pam said they were in really crowded quarters where she got them from.  So, hopefully, the chickens will be happy here.

In the afternoon, I had signed up to play "bunco" with some of the women from the senior's outdoors group.  We all met at Linda's house.  I parked, and as I saw the other ladies getting out of their cars, it reminded me of my mother's weekly card games.  OMG!  I am my mother!  Not only that . . . but, the other ladies looked like my Mom's friends!  Oh well.

The house is gorgeous . . . right on the Animas River.  Inside, the house has a cathedral ceiling with an all glass wall that looks down to the Animas River and up to the mountain across the river.  There is a small hot springs in front of the house that she calls the "deer and elk hot tub."  She says that deer and elk come around and stand in the water, and lay down beside it.  How cool is that!?!

Pics:  chickens and Abby with chickens

Thursday, Friday, January 22, 23, 2009

Thursday

Looked at a couple places today, but neither of them suit me.  The place with the supposed view had no view.  This evening, I received a call from a woman that was on the Wednesday senior walk with me.  I had mentioned my situation to her, and tonight she said she had two possibilities for me!  I meet one woman on Saturday to see if we get along.  

Friday

I said good-by last night, and this morning the puppies left.  I can't say I'm sorry this time.  They were locked in the kitchen all day, instead of outside like the other puppies, and they made a huge,  smelly mess in there.  I love puppies . . . but, there is a limit!  I couldn't even imagine cooking in there because it smelled so bad.  So, they're gone.

I went back to square dancing tonight.  At first, there weren't enough men, so two women had to be "men" in the square.  My partner was Jackie.  She and the other woman who were playing men, had a hard time of it, because the men's moves are different than women's moves, so it was very confusing.  And confusing for those of us learning!  The hardest part wasn't as much having a woman partner, as looking across from me and seeing a woman . . . who was supposed to be a man.  So, when I had to interact with the woman across from me, that was always very confusing.

Soon, more men came, and everything was less confusing!  Our regular caller wasn't there tonight, and during the lessons, Louis called.  He's one of the guys who usually dances, but he's a really good teacher.  He helped me a lot on my first night there, and he always has helpful suggestions.  Then, the other caller came, Lloyd.  His calls were much faster than Richard, our normal caller, so it made it a little more difficult to follow.  He taught us some new cool moves, too.

Later on, they dragged me into a square that was above my head.  But, Jackie stood beside me and guided me where I was supposed to go!  These people are so incredibly nice, and I am so lucky to have met them.  Friday nights are my favorite time!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Embrace uncertainty!

Once again, I find myself embracing uncertainty, and loving it.  I received an email from my roommate this morning.  She and Thad are adopting a baby and need my room!  It isn't for sure yet, but everything is in place.  She said that I could stay as long as the end of February if I needed to, but the baby and one of the parents will be here.  I'm not sure if that means I would be sharing my room or not!

But, I am happy about this turn of events.  This has been a wonderful place for me, puppies and all, but it's time to move on.  I looked at a place today, a little studio unit above a garage.  It was very nice, had a lot of atmosphere in the country, views of horses and mountains, and she had a dog and a horse.  But, besides being farther out than I wanted, there was no stove or oven, just a microwave and one of those little toaster ovens.  I usually cook casseroles, and so I need an oven big enough for a large pan to fit in.  It wouldn't work.

Tomorrow, I go to look at another studio, but it's a little farther out than I'd like, also.  And, I'll be looking at another place, a townhome, and I would be sharing space with a woman and her seven year old son.  She lives in "Skyridge," which I've never heard of, but according to their website, it is supposed to have spectacular views.  It's right above Durango, so I believe it.  Views from the college, which is also up there, are definitely spectacular.

Whatever is meant to be.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Ignacio, Colorado

Today, I met several people from the Seniors Outdoors Singles group, to go to lunch in Ignacio at the new Ute Casino.  We split up into two cars . . . those who wanted to play the slot machines, and those who didn't!  I didn't!  The drive was nice . . . open country, mountain views, fields covered in white snow, a few cows,  and a few horses.  It only took about a half hour to get there.

Once there, a few of us went to the "Player's Counter" to get a player's card.  The only reason was because we got a discount for lunch!  This time, we even got five dollars off for lunch and two dollars cash!

Then we had a wonderful buffet with a large assortment of good food.  I have to admit here that I had two desserts!  Chocolate cake and pecan pie!  But, the good news is that I wasn't the only one!  So, I was in good company!

After lunch, we cashed in our two dollar ticket.  I reached into my pocket and pulled out a handful of pennies (they have penny slot machines), and a couple nickels.  But, none of the machines took cash!  You had to put in dollar bills!  Can you imagine!?!  So, I stuffed the coins back into my pocket and forgot about it.  They weren't getting the two dollars that I had been given!

Then we went on a short tour of the new casino.  One entire wall of the casino was made out of glass, so we went up to the second fifth floor to take a good good.  The view was gorgeous.  Beautiful, snow covered mountains in the distance, with farmland leading up to the mountains.  I couldn't tear my eyes away.  They also had a nice picture of a flying bald eagle, and another picture that had been "cut" into pieces and the pieces put together "wrong".  It was very creative, and incredibly cool.  I'm going to try it myself!

The poor area was nice, with  warm water, and a kind of "river" running along the back of the pool . . . plus, of course, the obligatory hot tub.  They also had a fitness area with treadmills, steppers, bicycles, and weights.  If anyone is interested in getting a room there, it is an inexpensive $45 a night!  A bargain!

Oh!  I forgot to mention that they had a bowling alley!  That was cool, too!  I'd like to go back sometime to bowl and maybe play in a poker tournament.  There poker limits are over my head, but sometimes they have cheap or free tournaments, which I really enjoy.

Friday, Saturday, January 16 and 17, 2009

Friday

I went to square dancing again tonight, and everyone gave me a warm welcome.  I enjoyed the dancing and the talking to everyone.  I didn't dance as much as last time, but when I did, it was fun.  The later dances are all much harder than the "lesson" dances, but they made me dance for the last one, anyway.  Much of the time I had no idea what I was doing, but someone would grab my hand, or give me a gentle shove in the direction I should be going, and it turned out fine.  One woman told me just to relax and go with it!  I left there smiling!

Saturday

I was kind of nervous all day, because I haven't done any ballroom dancing in probably forty years, except for maybe a dance or two at a wedding many years ago.  But, I thought it would be another good opportunity to meet people, and I had arranged to meet a woman and a man from the outdoor singles group that I'm in.  I had never met the man, and I hoped to be able to recognize the woman!

I start out and it is already dark.  I wasn't even a mile from home when what do I see walking down the side of the road, but a beautiful buck with a huge set of antlers!  It was like he had a huge woven basket on his head.  He was gorgeous!  I wasn't finished admiring him, when a doe crosses the street further ahead of me.  I thought that had to be a great sign!

I got to the dance place, and there weren't many cars in the lot.  I got out of the car, look up at the sky, and there is Orion, my favorite constellation, shining down on me.  Another good sign!  I walk in and pay my $10.  Everyone is very friendly, but I don't see Carol, or anybody else I might recognize from the outdoors group.  I sit at a table by myself.  Almost everyone is dressed to the hilt.  I am wearing jeans and tennis shoes!  My only saving grace is that I'm also wearing one of my mother's beautiful sweaters that she knit for me.  There are a couple guys wearing jeans, but no women.  Oh, well.

The band started playing, and it was loud.  I forgot to bring tissue for my ears.  Time is ticking, and I'm not finding Carol.  At 7:15, (it started at 7:00), I go up to the woman at the door, and say my friends didn't show up, can I get my money back.  I didn't expect her to say yes, but she handed me my ten dollars back!  That was cool!  I went to the market and bought some milk and clementines, and splurged on some ice cream.

As I drove out of town, another smaller buck ran across the street.  As the highway starts, there is a deer sign, and then farther in there is one of those big signs whose message can be changed, and this one often says, "Wildlife on the roadway."  Just past the sign, the car in front of me slows down, so I slowed down.  There are three or four elk on the side of the road just hanging out!  What a wild night!  Wildlife night, that is.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Puppy breath, again.

Three more puppies have arrived.  These are little guys, only five weeks old.  They are all black.  The biggest one is the bully of the bunch.  Then, the one with the white tip on its tail, four white paws, and a white chest, is the shy one.  She didn't want to come out of the crate when Pam first brought them in.  The smallest one, a cute little boy who is much smaller than the other two, is probably my favorite.  He's a little sweetheart.  But, I can't fall in love with a puppy yet.  It's not time for me to have a dog.  My time is coming, though.

Tuesday, Wednesday, January 13 and 14, 2009

Tuesday evening, I drove over to the recreation center to watch a presentation about rafting in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  It was given by the outdoor senior group that I belong to.  I ran into Larry, first - - one of the guys that I met at the Orphans Christmas party.  I talked to him awhile, and Warren a little while.  Warren is the one who drove me to the Christmas party.  I only saw one woman from there, and she was surrounded by people, so I couldn't even say hello.  Then, I started talking to Bernadette and her husband, John.  They come from Mancos which is a few miles to the west of Durango.  They moved here from Connecticut!

The presentation started off with a picture that I could have sworn was the Bass Harbor Lighthouse.  In fact, I'm almost certain.  It was just a "starter slide" to get the correct focus.  It was an interesting presentation, with lots of pictures of plants and animals, which I always enjoy.

Wednesday morning.

I drove over to the Durango visitor's center to intercept the senior's group on the first part of their walk.  I'm not sure how much distance I cut out by going there instead of at the meeting place, but it was enough.  I made it through the whole walk, no blisters or anything!  Chris and Joan, from the Christmas party, also started from the visitor's center.  I met up with Larry again, and met Susanna, and the three of us walked almost the entire route together.  

There were spots on the path that were still icy, and we had to practice "walking like a penguin!"  No one fell, thankfully.  On the way back Larry and I kind of got into it talking about pharmaceutical companies, definitely a passionate subject for me.  It must have been for him, too, because I got him riled up enough to tell me he has a PHd in statistics!  He said he's never told anyone that!  Susanna had to cut in the middle of our conversation and defend me!  But, I was so into it, I didn't even realize I needed defending.  Anyway, it was an interesting conversation.

Then we all went to lunch in town at the Palace.  I waited outside for almost a half hour waiting for someone to show up.  Little did I know that everyone had already gone in another door!  I just barely made it in time.  I sat with Barbara and Inez and Judy, three women I hadn't met before.  We talked about hiking and skiing and Durango.  I have really enjoyed these social outings.  Strange for me . . . the wallflower who never wanted to talk to a stranger, and now here I am, doing it all the time and enjoying it, even!  India really changed me, as did living on the Largo ranch.  Or perhaps I was already changed which is why I ended up in India and the Largo ranch.  Whatever!

This is a pic of the huge full moon from a few days ago.

Friday, January 9, 2009

I looked out my window after my afternoon meditation and was disappointed to see it snowing.  I wanted to go to the square dance at the senior center.  But, after not going to the dance last week because of snow, I think the universe "punished" me with the Jamie incident!  So, I didn't care if it was snowing bucketfuls, I was going to somehow make my way into town!

When I got out there, it wasn't bad.  It had snowed maybe a half inch.  The roads were really slick for the first mile until I got out to the main highway.  It wasn't bad, and in town wasn't bad.  I went to the post office, and then got to the senior center about twenty minutes early.  There were only two cars in the lot . . . me, and a truck parked next to me.  Then the square dance caller arrived.  I knew it was the caller because he carted a lot of stuff inside.  The closer it got to 6:00, the more people came.  But, it was all couples.  I had decided that if all I saw was couples going in, then I would leave.  There was another dance, Scottish country dance, that started at 6:30 in town.  At 6:00, I decided to wait a few minutes longer.  Since it was still snowing, I thought it might delay people.  A little after six o'clock, a man came to the window of my car.  He asked if I was going in, and I told him it was all couples.  He said there are always people to dance with, not to worry.  So, I went in! His name was Mike and he was very nice, and I met a few other people.

Most people were dressed in the cowboy style . . . shirts, belts, boots . . . but, some of the women had on those dresses with a lot of petticoats.  I had on my jeans and one of my sweaters, and tennis shoes.  

Then a lot of other people came in, and we started.  These calls were not the same as the calls I remember from sixth grade!  These are much harder and much more complex!  I did remember "alaman left" and "doce do"!  I got some things wrong but everybody tried to help.  I wasn't the only "newbie" thank goodness!  And they were making as many mistakes as I was, so I was in good company!  When my partner was experienced, it was much easier to follow, because he would grab my hand and gently push me in the direction I needed to go, or grab my hand and lead me.  But, when my partner was another newbie, we were both confused!  I had a blast!  

After the lessons came the regular square dance part for the regulars.  They told me I should stay and watch.  In between sets, (they don't call them sets, though, something like "tic") they did "round" dancing which was kind of like ballroom, only there is a caller and they do different steps as they go around in a big circle.  It was interesting.  Then, they did some line dancing, and they got me to try that.  Line dancing is when there are two lines of people facing each other, about three or four feet apart, and about two or three feet from the person next to you.  The calls were less confusing than the square dancing, but still I was obviously a newbie at it!  I stood next to Mike and followed him, mainly.

After that, they went back to square dancing and invited me to join in again.  I was with a totally different group this time, with Mike as my partner, and everyone helped me.  They said I did good, but it didn't feel like it!  But, again, I had a blast!  The only thing was that there was a lot of "twirls" in this second set, and I got a little dizzy!

When we finished the last square dance, several people in my group hugged me, told me how good I did, and asked if I was coming back next week.  What a warm reception!  I have met such great people since I've been here!  How lucky is that!?!

In the first half hour I kept looking at the clock, and could hardly wait to leave.  I wasn't planning on coming back.  But, by the end of the night, with everyone was so nice and helpful, and I had such fun, I can hardly wait till next week!  I knew it was at the senior center, and I didn't know how old any of them were, so I went with the attitude not of meeting a man, but of just enjoying myself and having fun.  Which I did!  I had a blast!  

Thursday, January 8, 2009

I'm finally fully recovered from the Jamie episode.  The day afterward I was actually sick all day long . . . in bed . . . didn't eat a thing all day!  It affected me more than I realized.  For a couple days after that, I wasn't myself mentally, but yesterday I took a short walk, saw some deer tracks, and watched as the sun went down over the mountains . . . where just the top of the mountains were bathed in light . . . one of my favorite times of the day.  It was perfect!  And now I'm fine!  I'm happy where I am and eager for what's coming!

Today, Thursday, I did my two and a half mile walk, and was blessed with more deer tracks, looking at the beautiful mountains, and watching the train go by.  It was wonderful, and I appreciated every minute of it.