Unstressed

I am amazed at how easily our cats adapted to new surroundings. We pulled them from their home and drove them from Glen Ellyn to Davenport, to Longmont and put them in a completely new environment and they simply took it on. 1527 Otis Dr is now their domain.

 

Home!

Sunday afternoon and we are home. We stopped in Davenport to join in the birthday celebration for Brady, so this added another night on the road, but it was worth it, though the cats might not agree!

 

One Week In Longmont

Today marks one week since we arrived in Longmont. We rolled into town las Saturday shortly after noon. Weather wise we had sun each day until yesterday - though it tried to poke through the clouds over by Denver International Airport while we were there. We had snow Tursday night inbto Friday - per our local retired weather man we had 4.5" here. He also said we unusually got more snow than Boulder. This morning I woke up to heavy fog but the weather forcast says we should have sun by mid day. It is also cold this morning at 18º. I have enjoyed uppper 40º days until Friday. I have to say that for the past week, weather wise Longmont has been good to us.

On my part I have figured out my grocery shopping spots and my house cleaning chores and my cooking. Thursday night we had five guests joiun ujs for dinner. These arfe friends who Sharon met while she was consulting for the Boulder Valley School District. We had a great evening of good convefrsation and food. I made Tamal Azteca, which turned out great, and sangria, and in honor of the Yew Year - black eyed peas. Sharon made a jicima and orange salad and chocolate bread pudding. Our dinner was all vegetarian. The kitties both took to our guests and enjoyed the attention.

Friday afternoon Larry and Dave came in and we picked them up at Denver International Airfport. This was our first drive from Longmont to DIA and even though the roads were a little snowy in Longmont they we pretty clear on the expressway. It took us just under an hour to get there. With clear weather it should be around 45 minutes. If the ExpressToll web site will ever load I will know how much that trip cost. After we dropped the boys luggae off at the house we tried a Longmont Institution for lunch - Cheese Importers. Kind of a funky place but the sandwichs were good.

We went together to look at the townhouse that we saw in October and liked. We still like the plan and the location. The price though has gone up 5% to $420,000. I am not happy with that. If we move to Longmont I think I could be happy with it. Lots of space, a super master bedroom and deck, and a very functional kitchen and living area. Plus a 1,000 square foor basement for my workshop.

For dinner I made my first take on Colorado green chili and pork plus we had left over Tamal Azteca and jicima and orange salad. I think I did a pretty good job on the green chili. I used a recipe I found on The Food Lab. In placed of the traditional Hatch peppers I used a combination of poblano, anaheim, and jalapeno peppers plus some tomatillos.

Today Sharon and Larry are working out at Orange Theory in Boulder and Dave and I are reading and watching TV and blogging while we keep the cats company. The sun is trying to break through the fog. This is going to be a nice day.

 

Halloween

Not much activity here at Casa Jordan for Halloween. We had a cold and rainy day and by sunset the trick or treaters were gone. We gave out a combination of kazoos and candy. The kazoos were well received. I sat by the front door, on the inside, played my ukulele and kazoo, Shelby watched the door, and we waited for kiddos. Sharon had that duty before I got home and she didn't see many kiddos either.

 

Austin

Sharon and I are climbing out of Austin piloted by Captain Dave. We came in Saturday afternoon and have had a wonderful visit with old friends since our arrival.

 

We stayed with Deborah and Duane Campbell in Pflugerville. It has been years since our last visit. I drove through here in 1996 or 1997 on my way from visiting my father in Houston. That would be 18 or 19 years ago. Neither us remember. I do know that I flew in and out once before through Austin Bergstrom Airport. I do know that Austin has grown and changed tremendously since I was last here. In one regard I feel they paved paradise and built, not a parking lot, but miles of tollway. The concrete contractors have made out like champs.

As we were approaching Austin on Saturday I was getting nostalgic about Austin, central Texas, and the hill country and wondering why I didn't want to move back here. I've got generations of ties to Austin and Texas. Now I think it is a great place to visit but I don't need to live here again.

On Sunday Sharon and went exploring from Pflugerville, up through Hutto then Taylor and then toward Georgetown and then into Round Rock where we ate brisket and beef ribs at Salt Lick. I had wanted to go to Louis Mueller's in Taylor but they were closed on Sunday. Taylor is looking sad, progress has passed it by. Round Rock is booming and mostly unrecognizable, but I did manage to drive down Chisholm Trail and across Brushy Creek where we got a glimpse of the round rock. Between the heat and the dryness we remembered why we live in Glen Ellyn rather than Austin. In the evening we drove to south Austin to Strange Brew for an evening of music from Trout Fishing in America and Dana Louise and the Glorious Birds. We all had a great time.

 

Monday saw us taking it easy. Sharon did some work and we went shopping with Deborah. Sharon and I drove to Beverly and Rebecca's home in the afternoon for a very nice visit and catching up with each other's lives.

Tuesday. Sharon spent much of her day working. Me? Reading. Sharon made an awesome cheese cake while Deborah made charro beans and rice and we headed back to Beverly and Rebecca's. Pete and Audry Deckinga joined us and we had a marvelous time taliking and dining and drinking. Rebecca introduced us to Miracle Seeds. Ever tried them? Quite an experience with changing taste buds.

Wednesday and departure day. Sharon and I went shopping. This time to Burnet Road and Karavel shoes where I got some Clark Waves and some orthopedic inserts. I turned it over to a sales person there and she seemed to know what she was doing. I feel these should be comfortable to work in. We shall see. Our next stop was at Fiddler's Green to shop ukuleles. Wow! They have a great selection of many stringed instruments. I now have a new one, an Ohana concert ukulele with a solid cedar top and rosewood body and it sounds great.Thankyou Sharon.

Home

We are still setting into the routine of home. Sharon has been off to Boulder and now also to Racine. I've been trying to catch up on yard work and moving photos off of the camera's SD cards. Of course the cats are happy we are back and they have forgiven us for leaving them for so long.

Big changes in my life start tomorrow. Cataract surgery day. My left eye is first and I am of course nervous but also ready to do it. I believe I have written about this before, but this is a big step for me. I have worn glasses since I was two years old, and have worn contact lenses since I was 15. My left eye is considerably worse than my right eye, and I also do not have full vision across my left eye - it is as if there is a hole in my vision. Because of this I have alsways relied on my right eye for the majority of my vision - reading especially. Thus the nervousness about the surgery. The big change for me will be not needing to rely on glasses to see. Now, without my contacts or my glasses I am lost and cannot focus on anything near or far. Everything is a blur. After surgery, I should beable to see in mid to long distance without correction and only need glasses for near or reading. This will be a major adjustment.

This past weekend we drove up to St. Paul for a graduation party for Audra and Claire Dunvan. They have been part of our lives since they were infants and it is always a joy to spend time with them. I suspect now that they are college graduates we will se a bit less of them. We wish the best of success to both of them.

At the bus stop leaving Sitges, a rainbow.

 

When Will It End?

Cold and more cold. Spring officially arrived last week and it snowed. We had a hint of spring the next two days and then it turned colder again. I saw my gold fish when the ice melted and no longer covered the top of the pond, but then yesterday morning and this morning there was a new layer of ice on the pond. Yes, it was thin, but still ICE.

We are now expecting snow tonight and the temperature dropping to 16° and then warming all the way to 29° on Tuesday then slowly warming to the 40s and perhaps as high as the 60s on Sunday. Can you see how I am tired of this? Update March 26, 2014. The pond has been ice covered for three days now and yesterday morning we woke to one inch of snow. It is now 11:00am in Glen Ellyn and the temperature is a balmy 25°.

Cat pictures of the day. Every morning Shelby has to lick water from the shower by pushing his head around the corner of the shower curtain. He usually manages to get both his head and his tail wet which he then shares with us but rubbing up against us. He also has to be on the sink when we are using. LC will sit on the edge of the sink occasionally, and will drink from the water glass placed on the sink for them, but she is much nicer about the whole bathroom water issue. Other cat owners will understand the cat/human bathroom interactions. You are never alone in the bathroom with a cat or a toddler.

Shelby in the tub

Shelby behaving

Brady and Kathy visited last weekend. Kathy was here for the Shamrock Shuffle walk/run. We got to spend some time with Brady while Kathy was in the city. We had a nice, though sort visit.

Sun through the snow

Sometimes snow can be pretty. One of our last snows came down wet and clung to the trees. Then after the snow the sky cleared and the sun and blue sky was beautiful against the snow. Our official snow totals this year indicate just over 80 inches of snow for the season. this is the second or third most snow since Chicago record keeping started in 1885. This has also been one of the coldest winters on record. Brrrr.

I smoked ribs today - this first time using the smoker since last fall. There is still snow on the patio but I can get to the grills and smoker. If I've done this right, this You Tube video shows you my secrets. I haven't done anything like this, except for some short ukulele and kazoo videos. This is a long one and was a learning experience! All done with my iPad.

 

Welcome Home!

Last night we arrived home from our trip to find a driveway full of snow and two very hungry kitties. Our cat sitter must have mistaken when we would arrive home and left our kitties a day early. They forgave us though and we are not being punished.

Darn it is cold here! This winter has been one of the coldest in a long time. Last night Sharon said that if our winters were going to continue to be this uncomfortable, we should consider moving. But where?

I'm off to a fast start with blog entries so far this year. I'm on number five and we are not even done with January.

I just came inside after a short session with the snow blower. It is too cold to do the whole driveway at one time. I've got perhaps 1/3 of it done and my fingers were so frigid in my really good gloves that I had to come inside for some warming. I guess my fingers have recovered because I am typing.

I read online today that 24% of Americans didn't read a book this past year. Or is it 25% did read books? Whichever it is, it is a sad number. Read more books! I do most of my book reading on my iPad now after making the transition a couple of years ago. I'm on my third book this year. I've finished up the series on the life of a Roman Legionary by R.W. Peake and have started on an AI series by William Hertling. There is a big difference between historical fiction and science fiction, but I do enjoy both genres.

Enough, back to blowing snow!

 

Caught Me!

Sharon commented the other day that I had not blogged in a while. My reply, "Yep, not since October 6th." I am past due.

Random thoughts. This summer has been the best for my pond. The water lillies have bloomed more than in the past and have produced more leave. Also, the balance in the water between nutrients and waster, and bacteria, and plants, and fish must have been just right. I have not had to clean the filter as much as usual and have had little or no algae. Everything just kind of came together. Next spring I will learn if and baby goldfish survived their parents appetites.

The house and yard are another matter. I was on top of the yard through the spring and early summer but slowly let it get the best of me. I suppose I just do not enjoy yard work as I once did. (Did I ever?) There are also house projects that have languished. I am back to doing laminate right now and hope to finish the laundry room in a couple of weeks. Perhaps then I can take on the front room. In the meantime, there are winter preparations to do - putting down the storm windows, checking gutters, pondering the state of the chimney, firing up the snow blower and moving everything around in the garage.

I've been practicing the ukulele quite a bit but, I have not been good at practicing my singing. Shame on me. I do better singing in the car, perhaps I should drive more so that I can sing more. I got my old clarinet refurbed. My mother bought it for me in 1960. We went to a music store in downtown Houston to pick it out. I can still play - but it will take me a while to get up to speed and beyond just scales. A Benny Goodman I am not.

On the neuropathy front, I had been improving quite a bit but for the last few days. My fingers are really bothering me and my feet are not far behind. My new symptoms of soreness in my arms is bothersome also. The soreness is in the muscles and tendons above and bellow my elbows. Melody, my Naturopath recommended castor oil wraps and heat. Have I done it? No. I do have the castor oil so I am part way there, and I did get out the heating pad this evening.

My Cat Is A Brat.

Yes, my cat is a brat. Cute and loving, but nevertheless, a brat. He has his own water glass in the bathroom and I keep it filled for him. But, when I go in there he is all over my sink because he wants me to run fresh water for him. No matter that I just refilled his glass, he wants my water.

Shelby loves lettuce and other greens. Today I was fixing a salad of arugula and spinach. He started begging when I got the greens out of the refrigerator. As I put some in my bowl he tried to stick his head in. I put some greens in front of him. He put his head in my bowl. I pointed him to his greens and gave him more. He put his head in my bowl.

Brat. But you have got to love that face!