Whew!

What's that in my driveway you say? One ton of Colorado flat cobble 4"-12" delivered in the morning. I have been dreading this, but decided the weather would be a little milder this Tuesday. I started moving rock at 8:30am and had moved all of them to the back and placed most of them by noon. By 1:30pm I had placed all of the rocks and had a beer. Mission accomplished. The pond is now cloudy with dust and dirt from the rocks and it looks like it will take a few days to clear, but the project looks good and I think I am done. I placed the rocks without anything to "glue" them together so I have to be careful until the settle in a bit. I did try some foam designed for use in waterfalls thinking it would allow me to set rock on the edge of the pond. No such luck that stuff may work for directing the flow of water in waterfalls but it is not adhesive (except on fingers). All of the pots and plants around the pond now have irrigation in place and hooked to the rest of the back yard irrigation. The plants get about 40 minutes of water every other day and everything looks to be thriving. Sharon planted lettuce and beets. The lettuce is sprouting and looking good. No beets sighted yet. (A complaint here. I have recently noted online that more and more people are using "site" in place of "sight". They are different words with different meanings.)

Pond fish update. Once the waterfall was rearranged, the Shubunkins were unable to jump out. Did I write about that earlier? We now have four Shubunkins and all seem happy. I've got a couple of water lettuce which are growing and multiplying and once the water clears I should have a lovely pond. 

Last Thursday, August 11, I visited my new oncologist at the University of Colorado Hospital Anshutz Cancer Pavilion Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic. Wow that is a mouthful! The drive took about an hour and I avoided the worst of Denver traffic by taking the tollway north of Denver and then coming back to Aurora on The road to the airport and then I70. Quite an adventure. The University of Colorado Hospital Campus is HUGE! But, following instructions they sent me, I went to valet parking, was asked if I could walk or not and was directed to the proper area to turn in my car and keys. Then it was a short walk to the hospital entrance, a stop at the information desk, a walk to an elevator, another stop for directions, then down a long hallway to the clinic door. After lots of paperwork I headed back for labs. I knew I was in trouble when the technician did not like my suggestion of using my hand for the blood draw. She attempted my left hand over my right and had failure #1. She could not hit the vein. Then she got a device that allows you to view veins. With that she finally went to my suggested vein but had issues getting into it, finally blood flowed but eventually stopped resulting in her trying another vein and failure #2. So we are up to three attempts, she has not bandaged any of them, and she calls in help. This technician looks at my arms, picks a spot, inserts a needle, gets a good blood flow, and finishes. Four holes, one capable technician, one who needs more experience and should not be in the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic. I finally got to see the oncologist. She was up on my diagnosis, knew my history, explained lymphomas from top to bottom, described my options, poked around my lymph nodes, determined a course of action, and told me to come back in four months. I liked her,. She is a straight shooter. I've since made an appointment with an internal medicine doctor who will hopefully become my general doctor here. Dr. Kamdar, the oncologist, is going to make me finally have a colonoscopy.

Now more fun stuff! After my workout on Tuesday moving and placing 21 wheelbarrow loads of rock (207 rocks) I took the day off on Wednesday. I ran a couple of errands then wen t to our local fly shop to get a fishing license. I was excited to be getting a resident fishing license for $1. Foiled. It seems I have to be a resident for six months to get a resident fishing license. Damn. With that news I headed for the mountains. I went west on 66 to Lyons and then onto 7 toward Estes Park. It was a very nice drive along the St. Vrain River - the north fork I think - and I ended up in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. I had to put my top up because of dust rising from traffic on the road and headed to the parking area. It was full. I went back about 1/2 mile of so and found a parking spot. It was right along the river and I walked downstream along the river for about 1/2 mile. Very relaxing. Sharon and Peg hiked here two years ago, and I suspect Sharon would like to come back.

 

Landscaping!

Our landscapers are finished. All that remains is pond construction (they did the hard work, the hole) and large pots/planters which we have to purchase and fill with soil. I like the look. Mostly 1 1/2" river rock with on clump of river birch and a half a dozen mugo pines and a few boxwoods. Everything else I want in planters. We have drip irrigation to the plants and I can hook into the irrigation lines to water the planters as we add them.

While the hole for pond is there, much work remains. I am working first on the whole for the skimmer, then I will figure the shape and place e t of the stream. The filter and falls will go at the beginning of that. Then, underlayment, rubber lining, and then rock and planters for the edges. A couple of weeks I think.

This past week I was in Redmond with the family. Not much excitement there but it was good to see John, Kristie, Avery, and Anika.

A couple of weeks ago we traded in our 11 year old, 183,000 mile trusty Volvo on a Cherokee. We call this our Colorado car. Brady named it Snow.

 

So Much Going On!

I still feel I have things in hand but there is much going on - on three fronts; Glen Ellyn, Redmond, and Longmont. In Glen Ellyn the buyers is asking for things not in the contract, probably not a biggie but something to deal with. Paperwork for Redmond - Oregon Income Tax Withholding on the sale and some VA stuff. The appraisal is done on the Redmond house and is good. Going to the underwriter next. In Longmont the builder is refinishing the wood floors.

In Glen Ellyn packing continues and I am feeling good. Today I packed a wardrobe box with my keyboard, a quilt and our winter coats. I filled and sealed one large box and two mediums and one small with wall art and photos, books, knick knacks, and assorted other items. I filled a large flat art box with two large format pieces from the living room. Three large pieces to go. I am out of large packing boxes and feel I might need a few more. Today I took two goldfish to Melody for her pond. I wanted to take her three of four but the fish did not cooperate with me. They all went deep as soon as I started dipping. I might need a bigger, longer net.

I'm tired.

22 Days!

Spring is FINALLY Here!

I had my doubts but spring has finally arrived in Glen Elllyn. No patches of snow on the ground, the crocus (is the plural of crocus croci?) are finally blooming, fish are begging for food, and the grass is greening. Sharon has been home this week and we have been doing spring cleanup in the back yard, filling bags with leaves and the remains of last year's growth, getiing the garden ready for seeds, and pots ready for flowers. The PVC I used for the pond piping last year did not all survive the winter. I don't know if the issue was water freezing in the pipes or exposure to sun. This is PVC designed for interior use, so it is not meant to be used outside. Research is in order, but for now, replacement PVC.

The past couple of days it has been very comfortable outside in the afternoon but still a bit too cool in the morning. I have made the transition to sandals but jeans and sweat shirts are still in order. I'm looking forward to having my morning coffee outside in the sun in shorts! (Next month I'll be having cafe con leche at Cafe Bar Roy in Sitges and I will be wearing shorts!)

This week I have been putting together a ukulele song book to take with me on the road. I've included many of my favortie ukulele songs plus some I want to learn. I still find I need to look at words and chords when I play. I wonder if I will ever actually memorize songs? Oh, just remembered I need to add some kids songs for when I am entertaining Brady. The Wheels on the Bus and If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands. And while on the topic of ukuleles, I added a decal to my outdoor ukulele.

John sent this great photo of Avery with a beautiful rainbow trout taken on the Crooked River during spring break. I wish I was there with them this year. My favorite guys to fish with on my favortite river to fish.

Kristie sent this one. John is now a soccer coach. Love the pose with John and Anika!

Gotta include a cat picture. This is Shelby posing and looking pretty.

We have finalized plans for getting to and from Sitges this year. Katie Soler and I will be heading there on 5 May and Sharon will follow us on 12 May. We are flying Air France this year, through Paris. We have always flown American and/or Iberia but price and availability was an issue this year. We are trying Air France Premium Economy which cost a little more but does give us larger seats as well as enhanced food and beverage service. We are all coming back on May 30. As we have for the past few years we will be staying in the Soler piso in Sitges and are planning little more than relaxing on the beach, in cafes, and on the roof. There will be side trips to Barcelona of course since it is only 40 minutes away by train. We may do a train to Girona, maybe to Valencia, maybe Madrid. We shall see what pulls us. Matt Olson has been enlisted once more to house sit and cat sit while we are gone. It is good to know someone will be looking after everything here.

Enough writing! Outside to finish pond repairs.

 

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.

 

Sun and (Relative) Warmth

Sunday morning I looked out our kitchen window and saw that there was an area of the pond where the snow had melted, there was a bit of open water, and goldfish were congregating at that spot. The pond has been covered with snow for a few weeks and the fish have been living in darkness. I am sure they were thrilled to see light again, much like us when it has been cloudy for days and then we have clear skies.

 

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.