OK, Mother Nature, just stop it

You know, I hate to be one of those people who always bitches about the weather. But I can't help it. Seriously, it was snowing here just three weeks ago, and today, the weather forecasters are saying the temperature is going to be near 100 degrees.

Maybe I wouldn't complain if we had air conditioning. Wait. No. This is me we're talking about. Of course I'd complain. It's what I do. I'll just have to think cool thoughts today. Or find a nice WiFi spot with a/c.

In the meantime, check out this nest on our house. It's not a very good picture, because I had to zoom in from my office window. But it's the coolest looking thing. It's perfectly round. At first I thought it was some kind of light the S.O. put up. It's that symmetrical.The S.O. knocked it down from the eaves. No one was home in the nest, so he didn't get stung -- except by the deck chair that ripped the skin off his shin. Don't worry, no pics of that. But here's a closer look at the nest.
Not sure who it belonged to exactly. We have had paper wasps' nests, mud dauber nests and yellow jacket nests and none of them have looked quite like this.

Any ideas? Also, any ideas on how to keep all these critters from nesting in our eaves? Because these nests look really cool, but I really, really, really hate flying stinging things.

And Now for a Big Finish

It's the last day of April, and I managed to post an entry on my blog every single day this month. I wonder if I can keep up with it (try to suppress your derisive laughter, dear reader).

With April over (almost), summer must be right around the corner. Right? Well, we did have a big snowstorm last week, and the forecast for the weekend is showing highs around 50. So, Spring, maybe. But we are wrapping up our tutoring session for the Spring and my calendar looks a little more open. What will I do with my free time?

Study my 735-page Fitness text book and take quizzes. Try out some new healthy recipes. Squeeze in a few more workouts (I've been trying yoga). And just get my head together so I don't feel like I'm burned out by the work I've been doing the past few years. (I'm seriously considering not doing test drives after this year.)

This morning, I went to my Boot Camp Fitness workout, then zoomed home, had a quick protein smoothie, then zoomed to a park, where I did a mini workout with Kettle bells. We recorded a video that I should be able to post (or link to) soon. And I took a whole bunch of pictures of the instructor, Beth. She's the one on the left.
It was about 40 degrees and windy, but we managed to look like we were having a good time. I'm really looking forward to getting certified and starting to kick some butt into shape -- including my own.

I just have to figure out how I'm going to get my brain to remember all the Latin terms for the muscles. Ugh.

Thanks for tuning in for my NaBloPoMo this April. It's been fun.

Big Fraidy Cat

Yesterday's weather produced nothing more than a small cloud burst and lots of rumbling. Ripley doesn't like thunder.As you can probably tell.

My Big Snow Day

We had big plans this week to ski Wednesday and Thursday. Alas, the universe had other plans. Thanks to a spring snowstorm Wednesday morning, the roads were a bit treacherous, so we decided to head out a little later than originally planned. Then, thanks to a truck driver who reportedly was just not paying attention to traffic, the interstate was backed up. It took us an hour to go just a couple miles. Finally, we got around the accident and hit the open road and got to Frisco by about 3:45 p.m. -- just in time to check in to the bed and breakfast.

We stayed at the Galena Street Mountain Inn, and I highly recommend it. It's quiet and comfortable, and the owners are great hosts. They set out wine and cheese in the evening and cook a delicious breakfast in the morning -- homemade granola, fresh fruit, eggs to order, as well as fresh-brewed coffee -- and it cost less than staying at one of the chain motels near the interstate. It also cost half the price of staying in Copper Mountain and was way nicer.

After our wonderful breakfast Thursday morning, we headed out to Copper Mountain (just a few minutes down the road) for our day of skiing. It was a perfect day for it. The temperature reached the low 40s. The sky was so blue it was almost purple. The snow was fresh and fluffy. And the crowds were nonexistent.I skied blue runs the whole day while the S.O. took on one black. I don't know what was different about the day but it was the best day of skiing I think I've ever had. I felt strong and confident and had a ton of fun. We'd like to get one more day in before the end of the season, but I can't imagine it'll beat yesterday.

My thoughts exactly

Mutts by Patrick McDonnell

Although it does look like we might get an actual, honest-to-goodness, real white Christmas for once, so maybe it's not such a bad thing. I can stay in, drink hot cocoa, read, have some of the chili I made yesterday. Maybe not a bad thing at all ....

until I have to go out in it later. Please don't make me go out in it later.

In which I love the snow

The S.O. and I headed for the hills this week for some skiing and much needed R&R. Unfortunately the S.O. didn't get much rest, as I'll discuss shortly.

We went to Copper Mountain for an early ski outing. I say early because as of yesterday, the mountain only had seven of 23 lifts open and 30 of their more than 100 trails open. But it was the middle of the week, early in the season, so we didn't have to deal with a zillion and a half people.

The trip ended up being a more expensive outing than originally planned. Here's why. My first run down the mountain I couldn't feel my left foot -- at all. It was totally numb. Obviously, there was a problem with my boots. I decided to buy ski boots a couple years ago, thinking I would be so much more comfortable in MY own boots, rather than rentals. Turns out, I was wrong, at first anyway. Apparently, the first pair was sold to me by the newbie in the shop, and he sold me boots that were about two sizes to big. The best part of that was I could have lost my toenails! Yay!

A more experienced salesman helped me find the proper fit and exchanged the boots for me. I think we only managed to ski in those boots once or twice and they seemed fine. It's been a couple years since we skied, mostly because life has a tendency to sometimes get in the way. So, did my feet change in the intervening seasons? Did my calves get even bigger? I don't really know. But I did know I couldn't ski like that. We asked around and ended up at SureFoot. They suggested orthotics to put my foot in a neutral position. The S.O. was suspicious of the sales pitch, but I went for it anyway. More than $200 later, I have custom orthotics and a much more comfortable skiing experience.

I also took a private lesson at $75 (but hey that was half price, so it's a bargain). Nearly 10 years ago, when I first came to live in Colorado, I took a group ski lesson. It was a miserable experience. Two of the women could ski and needed little help. One woman could barely stand on her skis and demanded all of the instructors attention. Apparently the instructor assumed I was with the first two women and basically ignored me the entire time. Add to that it was April and icy and you'll wonder why I ever went back to a mountain.

Cut to yesterday. After just a few minutes with my instructor, Mike, I was skiing more efficiently and confidently and having more fun than ever before.

So, it was more money than I'd planned to spend, but I'm skiing better and more comfortably, and we're just two days into the season. So it's worth it.

On the downside of money spending, the windshield has a nasty crack that started from the most wee little star ever. It's too big to have repaired, so there's another expense added to the trip.

And the S.O.'s company cannot function without him, so he spent most of our two days away troubleshooting -- even though he was on vacation. They knew he'd be gone. Either they really can't function without him or they really hate the fact someone may be having a good time. Maybe they should ban cell phones from the mountain. I threatened to throw his phone out the window of our moving car, but it wouldn't really have solved anything. And he would have ended up having to buy a new one and added to our expenses.

All in all, though, it was a great little getaway. Our room was cozy and quiet. The snow wasn't great, but it was great fun. I'm ready for more.

In which I once again talk about the weather

Dear Colorado,

If I wanted to live somewhere with sub-zero temperatures and snow-packed roads, I would have stayed in Illinois. Yes, you have those lovely mountains, but what am I supposed to do with them if I (1) can't get to them because you've made the roads treacherous with your snow and ice and such and (2) can't stand to be outside for more than a few seconds at a time?

I know tomorrow is supposed to be a balmy 27 degrees, but at the moment the thermometer is sitting quite firmly just below zero. That's quite enough of this silliness, Colorado. It's time to get serious and raise that temp up to the 30s or 40s. The mountains will still have their snow, and I'll be able to drive to it and enjoy it -- without freezing my butt off.

Thank you and have a nice (I mean it!) day,
Pam

Ha. Ha. You can stop now

When I moved to Colorado nearly 10 years ago (!) I was told how temperate the weather is here, how cool the summers and how mild the winters. "Oh, yes, it snows," they told me, "but it melts off the very next day." Something like 300-plus days of sunshine, they told me. It's mostly warm and dry, they told me.

They forgot to add, "Unless, of course, it isn't." They forgot to mention that the weather will do whatever the hell it wants, whenever it wants, just like every other part of the nation. And it will do it on the days you really need to get stuff done. Yeah, they forgot to tell me that part.

Granted, I wouldn't want to still be living in Central Illinois, where you can go a full month without seeing the sun. But promises were made, people. I expected sunshine. Where's my effing sunshine?

Just get on with it, would you

Come on, weather. Snow or don't snow. This half-hearted stuff is just not cutting it.

I see snow in the air but I think it's just blowing around. And does it really need to be this cold? 18 degrees? Really?

The worst part is I have to go out in it in about 10 minutes. Yuck.

Contemplating a career change

Today, I'm thinking about a career change. Or maybe I should say, I'm thinking about a career embarkation, because I don't really have a career now, per se.

Having spent the past several months working with a personal trainer, I'm wondering if it's something I could do, if it's something I'd want to do and if I'm really in good enough shape to motivate someone else.

I feel like my part-time job as a site coordinator for the Children's Literacy Center is really important. I feel like I'm making a difference. But it's just a few hours a week and doesn't pay much. Not that I think I'd make much money as a personal trainer either.

I think my high school guidance counselor failed me. I still don't know what to be when I "grow up." As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a writer. Unfortunately, in today's world, with "citizen journalists," bloggers and the like, there doesn't seem to be as much call for actual writers. Unless I can figure out the next big thing -- as a colleague and I once discussed, "Mary Kotter" seems a bit obvious -- and write a huge best seller and option the movie rights, I don't think my writing career is going to rake in the big bucks.

With the snow coming down in fits and spurts today, and the sky alternating between partial sun and slate gray, I'm contemplating what to do next -- with my career and my life. These are pretty deep thoughts for a Sunday afternoon -- thoughts driven by another Monday looming, another aimless week, another a test drive of a car I've driven before, another winter that seems to be shaping up to be dreary and cold.

So I definitely need some kind of change, right? This doesn't feel like a buy-some-new-shoes kind of funk or a red-wine-and-chocolate-can-fix-anything sort of mood. Then again, maybe it is the cloudy sky, and I'll feel better when the sun shines again.

So long, summer

It's actually spitting snow out there today, along with the rain. Which means it's time to snuggle up and wait for the sun to come back.
We're debating whether or not to get a kitten. Ripley is getting really spoiled being an "only child." But there are things I miss about having a cat -- the purring, the kitty massages, the cuddling. Although, as I type, the dog is curled up on my lap because she doesn't like the wind, rain and snow. She just needs to start purring.

Hail! Hail!

This is my backyard after the storm today:

This is my dog during the storm:

Who doesn't love a pillow fort?

Happy Easter from Colorado!

Remember this?

Well, here's what Easter looks like here:

Poor Easter Bunny.

Then it came back -- an update

Now, it's snowing and there's thunder and lightning.

Then it came back

I'm sure some areas got hit pretty hard by last week's blizzard. But it kind of fizzled at my house. Although it started out promising. This is what it looked like at 1 p.m. Thursday.


This is what it looked like at 6 p.m.


By Sunday afternoon, the temperatures were back in the 60s and I was hanging out in the sunshine on the deck.

Then, it came back. This is what it looks like at 8:30 a.m. today.

You just have to love springtime in Colorado.

Ominous

A powerful storm is bearing down on the Pikes Peak region and could dump up to 20 inches of snow in higher elevations, the National Weather Service said.

So far we just have these ominous-looking clouds rolling in. What's it doing in your part of the world?

Spring was nice while it lasted

Spring Break

It's spring break, so naturally it's the chilliest day we've had in a couple weeks and there's a chance of rain. Lucky for me, I don't have any kids at home complaining there's nothing to do.

Spring Break means my week isn't nearly as busy as it normally is; I don't have tutoring or Big Brothers/Big Sisters to go to. So for the first time in nearly 20 years, I looked forward to spring break -- not that I've ever been one to jet off to the beach and hang out in a bikini.

We have no big plans, but I don't have to rush off anywhere just as I'm getting on a roll in my writing and I can plan dinners without having to have everything ready at 3 p.m.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working with the tutors and the kids. It's fulfilling, but it can also be stressful. And the kids can be a handful. I was working with a kid last week who kept falling asleep while reading flash cards! "I had to stay up till 9 o'clock doing dishes all by myself, and everyone else went to bed at 6," he said.

It is nice to think I can relax a little bit this week. It's nice to think that. But I know I really have a bunch of stuff I should be working on and should take advantage of the extra hours to get all that stuff done.

Should. Instead I'm procrastinating on a Monday morning, rambling on about spring break and the gloomy weather, staring a picture of a Saturn Vue Hybrid, wondering what I can say about it that hasn't been said before.

Today's weather: What the heck?

It's freaking March, and I'm not wearing a coat, nor a jacket, not even a long-sleeve t-shirt. To friends and family east of the Mississippi, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, this warm dry weather means much of the area is under a Red Flag Warning. In fact, I can see the smoke from an area wildfire from here.

I do miss the rain

When people ask me if I miss living in Illinois, the short answer is "No, but I miss my friends and family."

The longer answer gets a little more complicated and comes to me at random times. The other night, we were watching "Ghost Town" (cute, sweet, funny and worth watching if you're not in a totally cynical mood). In a scene toward the end of the movie, it starts raining. There's thunder and a nice steady rain.

Although, Colorado Springs has really great weather for the most part -- something like 300 days of sunshine a year (I'm not going to look up the exact number) -- we just don't get those steady rains. We get thunderstorms and downpours, but very seldom does it just rain for an entire day.

I must remind myself that not only do you get rain for an entire day in Illinois, you could get rain for an entire week, as well as ice storms. And it's hot and humid in the summer and bitter cold in the winter. One winter, we went a full 60 days without seeing the sun. We learned to live for those few perfect days in spring and fall when you would get a clear blue sky and a high temperature of about 72, with relatively low humidity. In Colorado Springs, we can get days like that any time of the year. I think I've a little blase about them.

So, do I miss living in Illinois? No. But I do miss the rain ... sometimes.