Here's the scoop:

• It's a LOT warmer....low 80's today, but breezy and beautiful!
• We think "someone" has been visiting as one of my birdfeeders was about 20 feet away from the tree it was hanging on, and another one was on the ground. Some of Henry's things were knocked over, too.  
• About 20 trees have fallen since we were here...huge aspens and pines....we think because the forest is now a lot thinner than it was, the wind must have gotten up A LOT and because the roots are shallow, they toppled over.
• They are now finishing up sheetrocking...
• Have to make a huge decision re the flooring...wood floor or carpet and tile--- wood is so expensive and hard to get out here. 
• Now I see where I wish I had put wall lamps/sconces...
• Got to go into town to stock up on groceries--- cooking for the guys Wed night.

OK for now...gotta do dishes....

Roz

It was simply amazing... At FIRST I thought there was dead silence and calm, but the more I listened and the more I looked, it changed.  A slight breeze was rustling through the new aspen leaves, and almost sounded like running water.  Birds and chipmunks were darting here and there and making their little cheaping noises... Two little hummingbirds were zinging around and almost joined me on the deck until I moved and scared them off.  I realized that in what I THOUGHT was silence, there is a world of sounds and movements.  I watched chipmunks and squirrels run from here to there as fast as they could...all the while watching for whatever it is they watch for.  Two were playing King of the Hill on a big mound of rock just below the deck---and of course, the bigger one won the competition. 

I got the first 3 chapters of a new book I just started by Barbara Kingsolver called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", which by the way, has started out GREAT!  Love it so far!  It's about how the world has become so dependent on processed foods and massive farms feeding us stuff that we can't even pronounce, and how that's happened.  She, with her 2 daughters and husband, moved from Tucson to a farm in southern Appalachia to live off the land and grow everything they eat.  This intrigues me, because I love to garden and grow veggies, etc., and I agree with her in that kids need to know that food comes from THE GROUND, and not the grocery store shelf.  That's one thing I hope to share with Kate --- how to grow things yourself, and enjoy doing it! 

Anyway--- I sat for a while and just enjoyed God's artistic handiwork around me, talked to Him for a while, and communed with nature!

Try it some time---- it is refreshing and renewing and just makes you feel good about your day!

And now---- MORE COFFEE!!!!

I did take the time to go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire and take photos of that, which I posted to one of the Flickr groups I joined.  Lots of people there, and it was a beautiful day!

Today, it's supposed to be warmer on the mountain, and that's all well and fine, but the wind is blowing like crazy, so according to our temp gauge outside, it is officially 58 degrees out there not counting wind chill.  But the sun is shining and there are no clouds in the sky, so I am fixing to get out there and do SOMETHING...even if it's just picking up trash that is blowing from the building site to down the mountain.  We tried to have a nice fire in the firepit last night, after grilling BBQ chicken on the grill, but THAT didn't happen either, because as soon as we would sit down, the smoke would engulf us and run us off.  How do people sit by a fire and not get run off?  Oh well, we can always try again tonight. 

Tomorrow we have an appt with a bank in Raton, so that will be a nice trip and something different to do. 

OK gotta go----- check out all the photos I took yesterday at  www.flickr.com/photos/rozgarland/

Later......

Environmentalists would not like what we are doing....I don't think. Maybe they would.  But here's the deal. On our 10 acres of land, there were LOTS of fallen, dead and diseased trees and stumps.  So many that you could not even drive a 6-wheeler Polaris thru most of it.  Lots of scrubby underbrush, and fallen limbs.  In order to comply with the FireWise Community regulations, which uses a formula to decide how far apart tree tops must be to avoid forest fires leaping from tree to tree, our land needed to be thinned.  Not only has it made our property more "open" and created bigger views of the mountains around us, but it has made it safer and less of a fire hazard. 

But I did feel bad walking from tree to tree thinking, "Ok, you can live, and you have to die."  I caught myself feeling sorry for the trees and attaching human emotions to them, as if they were saying "Hey Roz! Save me! Save me! I don't want to get crunched up!"  So, looking across the property right now, there is a sea of orange tape fluttering in the wind.  Henry tried talking me out of saving some of them, but I stood pretty firm. 

And another plus, is the Cimarron Watershed Commission who funds this whole thing (yes, it's free to us) has even offered to go in and seed the whole lot with high altitude grass seed mixed with some wildflowers.  That will pretty it up even more.  THey also told us that turning the soil will expedite the natural process of decay and is good for the soil.

The attached photo is the monster machine that is going thru and crunching up the dead stuff...I mean, it evens pulverizes boulders and big stumps like it is nothing.  I guess if I were a baby tree looking at that thing coming for me, I would be shaking down to my roots. 

It's the biggest Rototiller I have ever seen!  Henry was just itching to climb up there and drive the thing!  I tend to steer clear of anything that has tires that are taller than I am!

All I can say is..."Sorry little trees!" 

To Tree or Not to Tree....THAT IS THE QUESTION!

These hot flashes are driving me insane...like yesterday, I no sooner had put on my makeup in the morning for work, did my hair, and before I got to my car, I was wringing wet and my makeup was a nice gooey mixture of sweat and powder.  The mood swings are no better. I am constantly on the edge of tears, and it takes very little to set off my temper.  I tend to obsess about things and negative things have a much greater impact on my attitude and feelings than ever before.  I feel sad and alone much of the time.  I feel like I can't do anything right, or good enough, and no one is in my corner.  My kids have their own lives and don't have time for me, and my hubby is involved deeply in his business and church related stuff... I am not a priority to anyone.

OK-- so take hormones.  Nope.  Don't wanna.  I have heard so many things about the side effects of THOSE THINGS (primarily gaining weight) that I don't even want to go there. I just keep thinking that I can wait it out...that sooner (please!) or later it will be done and over with.  Not happening....

My birthday came and went without much hurrah...At least we met Brad and Jenny and KATE for dinner that night, and that was a good present!   Here's how the rest of it went:  3 birthday cards from companies wanting my business, 2 cards from people at church that I don't even really know,  1 card from son & family, nothing from my daughter, church friends, or co-workers and a Walmart gift card and some perfume I have never heard of from my husband; and my mom was in the hospital after a big surgery.  There just aren't that many opportunities thru out the year to tell someone they are special to you, and I just think that a birthday trumps Mother's Day, Christmas, Valentines, and the other few "gift-giving" chances people get.  And WHY should that be limited to just a few certain calendar days....it would be different if just spontaneously people went out of their way to surprise you with a gift, or SOMETHING, but that rarely happens either... 

Don't get me wrong. I have a great life, for the most part.  Great kids, great husband, great family --- we are blessed in so many ways, financially and otherwise.... So I DO feel bad for going on about this.  But does it really hurt someone to remember someone that is supposed to be special to them on their freakin' birthday????

See what I mean....I think the menopause blues have hit full force and this depression is a deepening rut that is hard to climb out of.  Oh well, all I have to do is to listen to some of my friend's stories about THEIR family issues, and I do feel better!

Hormones...you may just become a friend really soon.

Yay!  We are going garage sale-ing! 

More later....

SYNOPSIS OF THIS WEEK:

---My mom had her surgery--- it went well, she is hurting quite a bit, but fine. 

---Got some distressing news from family.

---Things at church are going on (good and bad) as usual.

---My doggies were fine, but had had a wild party in the sunroom before we got home. Dirt and pieces of baskets from my plants EVERYWHERE.

---My new official day off is now MONDAY instead of  FRIDAY...what I forgot to check on before agreeing to this is what days my hairdresser works....hope one of them is MONDAY! I don't think it is....

---I am going to plant my tomatoes this weekend...gotta get SOMETHING in the ground!

OK-- That's enough.  I am glad to be home, need a "Kate fix" and am ready to go back to NM, all at the same time!

Think about that.  Do what your heart tells you to do.  Don't always think that you will have tomorrow.

Tell the ones you love VERBALLY that you love them every chance you get. And if your heart is not right with God, you might want to see what it takes to get it that way.

Do it today.

Roz

I hit the Valley Market and then went to a cool little shop that sells all kinds of gifts, decorative items, furniture and clothing.  Found a fleece vest I couldn't live without, and bought 10 lbs of alpine grass seed, and 1/2 lb of native wildflower seeds. The lady told me to let this snow melt a bit tomorrow and then sow it...we are expecting more snow on Monday, and she said that it would be fine under that blanket of snow... I am planning on sowing it heavily around the motorhome so that we won't have to walk on MUD or DIRT this summer.   The house won't be finished until probably late July or early August, and I will deal with that yard later.  So tomorrow, I will do my seed-sowing dance around the motorhome---log on to the web cam to catch the exciting action! I would love to sit outside and read my book, but the wind is still pretty stiff and cuts right through you. 

One of the carpenters showed up today and is building the walls for the basement...I can't wait to see how big the rooms will end up being!  Look way different in person than it does on paper!

I am posting photos daily on my Flickr account---way more than I can post here---so go over there and check it out.

www.flickr.com/photos/rozgarland/

Got out for a couple hours and shovelled around the motor home so that we wouldn't get totally buried by nightfall.  Henry was anxious to play with his new and improved snow plow on the Polaris, so he was dressed and ready to go play in the snow by 10 a.m.  The carpenters and workers came up to work, stayed a little while, and promptly left.  Still waiting on materials to be delivered for inside stuff, cause they can't exactly work outside in this!  The house is pretty much boarded up and they are heating the basement with propane burners because of the concrete that was poured in there. 

Haven't taken many photos today-- but I will --- I may have to climb up a ladder to get to the deck to take some shots.  That will be fun!  Check back later for more snow news!