There's a fish in the percolator

As much as the holiday season brings time off from work, festivities, family, friends and a lot of good cheer, I always feel a sense of relief when it is behind me. I view it as this growing ball of energy leading up to an explosion, only to start quiet, small and new come January 1st. I did have a really nice Christmas as Mom, Dad, and Robert made the trek to visit me. Though the weather reported some storms over the mountains, it wasn't so bad as to keep the family away. They came on Christmas Eve around 2pm and the boys were delighted to see their Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Bob. We had tea and snacks. We went to Christmas Eve mass at St. Mary's Church and then came home to a simple dinner of sandwiches and soup. Dad and Robert were tired so they called it an early evening-Robert got my bedroom with the TV in it so no doubt he chilled and watched my newly ordered Satellite TV. Mom and I watched a cheesy Lifetime Christmas movie. Sunday we woke up and opened gifts. I made brunch filled with ham and cheese quiche, bagels, muffins, toast, and turkey bacon. I took a nap; Robert and Dad went on a drive; mom and the boys relaxed in the living room. We had dinner reservations at The Red Barn, a local restaurant that serves down home food in a comfortable atmosphere. We had dessert at home-a warm fruit compote over toasted angel food cake; played the game Operation; crawled into bed at 9pm. The family left on Thursday and I headed to work. I got many wonderful presents, including car seat covers, Starbucks gift cards, books, and such...but my favorite gift is the Twin Peaks series on DVD! Mike and I spent our first Christmas Break together after we met in college watching the series that we borrowed from Jason and Jessica. I had been really itching to see it again, and so I just finished the Pilot and the first three episodes. As Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman were about to drink coffee served by Pete Martel, Pete suddenly says "Don't drink that! I just discovered there was a fish in the percolator!" It was too late, and Agent Cooper's perfect cup of coffee had already touched his lips. They just don't make dark humor like that anymore.

I found myself recently struggling with a bit of the doldrums. Not sure if it was due to holiday stress, the cold, the snow, the darkness, working in hospice, being far from friends and family...but I lived in a "poor me" state for a few weeks blaming everyone and everything for not being "happy." But then I had a pretty big realization. I realized that I had made everything that I had wanted and intended happen. I wanted to become a hospice social worker and now I am! I wanted to move away from Denver and explore new places, live in a smaller community and now I am doing it! I wanted to live in a house with lots of space and beautiful views and I achieved that! It is a really powerful realization to have, as it reminds me that all of this is what I have wanted to move forward with my life. As I began coming out of my melancholy state, I realized maybe my melancholy is attributed to lacking "a little color" in my life. One of the dangers of living out in the country is once I come home, going back out again takes mental and physical energy. This is a sentiment held by many people I have met who live in the country. They say, "Do whatever you want to do before you get home, because when you get home that is it for ya"! And then I find myself sitting at home, at night, in the dark, feeling lonely. Well, all that will change as I was inspired by Oprah's January O Magazine to add color in different ways. To me, adding color isn't just wearing a pink t-shirt or bright socks or eating off of red plates-adding color is doing something new and different everyday to keep myself engaged and feeling challenged by what there is to discover.

Yesterday I decided that I would do just that...engage and discover. The past few weekends I have spent at home, so yesterday I decided I needed to get out. I drove to one of my favorite destinations: Ridgeway. The drive is so very pretty along HWY 550.

 I stopped at the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park off the highway on the way toward the turn off to town. Dennis Weaver had a family home in Ridgeway and died there in 2006. This park is a little piece of heaven!

It sits along the Uncompaghre River and it has a very spiritual feeling to it. At the beginning of the park, there is a beautiful poem written by Dennis Weaver:

As you walk into the park, there are a bunch of stones and a beautiful Eagle statue soaring in the sky. The stones are spiritual objects as described on this plaque that is located in the park:

Then another little plaque with a "Prayer Stone Stack" poem on it...

The park itself has this huge stone stack and an Eagle statue in the center. Around it, people have placed stones to represent prayer, solidarity and empowerment. It is a really beautiful sight and I could just feel the energy coming off of the various stone stacks.

So, thanks to adding "a little color" to my life I have now found a gem of a destination where I can find peace and inspiration. There are other things happening in the area which will add a little color, too. Laff In Comedy Night will be starting a 2 Rascals Brewpub in January, which I have heard is a must to attend. January is Montrose Writing Month sponsored by the library. You commit to a certain amount of time per week to writing, and then February 3rd there will be an open mic night and party celebrating our writing milestones. February 11th (my birthday!) I am going to take an Aromatherapy Class at the Delta Montrose Technical College. And March 1st I am going to take a class on how to paint with alcohol inks at the college. In between, I plan to usher in 2014 as a fresh beginning, a new start, and hope for good luck as I eat up my black eyed peas and collard greens on New Years' Day!

May 2014 have color in store for your life!

XO Mel

A night on the town

Last night after work I drove to Grand Junction to spend the night. There is a group from the GJ hospice office who go and do the "paint and drink wine" event at The Palette. I stay at a hotel about a block away right on Main Street and so I can walk over and walk home. It is really fun! The room was packed. The painting we did is called "Snowy Eve". I left my camera at home so I didn't take a picture of mine, but here was the model from which we painted:

If you go with someone each of you can do one side that when connected makes one whole picture; or you can do the whole picture which I chose to do. It seems so simple when they start teaching us but the little details can make or break the picture! Mine turned out okay, the only complaint I have is that the little white dots that are supposed to be stars ended up looking more like large snowflakes on mine!

Today I slept in and drank some coffee. I walked on the treadmill and ate breakfast at the hotel. I just came back from a trip to Mesa Mall and will be checking out soon. I realized that I should take advantage of using the Internet one more time!

My lovely little dog sitter's car got stuck in my driveway this morning as she was going to her part time job. I didn't really think about that being a problem for her because I thought the snow melted enough, but she doesn't have a 4WD car. I think her dad is heading to my house to get it unstuck and I offered called AAA for her. Thank goodness I got rid of the Jetta and bought the Subaru before the snow!

I do dig Grand Junction the more I come and visit. The main street is super cute and the city is just enough "busy" without being overwhelming. There are a lot of nice neighborhoods and good hiking is just a few miles any which way. As much as I like Montrose, sometimes I wonder if it is too small for me...But I am glad I have at least this year to get to know all the different areas of the Western Slope, experience the seasons, drive around visiting patients, and getting my groove going to see come September, when my lease is up, where I might end up next. I may stay in Montrose another year, or move someplace else...but I am giving myself time to figure it out!

I did have a cute experience the other night at home...I was watching a movie in the living room and saw something on my porch out of the side of my eye. Since no one ever comes to my house I knew it wasn't a person; rather, it turned out to be a big deer on my front porch peering into the windows. He was thinking to himself, "Boy, it looks warm in there!" Chester and Stanley were busy chewing a rawhide and didn't notice. I just enjoyed seeing his big face and eyes in my window!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

...This was the song I was singing this week because of the weather we had! The calm before the storm on Tuesday was a really cool inversion of weather. I live up on a mesa so when I left my house, it was sunny and lovely out. As I was driving to work, there was a huge cloud hanging low to the town and dense fog and snow as I was driving through the cloud. It is like when you are on an airplane and you are traveling in the blue sky while looking down at the clouds.

The winter weather literally took Montrose by storm. Tuesday night into Wednesday the wind was so blowing so hard that I finally understood what Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz felt like!

Wednesday morning my drive into work took 2 hours. Montrose got hit really hard and the roads weren't really plowed. Once I got into Delta, it was a smoother drive. People keep telling me that this was an anomaly and Montrose gets less snow than Denver. Let's hope so...

The weekend has proven to be very festive and fun thus far. Friday night I saw the neighbor High Schooler perform in a 1950's musical "A Taffeta Christmas." I love high school musicals and plays, the kids try so hard and I enjoy watching teens doing things they love to do. Last night I had dinner with Robin and we watched the last part of the town Parade of Lights. We then moseyed over to a Bed and Breakfast owned by a gal who is the person you want to know in Montrose. She had musicians playing  and so we sat there and had a good time. I got on her email list for the Women who Wine events, another thing that is a must-do in Montrose. Today I am heading over to Delta to hear a Christmas concert. Every year my family goes to something Christmasy. Tonight they are seeing a concert in Denver, so I thought I would see my own in Delta! Should be Merry.

Thanksgiving weekend

So far it has been a lovely Thanksgiving weekend! I have been getting in a lot of the R&R I was hoping for. Thursday and Friday nights both I went to bed really early and slept all the way through the night. I have taken some very nice walks and have spent some quality time with the family. 

Here is what Stanley and Chester look like the morning before any trip I take. Although I tell them they will have a wonderful time with Francesca, they still mope around when they see me take out the suitcase!

I spent the night Wednesday in Glenwood. I took McClure pass and stopped in Redstone. What a cute little holiday town! And just the right amount of snow.

Thanksgiving I got in around noon. We all sat around and chatted. Robert and I took some artful photos...he is a handsome guy!

Yesterday we went downtown and wandered around. Robert and I went up to the Pavillions and saw one movie; Mom and Dad saw another. I couldn't resist the opportunity to snap some shops of the festive downtown!

I met up with Susan later in the day on Pearl Street. We did some shopping and then the family ended the night with the tastiest dinner at La Loma! Today I am going to take it easy, run to the mall, and maybe see my friends Kate and Kristin. All in all, it has been a really nice, balanced weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

No, I haven't disappeared

It has been about two weeks since I have posted. Between working and not having Internet at home it is sometimes difficult to stay up to date on what is going on in my world. Two weeks ago I went to Denver and then the following week I was on-call for my first time at work. I had been dreading it for a number of reasons, but it turned out okay. I felt like I couldn’t fully relax for an entire week though, never knowing when the phone might ring about a patient situation. For the social work and chaplain team, we are on-call between Montrose and Delta offices, so our chances of being called out to some sort of crisis is almost doubled. Funny thing, too, the crises I dealt with were pretty much only Montrose patients. My Delta peeps were in pretty good shape. The next time I am on call will be in January so I have some time before having to do that again. Thankfully.

I am hoping that the weather will be nice for a trip to Denver for Thanksgiving. My plan is to leave work at 2pm on Wednesday and stay that night in Glenwood. I don’t think I am going to go to the pool this time around. I decided to stay at the Marriott which has a hot tub and pool and I may stay in for the night, watch some TV because it is a luxury to me these days. Well, I might venture out to dinner at The Riviera…Kate and I went there for dinner when we met up in Glenwood and the food was so good! I will drive to Denver Thursday morning and have dinner with Robert, Mom and Dad. From there, the weekend is a bit open. Last time I was in Denver I planned to see friends back to back…this time I think I am going to take it a little easier. I would love to see a movie…I haven’t seen a movie in a while. I read The Book Thief and so I was hoping I could see that possibly. Or maybe there is a family movie that we all can go to…something holidayish. I am looking very forward to having a few days off from work and re-energizing myself. I plan to take a long Thanksgiving nap! Have I mentioned Francesca? She is my dog-sitter. She is a sweet gal, probably around 20 or 21 years old. She is a student at Colorado Mesa University and works part-time at the vet’s office where I met her. She stays with the boys overnight and makes sure they are let out during the day. I pay her extra well because what fun is staying in a house with no Internet or Cable? I think she enjoys hanging out with the boys and they are always mellow when I return home. She is free to stay with them this Thanksgiving and I will take her up on the offer!

Speaking of holidays, I am starting to get in the decorating mood. I bought a few magazines to give me some ideas. I want to string lights on my porch and on two small Evergreens by the house. Wildlife never come that close so I shouldn’t be too worried of them getting caught. I think the lights would be pretty in all the darkness that surrounds me. I envision a lot of Evergreen as a decoration for a natural effect. And, a cute idea I saw in the Rachel Ray magazine is to string cotton balls on clear fishing line-space them out and do a not before and after each one. Then it looks like falling snowballs. I hear people in these parts go all out to decorate so I will look forward to some good drives. The weekend after Thanksgiving is our Parade of Lights so I am looking forward to that quite a bit. That will be a festive weekend! Come visit if you would like a taste of small town holiday celebration.

Speaking of wildlife, there have been lots of deer on and around my place. There is what I call a family of deer who I see often-I think there is about 5 of them, one of them a buck, and they travel around together. At least I pretend I see the same “family” all the time. The other morning I let the boys out-it was still dark but I could see a little into the distance. This little family of deer was on my property. They turned their heads to look at Chester and Stan and then, one by one, they jumped over the barbed wire and pranced across the pasture. It was quite a lovely sight in the dark, seeing these graceful shadows dance.

Til the Cows Come Home

My neighbor, who owns a lot of pasture around my house, has a lot of cows. Usually they are grazing on hay and grass at the pastures farther away, but the other day the cows were in the pasture right in front of my house. Chester and Stan had a hey day barking through the windows and front door. Needless to say I didn't let them out, rather put them on a leash, because they aren't used to cows and I didn't know what they would do!

I came to Denver this weekend. It was a nice weekend and I was able to get Friday off, so I figured why not! Plus, I am hoping to come to Denver for Thanksgiving but just in case the weather isn't good at least I got a Denver trip in this month. Dad and I went to the Passport to Paris exhibit at the Denver Art Museum yesterday and then I had a really nice evening with my old neighbors and friends Pat and Tonda. Today was a busy day, but really fun! Coffee with Meg, the mall with Dad and Robert and shopping, seeing the Schultz family and their new addition, Sophia, and a massage at Woodhouse complete with hot stones. Tonight is a cozy dinner at home and a movie with Mom while Dad and Robert go to a DU hockey game. All in all, a good weekend and much needed R&R, though it sounds like a busy weekend.

A weekend that feels like a vacation

I have talked to people who would like to visit me but can't get away from Denver for longer than a weekend. A weekend coming to Montrose is too far to come for a Saturday and leave on a Sunday, so I suggest that Glenwood Springs be a perfect place to meet. It is about the same time for people from Denver to get to Glenwood as it is for me from Montrose so it is the perfect place to meet. Robert and I met in Glenwood today and we had a lovely time! It truly felt like we were on vacation. We didn't go to the pool or anything like that. We got a coffee, walked around town, had lunch, took a walk down the Rio Grande path, and just talked and hung out. It was super fun! I am staying the night tonight and he left around 2:30 to head home. I went to the pool for an hour and it felt so good-cool enough outside to really feel the heat of the pool. And then, my friend Kate came up to hang out tonight and she is staying the night. We met up around 5pm and walked into town. We just finished up a delicious dinner at The Riviera-it is a restaurant I never went to before and was so worth the wait! We talked for hours. We are staying in different hotels so we decided neither of us will put on our alarm clocks and will meet at 9am to see what the morning will bring. It has been a really relaxing day and will probably end up that way tomorrow, too!

Craft Fair Season

Craft fairs in small towns are a little more interesting than those in big cities. It seems as though people in small towns have the time to dig out gourd innards and make bowls; or melt wine glasses in a kiln to create cheese plates; or concoct their own fresh salsas, jams, vinegars...you name it. Mom and I go to craft shows in Denver every year, and of course this year is different with me being here and Mom being in Denver. Yesterday, I attended two interesting events. The first was the Montrose craft show that was pretty big and full of lots of different vendors. I found a few things here and there to enjoy.

The second interesting event was in a little place called "Pea Green." In the 1800's a little schoolhouse, store and community center was built west of Olathe and the area got its name "Pea Green" because someone painted the buildings that color. The event was an antique show and it was super quaint and country-ish. The drive to "Pea Green" as well was really beautiful. The fall colors are really hanging around out here this season. I stopped at a local farm that sells cheese and milk from its cows. It is a small farm and I am not sure how many cows on the farm. There is one picture of their heads peeping out of a stall while they nibble on grass along a country road.

 I ended my outing with a stop at a local art gallery. I made my first friend here in Montrose...her name is Robin and she works part time at this art gallery. I went in there one day and she was really nice to me. Then I saw her at City Market a few weeks later and she gave me her card. I finally called her Friday night and we had a nice long chat. Her birthday is Monday so yesterday when I saw her we decided to have a birthday dinner together. As my friend Kate put it..."Even though it took a while to find a friend, sounds like you went for quality." I think so...Robin is a thoughtful and artistic spirit. I think we will have some fun together!

More of fall

The fall here is so beautiful. I am now bringing my camera in my car, taking shots when I can of the trees changing. Mostly the trees are yellows and oranges, but I do see some red here and there.

The weekend has been busy. Friday night I stayed in a hotel in Grand Junction. A few people from the GJ office were meeting at The Paletter-one of those drink wine and paint a picture places. I stayed right downtown and met one gal for dinner at a really good little bistro on Main street. We walked over to The Palette and everyone else joined us. It was really fun! We painted a bridge picture, sipped wine, and checked out everyone's paintings. It is fun to see how they are all different. Here is mine:

Saturday I went to a training on working with people in their grief at the Grand Junction hospice office. I met some really interesting people and enjoyed the training very much. I got home in the afternoon and decompressed. Today I ran my errands and am going to take the boys for a walk. I think a nap is in order as well. I am getting ready for a busy week. My boss and other social worker is out of town for 5 weeks starting tomorrow. I will have some people to help me, but otherwise I will be holding the social work part of the hospice together. Wish me luck!!

Fall and Frost

Have I written enough about where I live, the drive to my house, the fact that finding my house can be challenging because getting there feels like forever when it is only 10 minutes from town?

Let me first say I LOVE where I live. It has taken me a bit of time to say that, not that my place isn't nice but I have been reconciling the whole "work in Delta live in Montrose" thing. But I have finally accepted I don't want to live in Delta. In Delta, I don't get this view. In Delta, I don't get the same amenities. In Delta, I am too close to patients and co-workers. In Montrose, however, I get to be on my own terms; I don't have to worry about seeing a hospice colleague at Safeway or Walmart...Both s/he and I wanting anonymity but we can't escape. In Montrose I have my little routine-walk to the mailbox, walk the boys in the morning, go to City Market or Target. It is a simple life but it is MY simple life. I lay in bed, watch movies from Netflix, make dinners from my previously neglected cookbooks. The boys feel loved and safe. I feel loved and safe.

Fall in my neck of the woods is beautiful. I drive by a sign everyday: "Pumpkins at the covered bridge". Where is this covered bridge? What are these pumpkins? Maybe tomorrow I will drive by.

Here are some pictures from my porch,  including that of our recent frost. I have been giving so much thought lately to my life out here. Shouldn't I have a boatload of friends, going to this event or that? Being just so busy? I didn't move out here to be busy, though. I moved out here to be quiet. To get to know the horses, cows, sheep that live in the area. To read more. To rest more. To not feel the obligations. And all of those expectations are coming true, to my delight.