Goodbye, Country House

As of yesterday at 4:30pm I was no longer a tenant of "the country house," my cute little oasis with views of the Cimarron mountains and the horses across the field. But for some reason after 4:30pm I left the house and Montrose with little ritual. The house, I have to admit, became in the last week not the same little country house it had been. Yes, I was able to be up at 4:30am on October 8th to see the Lunar Eclipse perfectly from my front porch, but not because I set the alarm to see it, but rather I slept fitfully that night and 4:30 just happened to be a good time to get up and get a glass of water.

The last week of life in "the country house" stopped feeling safe. Ever since I moved in, I had felt safe in that little house. I met some neighbors and really, what bad things could happen on that stretch of HWY 90 besides the howling of coyotes or the ocassional deer that looked into my front window? The last week of being at that house, I had random people knocking on doors and looking through windows. My house ended up in some sort of Craig's List scam, where some woman named "Melanie" who was disabled and could not speak had this house she needed to rent out and so, sight unseen, just send a deposit of $350 and the house is yours...So, from time to time, people came knocking, "are you Melanie?" and one guy told me the whole story. Thankfully by the time he came around the house was off the property management website, which is where I think this fraudulent Melanie found the listing, because it has been rented out already.

Topping that off, and because I am a person to have my internal and external houses in order, the chaos of packing boxes and stacking them in various places made me feel very uneasy. The only two knowns that felt like anything comforting was my couch and TV, so I could watch my shows, and my bed. But the uneasiness crept into my sleeping mind and for the past week my sleep has been lacking the quality of what many would call, "A good night's."

But last night I pulled up into my hotel in Glenwood Springs around 7:30 after the movers came and went and my car was full of other worldly possessions. I was tired-I ate a late dinner, watched an episode of "Orange is the New Black" on Netflix, and crashed out. I woke up at 7:52am this morning without any guilt. I went to the hot springs and soaked and read for 2 hours. I slept again for a two hour nap. I just ate a remarkable meal at The Pullman and I will again, sleep until I wake, no alarm. Tomorrow I get to present about social work with older adults to a class at the DU satellite campus in Glenwood, hence the reason I am here. And then I will make my way down the mountain, back to my old bedroom with the new mattress, and as I told my mom, "Sleep for the entire week." Then I will get myself together and figure out the next steps.

I probably won't sleep for the entire week. I have a job interview on Tuesday with a caregiving company called Home Instead for a job as an intake coordinator. I have a hair appointment with Anna because I haven't had a good haircut since I last saw her. I will probably see friends and take walks and, if the job interview doesn't go well, send resumes. But I like the idea of just sleeping. Just sleeping. If only for a little while.

Western Slope Colors

Last weekend I met Mom and Dad in Glenwood Springs. We ate dinner on Friday night at one of our favorite places, Peppo Nino, although the patio was closed. Saturday we headed to the pool and spent a good two or so hours soaking up all the good minerals and wandering around in the big pool. We met this interesting man who is a personal chef in Aspen-he shared all sorts of stories of the rich and famous. He gave us some good ideas as to where to eat dinner and where to see the colors. After the pool, Mom and Dad went to Oktoberfest and I showered and got ready. We went over to the Glenwood Springs Art Guild show at the Ramada Inn which was a really big show. The rest of the afternoon we just hung out, Mom and Dad went to church and I met them for dinner at The Hotel Colorado. Maybe it was the combination of hot springs, walking around, and eating a wonderful dinner but we were all spent by the end of the day. Sunday it was raining, so Mom and Dad headed home and I drove to Aspen. The rain stopped outside of Glenwood but it was still cool and cloudy, the rain came back later.

The colors this fall have been wonderful to see. Perhaps it is because I am doing some of the things on my bucket list before I head back to the Big City. I hadn't been to Aspen since 2000; I hadn't been anywhere South of Carbondale on Hwy 82 actually since then. It was a quiet morning drive, partly because of the rain, partly because of it being early on a Sunday. I drove through El Jebel, Basalt, Snowmass Village and then into Aspen. The colors were very beautiful and it was a nice, peaceful drive.

Friday was my last day at work. I had so much to get done by 5pm before they turned my technical devices off. The past two weeks have been filled with what we call "termination" in social work speak. It is the part of the client relationships where we have to say goodbye and make sure they know they will get their needs met. It was difficult in some cases more than others. And then I had to say goodbye to my co-workers, which became more of a "see you soon." I was actually supposed to meet a few coworkers at Applefest in Cedaredge yesterday but I woke up feeling almost like I got hit by a Mack truck. I had no desire to be social, rather, I opted for another scenic drive. I drove up past the turnoff to Telluride to Norwood. It is a sweet little town with a lot of personality. I snapped some photos of the colors in that area too, and also by Ralph Lauren's Double RL ranch outside of Ridgway. I could think of a worse place as a "vacation getaway"! When I drove home and drove by that "Pumpkins by the Covered Bridge" sign...remember that sign I posted about last fall when I first moved here? Well, I decided to find these pumpkins and ended up in the cutest little pumpkin patch, full of people picking pumpkins and taking hay rides. All very, very close to my house. I will miss this little patch of country heaven, for sure.

This City Girl Only Lasted a Year

Last year I was settling into my new life in Montrose. I was reveling in my new, rural home with a great view; exploring Main Street and the farmer's market; getting into a new routine; and taking the boys to new parks and on scenic drives. As I read back over the blog for the past year, I have had many, many wonderful adventures for sure! A few heartbreaks, too.

The one part of the adventure that has been missing is having my nearest and dearest close by. While my family and friends have been adventurers themselves, coming out to visit and stay long weekends, my heart has had a hole in it since I moved. After working in hospice for the past year I have seen the impact of friends and family-or lack thereof-on my patients lives, and I have decided to change around my priorities. It isn't easy to find the same level of friendship and family support out here, and because of that I am going to return to where I know in my heart is home.

The next few weeks I will be doing some of my lasts visits to places that I have enjoyed, like the Ouray Hot Springs, Ridgway State Park, Telluride, and The Black Canyon...places that will no longer be in my backyard. I took some local pictures last week, just so I can remind myself in the future the many highlights small town living has held for me this past year...

My awesome front porch and the little Fall touches

Grandview Cemetery, my favorite place to walk

The Grandview Cemetery Garden

Chester and Stan's prayer stone stacks at Dennis Weaver Memorial Park

The view on the way to Ouray

Hay (I will miss the cows, horses and sheep that delight in it!)

I came to Denver this weekend, though, and had a few realizations. One was that I really enjoy "getting away" on weekends, which is what the mountains will be for me now. Being out of the city will become a treat instead of a lifestyle and that is okay with me. I also realized I can have parties again. Not that I couldn't in Montrose but I didn't have a lot of people to invite! I can re-join book club and have dinner with my family. I can plan holidays without worrying about the weather. I can see plays, art shows, symphonies, and take my God-children out on playdates. I can go to birthday parties and sip wine with good friends. I can settle in, get another dog, buy a house and make a garden. I can, in essence, return to the very things that make my heart sing.

The Western Slope has been good to me, but the city is just waiting for me to crack open all the delights once again.

Wrapping up

I am wrapping up my weekend in Taos and heading home today. Yesterday I intended to go to Santa Fe for the day but got sidetracked by the beautiful drive on the High Road, the art galleries along the way, the various cemeteries and some time in Chimayo. I came back to Taos and ate the best chile relleno I have had in a long time for lunch. Then I headed to Arroyo Seco, a small little village on the way to the Taos ski area. It is a super cute little place with lots of fun galleries and shops, and home to the Taos Cow ice cream. Last night I finished my day with dinner at Doc Martins at the Taos Inn and listened to music in the hotel lobby. I love coming to Taos and know it is always here for a soulful getaway!

Taos

Mom and Dad took a trip to Arizona and were going to spend this weekend in Taos on their way back to Denver. Taos always sounds like a good idea to me, so I am joining them. I drove from Montrose yesterday and met them at the hotel-we are staying at Inn on the Rio. It is a remodeled motor lodge just down Kit Carson road from The Plaza. It is owned by Robert and Jules, and their dog Stormy. It is a wonderful home away from home, complete with Jules' homemade breakfast, Robert's homemade bread, and their cute hotel touches.

Driving down Kit Carson road there is this field of yellow flowers. I took a few for Dad so he can try to grow some at home.

Today, there was the Saturday Farmer's Market. The produce...oh the produce! There were so many delicious looking foods, and delicious looking flowers, too.

At the Farmer's Market, I decided to get my palms read by a woman intuitive. She described me perfectly to a tee, and we both delighted in each other during the reading.

We went to a little outdoor art market at the park and then returned in the afternoon for wandering the shops in The Plaza and on Bent street. Everything is so vibrant in Taos this time of year!

Tomorrow Mom and Dad leave after another helping of Jules' cooking. I am heading to Santa Fe for the day and to drive the High Road. I will stay again in Taos tomorrow night and then head back to Montrose. Being in Taos is a refreshing getaway for the soul!

A little bit of a French country experience

I have been branching out a bit and hanging out with some of my co-workers. I was hesitant when I started this job to get too socially involved with my co-workers. It is a very small world out here, and I suppose I was feeling a little protective of my personal space. I also believe in boundaries, especially with the kind of work I do, because I would hate for personal issues to ever get in the way of the work environment. Lately, though, since I realized that making friends with people who have my same interests has been challenging out here, I decided to take my co-workers up on social events. We all love happy hours, festivals, live music, dancing, food, and art, so most ideas that are offered-a happy hour here, a concert there-have had the perfect balance of doing something enjoyable without having to share too much personal information.

This last Friday, my co-worker Nina asked if I would like to join her for a fundraiser for the Paonia Mountain Harvest Festival that is held at the end of September at a vineyard outside of Hotchkiss. I decided why not and we reserved space for two. The vineyard is Leroux Creek Inn and Vineyard and it has a bed and breakfast as well as acres of grapes. There are horses and ducks and dogs that roam the property, along with spectacular gardens and a small pond. The event cost $40 and included food, some wine, and live music. The vineyard and inn is owned by a French man and his wife, which of course made it feel like I was in another country. The food was small plate food, but was delivered in a lovely manner...the sides of the barrels that were used to age the wine were cut into long serving dishes. On these lay grape leaves, pate, a small beet salad, cheeses, prosciutto, pickled onions. Along with these delicacies were warm bread and olives. After this feast (which they kept bringing more of whatever we wanted) there was a peach tart with cream.

The evening was clear, just after a rain storm, so the sky started to turn the pinks and yellows that it does at sunset. The vineyard is located on a mesa so the view was wonderful. The band played fun rock and roll music and Nina got up and danced-I just sat back and enjoyed the experience. I didn't bring my camera, but check out the link below for a video about this charming and unexpected piece of French country right here in Colorado!

http://vimeo.com/92415056

Just gettin' away

If there are any benefits at all to having lost "The Boys" is that I can up and go whenever I want without worrying about who will take care of them. Granted, I would rather go nowhere and stay home than not have them around, but such things are out of my control. I had managed a long weekend in Denver recently; Thursday night I stayed in Grand Junction to see some friends, one of whom was traveling for work; and Saturday night I decided to stay in Crested Butte.

I started my little getaway at the Gunnison car and craft show. I am not usually someone who pursues going to a car show, but Gunnison is on the way to Crested Butte so I thought I would stop by. There were rows of impressive cars from the past and present, lots of beautiful colors, and proud owners who would tell you anything about the history of the car.

My favorite, as I have become a "Maisie Dobbs" mystery reader of late, is the little black MG. Maisie drives a red MG, but it was still fun to see this little number.

There were some intriguing ones, as well as a police car that reminded me of those in old school cartoons.

I headed up to Crested Butte and was reminded of what a beautiful drive that is. Once I got into town I was reminded of just how I think it should be rated #1 on The Cutest Small Towns of Colorado list!