It was Monday afternoon.  It was freezing.  The cold North wind was howling through the barn.  Of course it was.  Because it’s Monday afternoon, and that’s when Izzy has riding lessons.  And for some reason it has to be blazing hot or freezing cold.  Because that’s just how it always is. I was huddled in a corner of the barn trying to scribble out a check for the payment box—which […]

Dear Breckenridge, I love visiting your beautiful town.  Your lovely shops, restaurants, walking paths, hiking trails and resorts are absolutely charming.  Though I’m not much of a skier, I have many friends who enjoy your slopes during the season.  I love you, Breck!  You are truly a joy to visit. But this new town ordinance where you charge 10 cents for a shopping bag—paper or plastic—is ridiculous.  Many of your […]

A few nights ago, we had the privilege of joining two other families for an evening of belly laughs at a Tim Hawkins comedy show.  It was great!  I highly recommend this event if you ever have a chance to see it.  If not, YouTube some of his sketches.  You won’t be disappointed. My throat hurt after it was over, and I’m pretty certain my make-up was non-existent after many […]

Remember the Seinfeld episode when Elaine went to get her nails done and was certain the nail shop employees were talking about her in their native, Vietnamese language?  She then discovered that George’s dad was fluent in Vietnamese and brought him to interpret.  Sure enough they were talking about her, and laughing and mocking, and gossiping about here. Although I laughed at the show back in the day, I can’t […]

All I have seen Teaches me To trust The Creator For all I have not seen. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Guest post from Mark Teats. Good insights on a touchy subject.] For me to say my life is full of activity may seem like a strange statement.  It may seem to be an obvious and positive statement. After all, wouldn’t we rather be busy and able to be active than not? Yes, of course we would, but there is a problem when our activity is stealing time we should be […]

Last week it rained off and on from Monday to this past Sunday.  This is not common for a state that is at altitude and extremely dry.  As a result, our beautiful Colorado suffered loss of life, loss of property, loss of drinking water, food, wildlife, pets, electricity, and personal belongings.  It was devastating to watch.  Often times I couldn’t watch.  It was just too much for mind to comprehend. […]

We lost Chester two weeks ago.  Just when I think I’m ready to get through a day without tears, or pause for reflection, another sympathy card arrives.  This time it was from the amazing veterinarians that treated him.  They each hand-wrote a meaningful message to our family. And then enclosed a paw print of our beloved on beautiful stationery. I lost it.  Again. Izzy was close by and came to […]

On Monday of this week our family said goodbye to our sweet, human-like, friend to all, Chester.  He was only five.  He lived a short dog life, but in the end his young liver gave out and he could no longer continue on.   It was heart-breaking to say the least. The grieving process is interesting to me.  The four of us couldn’t be more different in how we’ve handled letting […]