Meanderings from Pueblo

Hi everyone - I have pictures first, then an update following it.

Owen & Amelia at Nana's My nursing aprons

Logan in Los Alamos

Laila in Los Alamos Amelia & Owen at City Park Rides, Pueblo

Papa, Brenda & Amelia
Josh & Owen at rides
Wyatt (little Josh)

Amelia's 2nd Birthday

Cavan - cute, huh?

Bug in my yard!!! Devin, Amelia, Laila & Logan

Nana with Cavan

Hello to all interested parties reading my blog.

We had hail and it was hell! The end of July we had hail that looked like ping pong balls hitting the ground and bouncing about a foot in the air. In addition to the ground, it hit cars and roofs, as well. It really reaked havoc on my flowers and trees, and meant hours outside raking up limbs and branches. Our household deductible insurance is greater here in Pueblo due to summer storms. Well, I got some damage to my car that was parked at work, and to my roof, as well. I was fortunate not to be closer to the downtown area (8-10 blocks away), because many cars had the windshields shattered. The adjusters have paid up, but I fear my insurance will increase more, we'll see. The storms were great to watch, but now I am thinking maybe they were not so cool after all. These pictures were after it had melted for a couple of hours. The hood of the car has dings, but not enough to have to paint the car. The center of the hail was so hard, as you can see, that it didn't even break when hitting the ground. The weather here is crazy unpredictible.

The yard stick shows how big the hail was! Here is the graveled area in my yard (not undergrowth). I had 3 trash bins of litter and it took me days to get it raked up.

Roommate doin's:

Roommates are great companions and create very interesting new adjustments. Shep and I are doing fine as good friends and compatible roommates. We have some great new adventures on the weekend including visiting the grandkids - that's the best! Shep is most definitely more aware of security than I am. He even will lock the doors when he is in the house - that's kind of interesting to me, because if I am home, the house is wide open. What an interesting difference.

Pueblo beanfield wars (as opposed to the Milagro Beanfield Wars - you had to have read that book:

The other day we grocery shopped and he bought his favorite frozen chili. In addition, he adds Kuners no salt added pinto beans. We got 2 containers of chili and 4 cans of beans, so he was set for at least a week for ingredients. I also bought the ingredients for 3 bean salad. When making the salad, I opened a can of pinto beans by mistake, put the lid back on, and put it in the refrigerator and was going to tell Shep that he needed to use it right away. Well, considering my advanced age, I forgot to let him about the missing can of beans. The next day, when making chili, he discovered the mystery of the missing can! Well, what is one to do, except take the other cans of beans and put them on the bookcase in his bedroom where they were safe from the bean thieves that come in the night. The weekend came and as I dusted I could not imagine why the beans were in the bedroom and I cracked up to find out he was protecting his $1.44 investment! We have had more than one laugh over that one.

Our trip to Bishop's Castle, a one-man endeavor to show what a single person can accomplish in a lifetime..... what eventful to say the least. We climbed to the top of a very scarey structure and enjoyed the beautiful view. Suddenly there was someone shouting on the ground - Jim Bishop, the colorful, eccentric, and very opinionated owner. He was ranting about politics, throwing signs around and stomping on the ground. It was the best show in town. I had heard rumors about his rantings, but it was great to see him in action. It is reallly easy to get him started if you make and comment about politics. He carried on for a good 20 minutes, then suddenly stopped, drove his tractor over to the castle and mixed concrete. Look up Bishop's Castle on line, and you won't believe what he has done by himself.

Many weekends are spent on household stuff, or visiting the kids. It is a good balance of work and play-and I am seeing more fun things around here. Eating out, too, is so much nicer with company. I am teaching again - cooking and cleaning lessons. After Shep had his para-thyroid removed he felt great, but was still not absorbing vitamin D so they tested and found out that he had celiac-sprue - so we are on a quest for gluten-free products and new cooking adventures.

We took down an ancient storage shed right outside my back door. It took an afternoon. Shep has a truck so he found the dump after 1 1/2 hours of looking and asking directions. We got rid of the huge pile, though. Afterwards, we found out there was a dump closer by, but oh well!

The squirrels are really fun, but in addition to using my patio furniture for nest building, they get into my birdseed. They can be destructive little critters! They are fun to watch, but now I have to make a cache of fabric and batting to hang in the tree for their nest gathering, or I will have more holes in my patio furniture.

The Bronco games have become a weekly tradition. We are enjoying their success! I managed to get Shep hooked on Harry Potter Movies and Monk! We live near Dutch Clark Stadium, so we can here the rivalry between local high schools. People come as far as from Denver for the games that have traditions going back many years - it's fun.

Work:

The job has been a struggle at times. We had a very interesting combination of personalities when I started. One employee was not renewed, so she was replaced, and the office was tense during the interview process that lasted from January to September. That was not much fun dealing with her hurt feelings. Another employee left because her husband was transferred. With the two replacements in these jobs, the whole office environment has changed-for the better! The tension is gone, and we all seem to work very well together.

My boss, DenaSue, gave me a letter today letting me know that she was giving me a bonus in my October paycheck. She hand mentioned a bonus, but I thought a hundred bucks, maybe. She gave me a huge bonus - enough to pay for my 4 new tires and gutters for the house after I re-roof with the insurance money. She gave me an incredibly nice letter expaining my value to the foundation - boy do I have a big head now!!!!! I really feel like this has been worth the struggle, hard work and sticking with a situation that was some what negative for so long. On December 7, I will have been there a year. My hire date is July 1, so I think I really paid my dues as a temporary!

We are busy like all non-profits trying to get the money from investors just like everyone else. The same pool of people must get hundreds of requests for support, and we are just one. The University really has a huge backing, although they are not all incredibly wealthy. They have a 2-year old football program that has made an enormous difference in the enrollment and general interest in CSU-Pueblo. It is the fastest growing university in the state. People at work outside of my office, too, are great. I am one door down from the President, Joe Garcia, who is a really nice guy (Harvard grad & attorney). The employees know that I am not from Pueblo, so I don't get the typical question of Puebloites "where did you go to high school?"

Becky, Devin, Laila & Logan:

The kids are now located in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The move was quite an ordeal as you will read in their blog. I went down to help for a few days and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. They were pretty much moved in, so I did some little things and enjoyed Logan and Laila. The trip if 4.5 hours door-to-door, so it is a much easier trip compared to the plane flight from DIA to SLC. Los Alamos is beautiful! They can be on hiking and biking trails in minutes. The town is small and seems to be really friendly. Laila was still "butt scooting" and wanting to walk while holding my hand-that's hard on the back! She is walking now and excited about the new found freedom. Logan had me read to him every night before bed - the same book of course. One time I said a word wrong and he immediately corrected me. I could stop reading and he would finish sentences in the book. He is still in the "why world" and taxes my brain to give him good answers. We had such fun and the house is great! Read more on their blog to the right.

Josh, Bree, Owen & Wyatt:

We visit them often since they are 30 minutes away. Owen is growing up so much and still interested in music. He doesn't sing songs for me as much, but he can certainly tell you which number a song is on every CD. He loves his spider web, and he and Josh have fed the spider throughout the summer. Wyatt is just the happiest little guy. He still reminds me of Josh. It looks like he might skip crawling and walk instead. Josh has made a little pole to have him hold onto. Leaning over to help him walk is a back killer. Pretty clever idea! Bree is helping me get my nursing covers listed on-line November 5. I hope they sell-they are fun to make and will add a little extra income. I will post pictures below. She seems to be much better at navigating the process than I am.

Ben, Brenda, Amelia & Cavan:

Visits to Bailey have been easier with Shep along to share the driving. We have been up a few times this summer, and Ben & Amelia came a couple of weeks ago when Brenda took Cavan home to Wisconsin for a visit. We always have great fun. Cavan has just grown like crazy, and I hope to see him in a couple of weeks. He is reaching for objects and smiling a lot. Amelia is busy in her kitchen that she got for her birthday. She cooks a variety of things especially pizza and cheese soup. She and Owen had so much fun when they visited. She is definitely Nana's girl.

Plans for Thanksgiving are up in the air, but we have the family Christmas. With two houses close by, we should be able to fit everyone in and be comfortable. Josh and Bree have lots more room. I am excited to get the entire family together for pictures and fun. There is never a dull moment, that's for sure.

Cindy Jobe and I plan to visit GJ pretty soon to see Debbie Kaus for a girl's weekend. With weather and all, we are not sure when. Unfortunately, I will have to leave Friday afternoon and come back on Sunday. If I make it over that way, I hope I can see some other friends, too, but it may be springtime before I travel that way again. Time just flies by, so that should be just around the corner.

Pueblo is still fun and interesting, and we would love a visit any time. from any of you!!!