Waldo Canyon Fire - Day 3 -1/2

What started out as another day of a large fire in the mountains not too far away, turned into a nightmare of flames crossing the ridge and coming into the city of Colorado Springs late this afternoon, and essentially, bringing it a lot closer to where we live. We were on our way to viola lessons when LittleBuddy took these pictures with my phone.  Its actually much worse than it looks, and that's a lot of black smoke. The flames, somewhat visible in the lower picture, were glowing bright orange as the traffic inched along, everyone just shocked at the horror and what its consequences would bring. So far, 32,000 evacuated, 20,000 residences and 160 businesses threatened. Those are staggering numbers. The ranch where we had our family picture taken last year that got sent in our Christmas cards - all gone. It had been in business for almost 60 years. Its just heart-breaking to think of all the families who have lost their homes. Fortunately, they are evacuating people early enough that I believe no lives have been lost. We keep praying for a change for the better, but so far, nothing has improved.

From what I read in the scriptures, people suffering is built into His plan for us all, but witnessing it in mass amounts is just overwhelming. We're so grateful for the many firefighters who are risking their lives to do their best to stop it. We pray for all the people involved personally, and will look for more opportunities to do something to help. Its just been one of those years - lots of trials. Some years are like that. But, for good or for bad, we know He loves and watches over us all and we love Him too. Now to keep praying.

Busy Week

Technically, the week started on Sunday but the busyness started Monday at 3:59 a.m. That's when Littlebuddy bound into my bedroom, announcing the time. My alarm went off exactly five seconds later, at 4, and we were out the door at 4:20 to get him to Scout Camp. He came back exhausted, much more tan, a few scratches all over, and having earned four merit badges so overall it was a good week though he thought the food was just okay. Gotta love a boy who loves his mother's home cooking!

Here he's modeling his new aviator sunglasses, the hat he uses to tame his cowlicks, and the Bronco bandana. I think he just wears that for kicks. No one else keeps us laughing and thinking and entertained as much as Littlebuddy. Cowgirl comes close, but she's not trying to entertain us. His absence was noticeable. We were glad to have him back home again on Saturday even if he did spend most of the afternoon sleeping.

Last Sunday was Father's Day, and how great it was to have my dad here with us for a double celebration!

My children had picked out a new motorcycle helmet for their dad and were so excited for him to open it. Unfortunately he hasn't time to use it, though we are sneaking him away from work this Thur and Fri for some R&R which should be relaxing for him. Motorbikes, while fun, take work to get them on the trailer, tie down, gas up, etc. And, our dad needs less work and just fun before he really goes crazy with his work schedule in July.

We love having Mom and Dad here often. We are so blessed with all they do to serve us. Mom came by to help unload my kitchen cabinets before the counterops arrived. Dad brought me to his house in the middle of church today when my eyes were in desperate need of lubricant eyedrops. The eye plugs aren't working so well for my right eye. Bummer for that but grateful for some relief, courtesy of my parents!

Friday was my mom's birthday. What a great day! We were together for most of the time between 11am and 11pm. We started by going to lunch, then dad took the kids back home while Mom and I quilt shopped. It just happened that the cutest quilt shop in town was also taking part in a quilt "shop hop," so we found some extra goodies (i.e. Moda fabric, large packages of single colored buttons, patterns, etc.) there, played games and loved realizing it is only 5 minutes from Hobby Lobby. It was the first time I've been there. We will be more frequent shoppers there in the future, I'm sure.

By the time we got home it was just time to get everyone ready to go to the ballgame. Mike's company invited everyone to enjoy watching the game in the Luxury Suite Level. We had Box Seats! Seriously.

There was a catered dinner starting at 6, with burgers and hot dogs and wings and chips and dips and mexican dip and fresh fruit and vegetables and home made big cookies, and of course lots of peanuts and a good selection of drinks. The younger kids went back and forth to the kiddie area you see above. We're just past that stage. It sure went fast!

We were seated just off home plate. Each suite has eight outside seats and four-six more inside. Mom and Dad came with us, and so our little family, minus Littlebuddy, occupied most of our outside suite. Others would walk in and out, and it was nice to visit with some of the people Mike works with and their families.These are the Browns. Their dad is the business manager. Afterwards there was a fabulous fireworks show! I don't know how we're going to top this for Mom's birthday next year, but at least this one was memorable.

Just Saturday, around noon, a fire broke out west of Garden of the Gods, and north of the cute artsy town of Manitou Springs. Its where you catch the train to Pike's Peak. Yesterday it was evacuated, but tonight about 8 pm they let people back in. So far, about 3000 acres have burned, and 13,000 people have been evacuated, but no houses or structures lost. That could change tonight.

We had to go pick up a rental car for Mike, as he travels the next three days, back and forth to another company, carrying his antenna. The view from our house just shows some haze.

The closer we got, the more evident it was how bad this fire is, and how close it is to the city of Colorado Springs. This view is just before the Air Force Academy which is just the other side of the mountain from this fire, called the Waldo Canyon Fire.

This is the exit just past Garden of the Gods. Its closed, as are all the major parks in the area. The road is closed going to Pike's Peak, but was finally opened again this evening. We had a few raindrops on the car, but that's it. We sure need more. Its more dry than anyone can remember. Usually we get a thunderstorm with a good 10-20 min. of rain almost every day. This year, nothing.

These pictures were all taken between 6:30 and 7pm. Its usually quite light around here. The further we got into town, the worse the air was. 

As we left the airport, this was the view of Pike's Peak. Usually clear as a bell. Trust me, we're praying for the firefighters, for moisture, and with help containing this fire and all the fires in the West. This one is at 0% containment after almost 36 hours of burning. 

My creative project of the week was making this patriotic banner out of just 3 handerchiefs. I saw the idea in the Family Fun magazine while I was waiting at the orthodontist a couple of weeks ago and it looked easy enough to do.

You need one handkerchief of each color. Cut them all in equal fourths.Using 12 and a half feet of grosgrain ribbon, fold the handkerchief top over the ribbon first, then have the sides meet in the back. I used double sided 1/4 inch tape to hold everything in place. After I took this picture, I then decided it needed a little more reinforcement, so I sewed along the entire ribbon length, just a quarter inch from the top edge. This will keep anything from sliding. I'm excited to use this for a decoration for the Fourth of July next week. It took about an hour and a half to make and was a good project at the kitchen table while a movie was on one night.

So, while there's been a little time to relax in summer, its been busy also, and the next two weeks should be even more busy. Then I think I'm just going to sit and sew. At least I hope.

Last of the Indoor Big Projects

I was talking to a friend this morning from Maryland. It seems like its been about two years of fixing up one house or another. I am so happy to say today is the end of the indoor projects.

The workers were here on time to rip out the old grout and tile. You will NOT be missed.

And installed the new granite. Its called Tan Brown, and was the mix of black and brown that I wanted, not too speckly and not too boring and doesn't show fingerprints. I wanted it to read almost solid from a distance but up close have some interest and sparkle, and it does. So, I'm happy.

The contents of the lower cupboards and countertops are now waiting to be put back where they go.

*An update posted 6-20

Here is a better view of the bar and sink with the light on above. Notice how much lighter it looks, more gray than black, and the brown stands out more. We now have an under-mount sink, which Mike did all the plumbing before and after, and saved us a lot of money. I also realized the photo above shows the only seam line in the whole kitchen. The entire L-shaped bar is one piece and this seam runs along the right side of the sink as it reaches the bar, so its only about 3 feet long.

 And, here is the kitchen now - all finished. Everything put back in place and ready for cooking!

I learned something in my shopping for countertops; the darker the granite, the more dense, and less likely to crack when being cut. May I live out the rest of my days without grout in the kitchen! It feels more sanitary already!

Learning Something New

Last week I took a photography class. I learned so much. Like how to go from a shot that looks like this

to this. This is going to come in handy!

Our teacher was Mary. There were ten of us in this five hour class, and we all came away excited to use what we've learned.

Today I spotted a little baby goldfinch perched upon a branch on our big tree out back. Can you see it? Click on the photo to see it up close. And, I already had the camera's telephoto lense on and it was set to aperature priority, and voila - as easy as shooting in Auto. Love that! I learned that telephoto is also the lense to use when taking portraits. Good to know.

Sadly, while I was learning new things, Littlebuddy also learned a few things - the hard way! That poor knee! Everyone else was bike riding, and he wiped out on a downhill turn on the trail, going too fast. When I was thirteen I thought it would be fun to dance in the middle of a four lane road with cars flying by on both sides. I was lucky to have escaped injury, but sometimes when we're thirteen, we think we're invincible.              

The day I took Cowgirl back to the airport reminded me how Un-invincible I really am. The whole way there and back there were tornado warnings and watches. The journey back home found me getting pummeled with hail, the tornado sirens sounding behind me, and clouds that looked like this. You just never know what's around the corner literally. Poor Cowgirl ended up spending the night in the airport with a broken plane and then the replacement plane damaged by the weather. But, we all eventually got home safely and now I know when I see clouds that look like cow udders - these are mammatus clouds - the air is actually sinking, and it means we're on the back side of a tornado cell. Lesson learned, and grateful once again to have more lessons still to learn.

Staying Healthy in the Outdoors

You know the best part of summer is all the things you can do outdoors when the weather is nice. Last week we went to check out a new (to us) park in the Springs. Its over 700 acres in the middle of the city. The playground area wasn't that nice, but plenty of room to play catch with the lacrosse sticks or a frisbee.

However, most of the park is mountainous. We drove everywhere until we found a fun place to have all to ourselves.

Next to a picnic table, along the side of the winding dirt road was this large formation of rocks. There were several, but this one was so easily accessible that we got out and staked it as our place to play.

The kids could climb all over it, and they had fun. The doctor is weaning our oldest boy off ALL the medicine they gave him in Brazil. He literally came home with gallon sized ziplock bags (yes, plural) of everything he had tried to get better, and some high-powered prescription meds. No more, the doctor said. We want to see what his body is like when its just him, nothing added. That, and the healthy diet I've been giving him has eased up some of his negative symptoms already. They're not all gone, but we are seeing improvements. Yay!

The doctor also wants him exercising and just being as healthy as he can. So, I keep finding places to go where it won't take too much out of him, but to get him outdoors and enjoying nature like I know he does. Most every morning we (my dad or I or both of us) take him for a walk. It used to be that he had to come home and nap, but this last week he hasn't needed that anymore. However, after these extra adventures, he does. Still, its progress,  and we're grateful.

So, yesterday, we went to Helen Hunt Falls, named for Helen Hunt Jackson who was a writer and came to this area for the restorative properties she believed were found in the Rockies in the 1870's. She became a writer after losing her two sons and husband to death before she was 35. She later remarried, and was friends and contemporaries of Dickinson, Emerson, and Holmes. She spent most of her later years advocating for Indian affairs and is buried here in Colorado.

The hike is steep but not too long - up and back in fifteen minutes. A snake was spotted, but fortunately, only by the boys. Us girls were grateful to have missed it. We saw eight deer throughout the day, starting in our morning neighborhood walk.

It was just so beautiful. The towering trees, the rush of the water over the falls, the clean, crisp air up so high, it really has a healing quality to it. Its not hard for me to understand why in another century they believed just being here made you better.

To be able to enjoy a beautiful day together felt healing. Whenever all my children are with me, it just makes me feel good.

They are good to pose for my photos whenever I say, "Okay, everyone, smile."

Down at the bottom the boys were all over the rocks and the girls stayed closer to the edge.

Walking back to the car, LittleBuddy realized I needed my picture taken too. Hat, long sleeves, and all, I'm the misfit of summer, but my body and the sun are not friends anymore, sadly.  I feel bad for my children that I don't take them for all day outdoor adventures where we tromp along paths and explore every nook and cranny very often. I wait until Mike's with me so he can be the fun one when I'm in the car hiding from the sun or stuck in the shade because we've been outside for so long and the sun's beating down. Auto-immune = fun robber, but I'm glad for all the fun memories we have made through the years and grateful I'm still here to watch them all grow up. The Lord has blessed me too. Many times when I've really wanted to be outside, it will be a cloudy day, and that helps. But, we've all learned to make adjustments. I'm grateful for the kids understanding and willingness to make life work as its been handed to us, and when we're home I encourage them to go outside and play a lot. I love the sun. I just want to be healthy too and if my boy could be all healthy and me just stay this way, I'll take that too.

Armoire Makeover

Before Cowgirl got here, we were talking about how she had been to a kitchen recently that had cream painted cabinets with an antique stain on them and it looked gorgeous. Its a look I have always liked too, but  I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the whole kitchen that way, so instead we decided this old armoire that now houses the upstairs TV and tablecloths was long overdue for a makeover and this was the weekend it was going to happen.

No more ugly orange! We started about 8:30am, heading to the store for paint and supplies and finished up at 6, with a couple of hours of doing not much more than sitting and holding up a door or a piece of shelf to dry.  First we dismantled everything. Mike removed all the electronics and Cowgirl and I unscrewed hardware and removed whatever we could. The wood floors were covered in a plastic tarp and all my old towels. Then I put dinner in the crockpot. I knew it wasn't something I was going to want to make at 6 o'clock later that night. Sure love that appliance!

 It took a couple of coats, (some places three) of cream paint on all the insides and outsides that we applied first. We bought a gallon and used up most of it. We went out back to paint the doors and drawers, but when the skies grew dark we had to bring them back inside. The fun part was the actual staining. Taking 3 parts faux glaze (we bought 1 quart)  and 1 part paint (we chose a really dark brown, and just the size of a sample,) we mixed the two together in a foil cake pan and had way more than we could ever use. Then using plain white rags (like sheets, not like towels,) dipped in water, we'd rub this brown mixture around all the edges, and then grab a new rag and start wiping it all off.  We had water and several rags in an empty #10 can and it was just the right size. We changed out the water whenever it looked too dirty.

And, when it was done, we loved it. And we still do. It lightens that part of the room but leaves the fireplace still as the focal point. It would take two days if I'd had to do it by myself, so I'm glad Cowgirl was here so we could get it done in one. No more orange ugly. Ever. Yeah!!!