Thanksgiving

It's Sunday morning and I'm sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee thinking about the week ahead and feeling grateful.

Looking out I see bright sunshine and the promise of a beautiful day.  We're under another winter storm watch for Monday night into Tuesday, with up to eight inches of snow predicted, and it looks like today will be a great day to get outside before the storm.  Tonight we're taking Ben's brother and his wife out to dinner for the birthday dinner that was postponed due to snow on John's official birthday on Wednesday, so that's something fun to anticipate.

Last night I went with a friend to see Paul's ska band, The Fists of the Proletariat, play at a brewery in nearby Broomfield.  They are a lively, loud, and fun group and I always enjoy both hearing and watching them.  I was surprised and happy to hear Paul stepping out in his playing.  Like many in the band he was a shy player at first, but nowadays he plays with confidence and takes more opportunities to shine.  And that baritone sax has a great sound!  Love it.

Turbo has a play date this morning with a shepherd pup up the street.  They are currently about the same size but Delta will soon outgrow him.  They seem to really enjoy each other now and we'll see what the future brings for their friendship.  Turbo is now about 20 pounds, which we think is about 2/3 of his expected growth.  He finished "basic obedience" training yesterday, is developing some good manners, and has become part of the family.   Don't you just want to reach into the photo and pet him?  

Turbo loves people and thinks every human he meets is his new best friend!  I think he'd be a terrific therapy dog and plan to train him along that line.  Did you know that you can't just decide that your pet is a therapy dog?  There's a whole course of training you and your dog have to do to be certified and welcomed into hospitals, rehab facilities, etc.   It starts with passing the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test, so that will be our first goal.  

Meanwhile, everyday he learns more.  I'm so grateful that he has learned to go up and down the stairs on his own. Carrying 20 pounds around is hard work!  Sometimes Turbo even thinks so and balks at getting himself up the stairs to where our bedroom and his sleeping crate is.  Ben has come up with a fun way to encourage him, putting treats on the stair steps!

Today I need to pack up my sister's Christmas present so I can mail it tomorrow.  She already knows it's a winter table runner but doesn't know what it looks like so I don't want to show a photo of it yet. Instead I'll share this little --7x10"-- abstract piece I made this week.  I was experimenting with making marks on fabric using Inktense pencils and then wetting it and smearing the marks and colors before adding some fabric bits to make a top layer of design.   It was quick and fun and I'm hoping to have time today --or at least during the coming snowstorm-- to make a bigger piece using chunky Inktense crayons along with the pencils.     

On Wednesday I'm going into Denver with a friend to see a retrospective of the work of painter Claude Monet at the Denver Art Museum.  I feel so lucky to live in an area that has so much art to see.   Not just in downtown Denver; there are smaller art galleries in all the small cities and big towns around here.   A few weeks ago I saw this wonderful painted sculpture at the Longmont Museum showing a judge at a rodeo.   It was created by artist Red Grooms for the 1975 exhibit The Great American Rodeo in the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth.   I loved the loose drawing and bright colors.  

It's getting dark now by 5:00, so I was glad to see the first of the holiday lights the other night.  The Flagstaff Star up on the mountain above us has been lit and I'll spend some time this holiday trying to photograph it, never an easy task but a fun one.  We're going up to the Flagstaff House for dinner Friday which will put us right at the foot of the big star, so that will be an opportunity to capture if from a completely different angle. 

Well, I see that I'm out of time.  I often think I'd have more time for my blog if life wasn't so full, but then I realize how lucky I am to have a life full of family I love, friends to enjoy, a stimulating city to live in, and a beautiful environment to cherish and explore.

Happy Thanksgiving, and may we all take time to count our blessings!