Around Here; May 19

It's May and that means Mother's Day.  Ben tested positive for Covid on the 5th and was laid low for almost a week.  He was still in isolation on the 14th so it was a subdued celebration for us.  It was so odd for Covid to hit us just as the official end to the emergency was upon us.  While everyone else was moving on, we were hunting up our masks and tests.   And even though I didn't have any symptoms or test positive, the CDC guidelines told me to mask around other people until the 16th and I mostly did.     

Our Mother's Day dinner plans with friends were canceled but Ben was able to buy a delicious chocolate heart-shaped cake which we shared with Paul....

...and Paul brought me some very pretty vibrant red roses, which livened up the house. 

May weather around here is notoriously fickle and we aren't able to plant very much until later in the month.  This year we were treated to a long spell of cloudy, cool, and rainy days which further delayed planting.  

 

On the plus side, we've sure enjoyed some lovely views of the cloud-shrouded Flatirons. 

In between the rainfall we did have a few days of wonderful sunshine and managed to mow the lawns, buy and plant several tomato plants, some bean and cucumber plants, and got them and many pretty annual flowers planted.  

It's a lot of effort to do so much yard work in such a short time, but very satisfying to know the plants are in the ground waiting for the round of warm and sunny days we are supposed to have next week and that the grass is all cut nicely and the edges trimmed.  Since we live on a corner of two active neighborhood streets we get many comments on our yard and plants, which is gratifying.   

May is also the time when the turkey vultures and the hummingbirds return from their migration.  The vultures love a particular tree about a block here and I always am wary about their return until they again establish that tree as theirs.  One of these years they are going to get tired of that tree, and I sure hope they don't decide that the big spruce in our yard would make a perfect new home.  

Hummingbirds like to return to their old haunts as well, and as soon as I hear their distinctive buzzing cry I get our two feeders up and running for their pleasure.  Unlike the vultures who fly in and out soundlessly, the hummingbirds love to fight and chase each other around while making a lot of racket.   They are quite entertaining. 

Here are the pretty pink tulips in the bed along College Avenue... 

...and our neighbor's early poppies, which always make me smile to see.  

May 5th was the 23rd wedding anniversary of Ben's brother, John, and his wife, Dawn, and they celebrated with dinner at the Flagstaff House.  Ben and I were included in the celebration, but Ben was still sick then with Covid, so it was just the three of us.  I love having Dawn in the family and we had a great time. 

And last but not least,  May is the month when Paul's lease on his two bedroom apartment ends.  He decided it was time to live by himself so he spent a few weeks looking for studios and found a nice one about 15 minutes outside of Boulder.  He got the keys Tuesday and has until the 27th to vacant the old place, which is excellent timing.  He's managing all the planning for the actual move, but I'll still be glad when he's all settled in.  

The new place is a four-story modern big apartment building, quite a change from his two-story walk up here in Boulder.  Here's the view from his door.  A tiny room for a bed is on the left and the main living space is at the end where you see the balcony door.  There are two big windows to the left of the door, which allows for some good lighting.  

And here is the kitchen with the appliances all in a row along the side of the living area.  Check out the fridge; I wish I had space for a big one like that! Maybe Paul will let me store my bags of summer cherries in that big freezer! 

And here is about 2/3 of the living area.  I think it will be just enough space. 

   

Well, my goodness, there has been a lot going on this month!  To relax I binged on The Diplomat ...

 

...and read a great book.  

Not much quilting so far this month but I did get a big box of unneeded fabric and supplies packed up and delivered to a local quilt guild for their garage sale.  My emptier and more organized sewing studio is waiting for me! 

Welcome April!

We had some nice weather the past few days and it's been refreshing to enjoy temps in the high 60's and nothing on the ground to make walking challenging.  

It has been quite windy, but unless you were caught in this portapotty which blew over in a gust, you did okay. 

photo by Kylie Bearse, NWS

There's been much snowfall up in the mountains, which have made skiers happy and gave us at the lower elevations some lovely views of the snow topped peaks. 

Snow was predicted for last night into this morning...

 

...and when I awoke I was pleased to find a winter wonderland outside.  I'm writing this about noon on Tuesday and it looks like we have about three inches outside with another inch expected by night.   This is the view from our door; baby, it's cold out there!

Well, let's see; besides our every-changing weather, what's been going on around here lately?

I went with a friend to see the Boulder High School's production of Mary Poppins, which was excellent.  Paul was hired as an adult assistant to work on this, and taught a crew of students how to use the brand new sound board.  He always saves us front row seats, which is a nice perk!

 Ben and I braved the wind and took Turbo to the Louisville dog park which is across the street from the big housing area destroyed in the Marshall Fire on December 30, 2021, and I was excited to see the rebuilding had finally gotten underway. 

We bought a new microwave which doesn't sound like a big deal, but was since it resulted in moving all our small appliances around and generally reorganizing things in our small but powerful kitchen.  I won't bore you with all the details but we ended up with all the appliances in more convenient spots and with less crowded countertops.   At the same time our very old but wonderful coffee maker died and we bought a new one which fits right into the new plan and stream lined look. 

Did you notice the two little racks on either side of the stove?  It's such a handy little thing that I thought you might like to know about it.  Its available here on Amazon in case you're interested.   

We have two traditions when snow days are predicted.  First, we sleep in....

and second I often make overnight cinnamon rolls to enjoy in the morning and to give to neighbors.  

I've enjoyed mine while checking up on the progress of Trump's arrest in NYC.  What an age we live in!

 

Besides distributing cinnamon rolls I have just two things on my "to do" list today: doing my PT and washing and drying this scrap quilt that I recently finished. 

It's cute, isn't it?  It's Timna Tarr's "Strip Sandwich" pattern.  I'm fascinated by how different it looks depending on what fabrics you chose.   Look at how different it is from this one which I made from hand-dyed solid fabrics. 

Before I go, I have to include this fun photo I took the other night when Ben and I walked downtown to have dinner at The Kitchen.  Those are orange slices that the bar tender is dissicating to use as garnishes in cocktails. 

Monday Report

My friend Lotus and I made a quick trip to California the end of February, leaving behind biter cold temperatures in Boulder to enjoy beautiful mid-70's weather in lovely San Diego.  

We went specifically to see the an exhibit of art quilts at the Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles.  Entitled "A Better World: Heroes Working for the Greater Good," it featured thirty-two pieces, each 30" x 50", which were "designed to inspire and educate viewers about heroes --both anonymous and well known-- who have worked to improve our world."   While the subject of the exhibit was interesting, I primarily wanted to see the artworks themselves up close to study and admire their details.   

As an example, here is a piece by Lyric Montgomery Kinard entitled The Light Keepers. It shows Carolina Nunez, a law professor who talked with people at the immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas in 2018, hearing their stories and aiding them in their legal process.  Her efforts inspired other lawyers to visit and assist detainees. 

courtesy of Visions Art Museum 

The artist stated that her work was made using several techniques;  painting, screen printing, handwriting, and stitching.  I think maybe the portrait itself and the gold words were painted ... 

...and the images of the immigrant detainees were screen printed.  The red is hand stitched embroidery and the background text was hand written.   It was very interesting to see the works and analyze the various ways they were made, and I was really glad I had the chance to see them before the exhibit closes in early April.     

I got back to Boulder just in time to see Mrs. D., my old chum from when I worked at Paul's school library in Maryland.  She was the band teacher and I was very lucky to have the band room right across the hall from the library.  Not only did I like hearing the kids play throughout the day, but Mrs. D.  shared her knowledge of teaching with me, which was a huge help.  And she was lots of fun!  The art room was also next to the library, so I really did luck out.  Of course we had to see her while she was in Denver.... 

 ...as did Paul.  Mrs. D. was his first music teacher, not only teaching him band at school but teaching him flute in private lessons.  

 

We all agreed that it was too bad that she couldn't make her trip the next weekend when Paul's band, The Fists of the Proletariat, played at the Fox Theater.  She would have enjoyed hearing them and seeing Paul in action.  Ben and I were able to go, and snapped a few shots. 

   

After Mrs. D.'s visit I turned my attention to getting ready to serve as a judge for  the preliminary rounds of Colorado's National History Day competition.  I had seen a notice in the local paper for experienced teachers, librarians, and historians to volunteer to guide students doing research for their History Day projects and to judge their work, and I put my name forward.  I spent an afternoon advising several students on their searches and was looking forward to being a judge. This year's theme is Debate and Diplomacy in History and it turned out to be a fair amount of work to review and rank eight student websites on topics such as "The Troubles: How the Debate Over Northern Ireland's Independence Led to Years of Conflicts."    It was stimulating job and I learned a lot!  Next time, I'll plan on spending more time on the work.   

The background hum of my days is the new concern about the invasion of Ukraine.  As if we didn't already have enough to worry about -- Covid, January 6th and its related political issues, the upcoming mid-terms, global warming --we now have a major war. 

Dave Whamond, PoliticalCartoons.com 

I'm finding that being outside is a big stress-reducer.  Not only does exercise help, but nature itself, as Anne Frank wrote, "...offers solace in all things." 

I thought of that yesterday as we took a six-mile hike on the newly opened Anemone Trail, which sits on the edge of downtown adjacent to the beautiful Red Rocks in the People's Crossing park.    

Of course there was a lot of "up" and it was a long trek, but the exercise was refreshing and the beauty was soothing.     

Part of the hike passed through the area that was burned a few years ago, bringing back memories of how scary it was to have a wildfire start so close to town.     

As we worked our way up to the summitt we were rewarded with great views west to the Indian Peaks.     

I always love to find the "end of the trail" sign.  It's all downhill from here.     

Note to myself:  Spend more time outside and less time reading the news!