Treasures

I am not a materialistic person. I don't shop for clothes or trinkets very often. I would rather spend my money on goodies for my pets, plants for my garden or a nice meal at a restaurant. Even so, my too-big house contains things I don't need or use - things I've accumulated over the years because I thought I needed them, or would most definitely need them in the future. I have 'stuff 'that fills just about every nook and cranny, but I am working on that and have purged a lot in the last couple of years. Included in my collection of stuff, however, are items that represent precious memories to me and ones of which I refuse to part. My mother's wedding ring is probably my most prized possession, but here are a few others that are special to me:

My maternal grandmother's china set of Bali Hai by Kent

My maternal grandfather's rocking chair. I remember him sitting in this for many years before progressing to a recliner! It's been re-upholstered a time or two.

An antique organ top from my maternal grandparents' house. The organ is long since gone, but the refinished top makes a perfect wall adornment and conversation piece.


A table that my great-grandmother retrieved from a trash heap on the side of the road. The warped top has served my family well for many decades. We call it the trash heap table, for obvious reasons!


My uncle's army chest is used as extra storage for linens, as well as a prime cat snoozing spot (unfortunately, no one was willing to pose for this picture)!

My paternal grandmother's handwritten diary, with yearly accounts from 1884-1941. This is especially valuable to me because I never knew my paternal grandparents and this diary gives me a peek into their lives.

A lot of memories are linked to these items and/or the people who touched them before me. These are the kinds of items I enjoy having in my home...the ones I believe are worthy of keeping. To some they are just things, but to me they are cherished treasures in my life that nothing can replace.

I am willing to bet that all of us have certain material treasures in our lives that have special meaning to us. What are yours?

The Shed That Neal Built

When we bought our property in Westcliffe, it was raw...no water, septic or buildings. The first thing we decided to do was drill a well and the next thing we decided to do was put some sort of structure on the land that could be used for storage. When Neal priced ready-made buildings online and in home improvement stores, they all seemed to be in the thousands-of-dollars range. Knowing he could build something himself for much less cost, that became the plan.

Neal found a building design and plan online and built the majority of the shed at our house first, to make sure everything would fit together just right before transporting it to our property.

He bought the lumber new, but he found a used window and door with frame at our local Habitat for Humanity Restore . The opening on the left side of the shed will be a double door wide enough for heavy equipment.

Once he had the basic shell put together, he disassembled everything and loaded it up to transport to Westcliffe.

I know this looks like headstones at first glance, but it's actually cinder blocks Neal used to level the ground before placing the shed.

We decided it would be best to insulate the floor, so that went down before the floor boards were nailed into place.

Three walls are up, framing for door and window done and flooring down.

This past weekend, Neal completed the project by installing the door, finishing the shingled roof and painting the exterior (with paint he bought at the Restore). He worked until past dark, using the headlights of his Jeep, to put on the last few touches.

The new shed residents are Buford (the garden tractor) and attachments, and a few tools. It took Neal several weekends and lots of sweat equity to get this done, but the whole thing cost less than $1,000 and is much better quality than anything we found already made.

And there you have it...our first official building, built entirely by My Man. Doesn't it look great?

Sometimes All You Have To Do Is Ask

We have two major credit cards that we use and I try to pay the balances in full every month...not always possible, but more times than not I am able to do so. Over the last couple of months, we had accrued some expenses that we put on our Visa card and I didn't get it paid in full until last month's payment. I wrote a check for the entire balance due and felt relieved to have that out of the way.

This week, a statement came from our Visa company and there was a balance due of $3.25. Since I know we never use the card for such a low amount, I figured it must be related to some sort of fee. Why would there be a fee? I know I paid the balance in full and on time, but I started to doubt myself. I almost just arranged for payment through my bank's bill pay system, but I decided to call the company and inquire first.

The customer service rep explained that I had, indeed, paid the balance in full and on time, but due to the revolving terms of my credit card agreement, a fee was assessed for carrying a balance for more than thirty days. While I had been making payments every month, and on time, there was a period where some sort of balance still remained on the account for more than thirty days, so hence the fee. Since apparently I didn't have a leg to stand on regarding the terms of my contract (always read the fine print!), I was prepared to pay the $3.25 and be done with it. The nice rep on the other end, however, said that since I did pay the balance in full and on time (and probably because I was being calm and pleasant), she would waive the fee for me. She sounded sympathetic to the fact that I would have to write a check for $3.25!

So, taking the 10 minutes out of my day to make the phone call paid off in the form of $3.25 saved and my faith in human kindness restored. Sometimes all you have to do is make the effort and ask the questions.

*Note to self: Next time, remember the revolving terms of your account!

Oh My!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I proudly present to you this year's centerfold model for PlayDog magazine...

Playful and seductive

The come-hither look

Full-figured with pouty lips

Sorry, Hugh Hefner, but your bunnies just can't compete with the incredibly sexy Mr. Captain D!

A Day In Our Lives

Today was a wonderful fall day, with temps in the 70s and an occasional gentle breeze. Neal took advantage of the nice weather by blowing and loading all the fallen leaves from our front yard and transporting them to our backyard. His original intent was to rake up the leaves and bag them in large pumpkin leaf bags that we could use as a yard decoration, but he was unable to find any of those bags after checking three different stores. Captain and George were very happy to help Neal with his chores, in between their own duties of squirrel hunting and barking at neighbor dogs. They especially enjoyed it when Neal took a break and played hide-n-seek in a huge leaf pile with them.















I spent my day washing clothes and hanging them on the clothesline, tidying the house and whipping up a few things in the kitchen. During this time of year, I really like to make soups and stews, so today I threw together a pot of vegetarian taco soup from a recipe my friend Damona gave me years ago. It is so, so easy and tasty.

Here's the recipe, if you're interested:

1 lb. vegetarian meat crumbles (or ground beef)
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
1 28-oz can tomatoes (with juice)
1-2 packages taco seasoning, to taste
1 package powdered ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup Picante' or your salsa choice
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 can corn (with juice)
1 can pinto beans (with juice)
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
cheese and tortilla chips for garnish

If you use real meat, brown the meat with onions and bell pepper first; otherwise, throw everything in a big pot and simmer for about an hour. You can also toss in a can of Rotel tomatoes for an extra kick. You can play with this recipe, depending upon what you like, but the secret ingredient is the ranch dressing mix!

I also tried my hand at making oat bran and banana muffins from a recipe I found online. They actually turned out really well. I've had a hard time baking in this high altitude, but these muffins were really easy and definitely edible!















Before it got dark and we settled in for the night, Neal finished up one more project he had been working on. We've been interested in finding a free-standing coat rack, but the purchase prices in stores were more than we wanted to fork out. Several months ago we found some neat coat hooks for sale at a flea market in Westcliffe. We weren't exactly sure how we would use them, but we both liked them so we bought four. Last week, Neal was browsing at our Habitat for Humanity Restore and he found a wood post for $1.50...perfect as the base for a coat rack. Later in the week, he found a used circular saw on Craigslist for $10, to replace the one he had that recently died. So, with the right materials and the right tools, he was able to throw this together in no time.




















Oh, and if you hadn't noticed, I changed the header picture on my blog today...

It's All About Love

On this day in 2006, I sat in a hospital room in Baton Rouge and watched my mother die. She had been in a coma for almost two days and I had been with her the entire time. I had grown accustomed to her deep, loud breathing - somewhat like a snore, somewhat like a gurgle. I could be across the room or in the hall, but if I could hear that breathing, I knew she was still alive. Or, as alive as one is in a coma.

Neal's parents had come to be with us - my mother and me - and even though we were engaged in conversation at the time, I knew the moment she left. There was suddenly a deafening silence and the breathing stopped. I remember walking over to her bed, in disbelief, and announcing to my inlaws that she was gone. Many times over the years I had mentioned to people how hard it would be to lose my mother and how much I dreaded the day we would part. The one thing I had not given much thought to, until I was faced with the reality, is how orphaned I would feel.

A few days ago, I was corresponding via email with a family member and I mentioned the upcoming anniversary of my mother's death. I stated how much I miss her and questioned if it ever gets any easier. My family member replied , "It does, but it's awfully hard to describe. The way I have come to think of these things is that you don't "get over it" as much as "learn to live with it". I think the immediacy of it fades at last, and then you've a calmer sense of what you HAD, slowly overtaking the pain of what you've LOST."

The night before my mother went into a coma, we were chatting and she was talking about the important things in life, while I mostly listened and agreed. While I can't recall the exact content of the discussion, the one thing I do remember is her statement to me, "It's all about love, you know?" Later that evening, we said our goodnights and I love yous and some time in the night she fell into a coma. The last words I heard her utter were about love, and those words were a perfect example of who she was.

So, on days like today, when I'm feeling sad and orphaned and missing her terribly, I have to remind myself of what I had instead of what I lost. How lucky I am to have shared my life with such an incredible woman. She was a woman who was always giving and asking little in return. She was a peacemaker. She was an entertainer. She was deeply devoted to her God and her family. She was kind and she was wise. She was full of life and love. She was pure goodness. She was my mother.

It's all about love, you know?

Personal Responsibility

Unless you've been living under a rock lately, you are aware of the current state of our economy and how serious this mess really is. What I find very interesting is that everyone is blaming the lending institutions for the housing crisis, but I'm not hearing much about personal responsibility on the part of the homeowners who applied for those sub prime loans. Whatever happened to living within your means, paying cash and using credit sparingly? Our American motto seems to echo that of Scarlett O'Hara, "I'll think about that tomorrow." Well folks, tomorrow has arrived, and we are all paying for it now. So, while the governmental big-wigs try to decide how best to bail us out of this mess, what can we do personally to survive this crunch?

Some basic things I feel everyone should be doing include stocking up your pantry, cooking more at home, eating out less, reusing and repairing items, conserving electricity and water, and driving less. Things that take more time and effort, but will save you in the long run, include growing your own produce and herbs, composting, canning, sewing and mending, and making homemade cleaning products and gifts. It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway...get out of debt and resist the urge to spend your bucks on unnecessary items. There is a big difference between a 'want' and a 'need' and now is the time to distinguish between the two.

Neal and I have chosen to treat this crisis as an opportunity and use it as a push to get us permanently to our rural mountain property. We already have a shed (built by Neal), and we are in the research phase of building a workshop or barn type structure (to be mostly built by Neal) that can be used as temporary housing for us and the critters until we get a house built. Once we're living on our land, we hope to learn and put into practice even more sustainability measures so that we can rely on ourselves and our skills to see us through tough times. For me, going back to the way things were done in the "good ole days" has become very appealing and satisfying.

Sleeping With An Alien

Neal snores... pretty bad at times. So, after years of getting jabbed in the ribs and bopped on the head, he went to an ENT doctor and was sent for two sleep studies. It was determined that he has obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that is caused by a temporary, partial or complete blockage of the airway. The results can be loud snoring and pauses in breathing. Neal was given the option to try a CPAP machine which works by applying a constant airflow, causing the airway to stay open so that uninterrupted breathing is maintained during sleep. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. He had to wait a few weeks for the proper sized mask to be ordered. When it arrived, he went to pick it up and get an orientation of how the CPAP works and how to care for it.

When Neal first unpacked the CPAP and put it on, I thought it resembled snorkeling gear. But when he turned on the machine and starting playing with the various air pressure settings, I decided it resembled Darth Vader. If only the mask had been black and covered more of his face, he would have been a dead ringer for the Star Wars character.

This is what I slept with that first night:















After trying the Darth Vader mask for about a week, Neal just couldn't get comfortable enough with it to sleep through the night. He went back to the clinic to be fitted for a different contraption, one that was less restrictive and offered various nasal pieces.

Here is what I'm currently sleeping with:

So, now I think this one resembles some sort of an alien creature. No matter what it resembles, it seems to be working...for both of us. I get to sleep through the night without hearing the snoring, and Neal gets to sleep through the night without fear of being assaulted.