There’s always a chance of seeing some wildlife in Colorado. We often see deer. We always see hummingbirds as well as many other varieties of birds. Once, we had a fox on our front porch. But on our most recent trip to Colorado, we had a surprise visitor. We’re sad that we didn’t get to see it, but also kind of glad it came at night when we were safely tucked inside. No idea whether it was momma bear or poppa bear, but it left rather large paw prints on our porch and completely drained our hummingbird feeder! Never had

Continue reading An exciting but creepy visitor in the night

For generations in my family, summer vacations have meant beaches. My mother used to vacation in Pacific Grove, California, where her mother had vacationed before her. My mother vacationed on Oregon beaches as well. I, too, relished summer vacations in Pacific Grove, and I also had my share of Oregon beaches. And after me, my kids traveled with my parents to beaches in Oregon and California. It’s been a year now since I walked on a beach. It’s time to go again, but I don’t see it happening soon. What are your favorite memories of summer vacations?

August is a good month for summer travel. In Europe, it’s almost a given that people will flock to vacation spots for part or all of the month. Here in the United States, our vacations tend to take place any time between Memorial Day and Labor Day. I won’t be going anywhere in August, but I had a week with my granddaughter in July. That will have to hold me for a while. But when I see flowers like this when I walk in my neighborhood, I can’t complain about staying home. What summer travels have you had this year?

I know everyone is thinking about chocolate today (and what a great excuse to indulge), but I found National Talk In An Elevator Day to be more intriguing. It’s always amazed me that two humans can occupy the same small space and essentially ignore each other. So I got in the elevator, determined to talk to whoever got in. Unfortunately, I was by myself both ways, so it was an odd conversation.

One of the lesser known National Days is National Father-Daughter Take a Walk Day, which takes place every July 7. My son-in-law has already taken my granddaughter (now five months old) on some hikes. The one pictured was in Colorado over Memorial Day weekend. My daughter is about to return to her job, and my son-in-law is taking parental leave for the next couple of months. He plans a lot more father-daughter walks (or hikes) this summer. Though he will be doing the walking for both of them this year.

Summer is my season. I don’t mind the heat, as long as it doesn’t come with high humidity and inch toward the upper 90s. I love almost everything about summer—vacations, long days that allow me to enjoy the evenings outside, warm temps, summer flip-flops, reading by the pool, tropical iced tea, the flowers in bloom, and probably much more! Pretty much the only things I hate about summer are the bugs, mosquitoes, and spiders. Ugh. I’ve tried so many different ways to keep the mosquitoes away. Citronella candles make me sneeze. And I hate spraying chemicals on my skin or

Continue reading Bring summer–skip the bloodsuckers

I stopped in at the Green Hills Library on a hot afternoon this week, and noticed geese swimming in the reservoir next to the library. If you look closely, you can see their goslings. They know how to stay comfortable in the heat. How about you?

We were out of town over Memorial Day weekend. Our son is getting married in about a week. And we have a trip to Europe coming up. So I spent all day yesterday running errands. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. But I have to say one of the errands was actually quite fun–I picked up the Euros we’ll be taking on our trip to Paris and Barcelona! For people who cross the pond regularly this is probably no big deal. But this is my first trip to Europe, so for me, it’s pretty cool. It’s starting

Continue reading This is some cool cash!

Not everyone agrees on the definition of “hiking”. When some people talk to me about going on a hike, they show me pictures of a park with an asphalt trail winding through it. To me, that’s just a long walk. A hike needs dirt and either woods or hills or both. You should have to watch where you step and you should be breathing hard by the time you’re finished. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I get excited when I find one that isn’t yet another walk through a suburban park. I really like this trail I found at

Continue reading How About a Hike?