Connie in Ouray

 

 We Miller sibs, my two sisters, my brother, and I, are known for being Pollyannas, so we often use "there must be a pony in there somewhere" as a way of making fun of ourselves.  It's a joke that Ronald Reagan told back in the day.  You can look it up on Google if you're interested.  We also use, "Lookie, lookie, lookie, Pa, there's a two-story McDonald's," but that's a whole different story. With there being so much cruelty both at home and abroad today, and with the feeling I'm starting to get overwhelmed by it, I thought I might do a small MFL gratitude journal entry here.  It will make me feel better, but if you don't think it will help you, please feel free to skip. I think it's safe to say we have a glorious and much needed two feet - yes, two feet! - of snow on the ground.  The snow gods blessed us this time.   That said, the neighbors who are in residence up here during this event have been wonderful, helping each other, laug

 At 17 inches right now, this is the biggest single snow event we've had since we moved here almost 15 months ago.  It started Monday night and will continue, according to winter storm warning, through mid-morning tomorrow.  Beautiful, stunning, glorious, awesome, think of all the adjectives you can.  These pictures are from yesterday afternoon when we were at about eight inches. Yesterday afternoon was tough for Mineral Farms Laners.   Because the road from Camp Bird to the VRBO hadn't been plowed, Chimene (2) got stuck at the bottom of the hill.  Mike found her as he was returning home from an excellent ski day at Telluride.  Joining the party there were Ross, Catherine, and James (20).  Mke finally had to follow her into town to leave her truck at her friend's house, and then he brought her home. Ross in the meantime had come up our hill to get something from home, and as he was going back, he ended up stuck in front of our house.  He and I tried and tried to push him ou

 Mike and I have made a quick trip to the Front Range, Colorado Springs yesterday to check on a very dear friend and dinner with my son and his girlfriend.  We're in Denver today because Mike has a pre-trial conference in federal court, and I'm hanging out at a Starbucks catching up and watching curling at the Olympics. When we left MFL early yesterday morning, there were 7.5 inches of very welcome snow on the ground.  It was so beautiful I absolutely did not want to leave, and Mike was lamenting the trip that was preventing him from a snow day at Telluride.  The extended forecast for next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday is looking a little more hopeful for snow. Our contractor has started work on our bathroom.  Demolition was Tuesday, and they were able to get the pod out in two pieces by using a chainsaw or sawzall, something very loud.  Since it's fiberglass, they had to use very strict masking to protect themselves.  As with most construction projects, some issues were f

I rolled my foot last week while snowshoeing so I've been stuck in the house while it heals.  I've been rereading Crime and Punishment , learning Spanish on Duolingo, and crocheting a baby afghan to fill the days, plus Big 12 basketball.  It was worth a swollen foot We are having a pre-season mud season, because the temperatures have been unseasonably warm and no new snow.  Fortunately, there is snow in the forecast Wednesday, plus colder temperatures. 

 Er, I mean the tools.  Over the weekend, we got out the electric log splitter that Jan and Dick Williamson left for us, and it is so much fun!  Most people split their wood in the summertime, but we didn't realize how quickly we'd run through the wood that was already split.  Between the new chainsaw and the log splitter, we are having way too much fun up here. sad happy Last week, I read the most interesting article about the ice farmers at Ouray Ice Park.  Here is the link:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ice-park-colorado This week in the Ouray County Plaindealer, there is a really fun article about the Ouray Ice Rink, its past and present, and I found myself smiling all the way through.   It's definitely worth a read.

 I was so busy bragging about getting to live on MFL full-time, I forgot to mention I met Ross, renter at JP's (20), Katherine's (sp) husband, James's dad.  He was on his way out to water the horses and get to his winter job.  I am supposing he is a wrangler with Katherine, but I don't know for sure.  In the winter, he drives for a competitor of Telluride Express, driving shuttles between Montrose Airport and Telluride.  He's been doing this for several years now and loves that they allow him to bring the van home at night instead of having to go back to Montrose.  So if you see different vans parked at the house overnight, they're not hosting parties and overnighters.  It's just Ross's really nice wintertime employer. He also said that Katherine and James have both been fighting a stomach bug for the last few weeks.  I hate that!  I hope they're out sledding soon.  And one last thing, he was in law enforcement for a number of years, so we have profe

 I sound like a broken record, but I love living up here.  When a storm clears, even when it's below zero and the pipes have frozen, it is just magic.  My proof:

 Someone told us last year about Top of the Pines, a preserve south and west of Ridgway, as a place to cross country ski and snowshoe, but we never made it over there since we were still playing in Ouray.  We had looked at a house back in that area a few years ago but decided it was too far out.  Mike and the trail group went there a week ago to snowshoe but ended up hiking because there wasn't enough snow.  We drove up there with the dogs last Sunday, hiked around with them, and gawked at the gasp-worthy views.  In the winter, there is snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and hiking.  In the summer, there is hiking, mountain biking, camping, and a nine-hole fristbie golf course.  And then there are the views. We got a total of four inches of snow in this last storm. La nina forecast is coming true.  However, the good news is our snowblower worked, and the even better news is that Mike says I can get a little snowblower just for me next winter. The one we have drives me down the road