Happiness

I've been following an interesting concept called "The Economics of Happiness" through The International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC). The poster above is from their award winning documentary which I hope to see soon. Here's a quote from their website:

ISEC a non-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of cultural and biological diversity, and the strengthening of local communities and economies worldwide. Our emphasis is on education for action: moving beyond single issues to look at the more fundamental influences that shape our lives..

I haven't gotten very far into it except to recognize that it is captivating and something I'm eager to pursue. Here is a link to their website.

Fire Season

Photo from Denver Post website

Colorado has several active wildfires burning; the worst is named Lower North Fork Fire in Jefferson County. The fire has burned over 4,500 acres, there is 0% containment, 16 structures destroyed, and two deaths. Many people have been evacuated and the weather forecast is for high winds. My brother who lives several miles east of the fire area took the photo below from his deck this morning. The first reports suggest that this disaster is the result of a controlled burn started several days ago.

Heart Healthy Eating

Wayne and I went grocery shopping together this afternoon at our one and only local supermarket. Our goal was to buy groceries that will make heart healthy and delicious meals for a week. Our appointment with Jenifer, the nutritionist, last week was helpful and educational. We have our nutrition goals on paper and the appropriate ingredients on hand ... now we have to actually cook or, as Jenifer calls it, "food assembly". It was eye-opening for us (especially Wayne) to read the labels and see what is actually in those packages and cans. The fat and sodium content of many of our favorites is way too high so we are trying some new (for us) products that seem to be more in line with our goals. The taste test will be important, however, in deciding whether to buy those products again. I know we can find food that is both heart healthy and delicious.

Blue-Sky, White-Cloud Day

I was out first thing today taking photos of the morning clouds. It's a "blue-sky, white-cloud" day in the Estes Valley and I'm planning to take a little trip into the park later this afternoon after Friday Afternoon Quilters meeting. I can't decide whether to take the linen-stitch scarf I'm working on or the Christmas cookie felt ornaments - guess I'll take both to work on. I've designed several additional "cookies" and I'm trying them out.

Linen-Stitch Scarf (front and back)

Sunday with Friends

Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly

We've spent a lovely day with friends in Fort Collins having lunch at Austin's Grille before attending the Chihuly exhibit at the Fort Collins Museum of Art. Since seeing some of Dale Chihuly's work in Florida I was eager to see this exhibit before it left next week. We enjoyed seeing his art deco Venetian inspired pieces - both drawings and glass. We also spent time in the 2nd floor gallery where we saw the pieces pictured. (No photos were allowed in the main Chihuly exhibit.)

This charming glass piece is entitled

"Red Dog Chasing His Tail"

I had a few minutes to pop into Mama Said Sew (a unique little quilt shop) and bought a yard of adorable Richard Scarry fabric with scenes from his book Busy, Busy Town. My children loved his books when they were little. I still have several of them which I'll pass along to my grandchildren. From the fabric, I'll sew a book bag. I'm eager to get started on that.

Splendid Sunrise

As soon as I opened my eyes this morning I saw a pink glow on the bedroom curtains and knew it was going to be a splendid sunrise so I grabbed my camera and took a few snaps. I never tire of the beautiful and varied Colorado skies.

Two books I had ordered arrived in the mail this afternoon. They are The Cloud Collector's Handbook and The Cloudspotter's Guide both by Gavin Prestor-Pinney. I'm eager to read these two delightful books and learn more about clouds. I've started my cloud collection today.

Beloved Rocky

Some time in our beloved Rocky Mountain National Park was just what I needed yesterday so we drove to Many Parks Curve, the Alluvial Fan, and around the loop. The beautiful day added to our enjoyment but I love the park in any season, any weather, any time of day. The only wildlife we spotted was a herd of bachelor elk hanging out close to Sheep Lakes. A ranger was on the scene to keep foolhardy tourists from getting too close.

We're going to have to adjust to the big construction project along Bear Lake Road for the next two years but the work on the road will be a welcome improvement. Picnics at Sprague Lake will take some extra planning but I'm an inveterate planner, so no worries. We saw dozens of slash piles waiting for burning. A quote from the official RMNP web site explains:

Fire managers from Rocky Mountain National Park plan to take advantage of any upcoming winter weather conditions to burn piles of slash from several forest thinning and hazard tree mitigation projects. Exclusion of fire for the past century has resulted in unnatural forest conditions in some areas, with significant accumulations of forest fuels and an increased risk of a wildfire. In addition, park crews have been cutting hazard trees caused by beetle kill. There are an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 piles park wide. If these are all burned, it will be roughly three times the number of piles that are normally burned in a year.

A Day with my Favorite Five Year Old

Emma, the paper doll - with candy heart necklace

What could be more enjoyable than spending an entire day with my youngest grandchild (five years old) at her home. It was a wondrous experience and, for that day, I felt like a child again, myself. For her, it was a "nightgown" day.

She wanted to play hop-scotch and, because it was too chilly and damp outside, we made a hop-scotch on the tile floor using electrical tape, chalk, and a marshmallow for the "throwing rock." This project occupied our time for at least an hour.

She loves to do arts and crafts and so we made paper dolls, paintings, and models with play dough. We also made bowling alleys, houses, and towers with blocks. We made up stories, danced, did yoga, fixed lunch, and played with her entire family of dolls.

I hope to have another opportunity like this soon.

No Photo; Too Frightful

For the past few days I've been suffering from shingles on my face. It began on my right ear and quickly spread across the entire right side of my face from hairline to jaw, ear to nose with accompanying pain, swelling, fever, and itching. The worst of it has affected the skin surrounding my eye, which for a couple of days was swollen closed. I've been on Acyclovir, an anti-viral drug, since the second day. The infection is slowly clearing and I'm hoping my face will be acceptable for public viewing soon. I've considered covering all the mirrors in the house.

This has all occurred in spite of having had a shingles vaccination a few years ago. My doctor tells me this could happen again ... expletive deleted!

The Unfortunate Demise of Letter Writing

Email, texts, and the like have made communicating so quick and easy that the elegant art of a handwritten letter is ill, if not altogether dead. Getting a handwritten letter in the mail is still a joy for me and, although I do my share of emailing, I don't intend to stop putting my lovely vintage fountain pen to paper. I have a love of fountain pens and beautiful and whimsical stationery of all kinds. I enjoy the easy flow of ink applied to paper that only a fountain pen can provide. Yesterday I received my order of blank note cards I had designed on snapfish.com using several of my Florida photos for the fronts of the cards. I am pleased with the end result and am looking forward to sending these with a handwritten note inside to my family and friends.