So long March

It's the end of our second month. We now have Colorado license plates and the cars are covered in dirt.

The school had a spaghetti dinner and games in the gym. Fifth graders served food; a choice of 3 kinds of spaghetti, sprinkle cheese, salad, and desert. We enjoyed the food but looking around I couldn't find person I knew. In the gym were ten games and everyone got a trinket. Grant got his face painted into a menacing pirate. Two dads had paints, a booklet, and a lot of enthusiasm.

Our neighbor, Jim the Great, brought us flowers to welcome us to Colorado and the neighborhood. The lilies smell wonderful and the bouquet is full of all kinds of spring colors-- white daisies, purple liatris, pink Peruvian lilies, pink carnations, pastel snapdragons, and 4 kinds of greenery. This is the first time I've used the large crystal vase we got for a wedding gift. It was worth the wait!

Spring break started a day early when the first snowstorm of the season arrived. About 12 to 14" of snow covered the deck and drifts in the corners fought for the top rail. Pikachu, Justin's cat, jumped into a snow bank thinking it was solid. She ran back inside fast and didn't try going out again.

Our neighbor, Kim, brought the boys sleds to try out. We couldn't remember where there were open areas on our property so we used the road behind the house that goes to a log cabin. The sleds fit into the tire ruts pretty well. Jim lets the boys try our his toboggan shoot. I forgot my camera but after walking through deep snow I figured my memory would have to save the image of them speeding down the hill. After going for a ride with them I want to get in shape and use to the altitude so I can try more next year.

We walked around the lake in downtown. The boys climbed up on a statue of kids and posed as many times as I asked. We saw beautiful birds sitting on cattails, pieces of ice floating in the water, retrievers swimming for sticks, people sitting of the shore fishing, people walking--- a lot of fun.

The recreation center turned out to be a favorite place. There is a swimming pool with a large slide, fountains, and a vortex area. Also there is a rock climbing wall and someone to help.

Other places we went were Build-A-Bear, Chili's, Baskin Robbins, and roaming around looking at the local sights. We didn't complete our list of places to go, but with the snow we just changed our plans and enjoyed going outside here at home.

If you click on the picture below you can see pictures from our first two months in Colorado:

First two months in Colorado

The Ides of March

I started a four-week memoir writing class the first week of March from Carolyn Campbell. In December we’d come to Colorado to look for a house and I met Carolyn, who rented one of the houses we saw. We talked a little and I found out she wrote poetry as well as painted. When we moved here I saw an ad for a class at the Evergreen Arts Center and noticed her name as the teacher. When I went to class I found 18 other students! Many of them had just completed four weeks of classes so listening to their stories was like having many teachers, and many to encourage each other.

The boys got their hair cut at Sandy's Organic Salon. They are pampered to a shampoo and careful trimming. Grant has decided he likes his hair short so he can spike it. Justin still wants his longer, but he likes the idea of looking good as much as Grant.