Halloween

Trick or Treating in downtown Evergreen is a big event. In the foothills there are lots of people that don’t live in neighborhoods with rows of houses so the merchants downtown setup candy stations at their door and hundreds of families walk along the sidewalks.

We saw Frankenstein who was over 7 feet tall walking on stilts, werewolves with long fangs wearing torn flannel shirts, Winnie the Pooh, a giant iPod, a basket of dirty clothes, a head on a plate, and lots of unidentified characters covered in fake blood.

The bank gave out fake money, the taffy shop gave free samples, the animals shelter gave away puppies and duck calls. The duck calls could be heard down both sides of the street keeping the kids busy as they waited in line to get into the next shop.

In the late 1800s rich residents of Denver developed downtown Evergreen so they’d have places to eat and things to do when they visited the natural beauty of the area. They left one side of the short strip with its original two levels; the bottom one for hitching up your horse, and stairs leading up to the stores above. Thank goodness ski resorts to the west have grown up- Winter Park and Vail to name two- and now the rich of Denver don’t overrun Evergreen. Hoorah for progress, which brought money to our town, helped it grow, and then moved on!

Today Evergreen is still one of the first towns west of Denver in the foothills of the Rockies. Leaving Denver the land is flat, 30 minutes later you enter a valley surrounded by mountains. You don’t even need to get out of the car to see wildlife. Elk and mule deer wander the town, and bear and fox can be seen once off the road.

A persistent reminder of man are the many Harley bikers that cruise the area and then stop at the bars downtown that offer beer and food, and seating along the river running through town. For the most part the bikers look like a tame bunch, the older crowd out for a drive.

At Christmas time there will be a walk through downtown so we’ll be back for the festivities. And this time we’ll know to get their early to find a parking place, or park around the lake and hike over.

Snow is back!

We woke up to light snow and paw prints on the deck. We're wondering what might have come to visit.

Today the snow is pretty because it is blowing around in the wind and if you don’t look at the ground the trees give the impression the ground would be covered in white.

While the boys are at the school the snow powder starts and stops; is blown away, and then the next round starts. Because it is sunny the snow melts and then freezes in the trees and on the grass.

After school the wind comes up, the boys look out the window and see a mule deer running in the back yard. Two more deer join in, all bucks with wide racks. Like big dogs they chase each other up and down the hill, kicking up snow. The take turns locking antlers and pushing one another down the hill. The largest of the group sees us, runs up the hill, and stands under the window staring at us. He doesn’t appear upset; maybe curious??? We are definitely curious. He continues to play up and down the hill, often stopping for a few seconds to look at us.

For perhaps five minutes the deer take turns playing with each other and scratching their antlers against any tree they can engage. When four more bucks appear and they all take off into the meadow behind our house.

P.S. Sunday we stop at a park to look at the field of ice and ask a park ranger about our deer. She said, “I bet they are just acting like teenagers.”

Gardening?

This summer Justin grew tomatoes. The plant was healthy and flowered, but it took all summer to grow three of them because nights are too cool for the plants to produce well.

Here is a photo of the largest of the three. All were beautiful, bright red fruits with no blemishes. The flavor was wonderful so we cut them into small pieces, added a little vinaigrette and ate them slowly.

We filled clay pots with dirt from our flowerbed and added flowers, herbs, and vegetables to sit on the deck. We heard from our neighbors that the deer and elk eat most of what you plant so we began filling the deck first. Then one day we had a squirrel eat several large holes in the new umbrella Mr. Jim gave us to shade our table on the deck. We wondered if the deck would be safe, but our experiment was in motion so we continued to plant.

Besides tomatoes Grant had luck with strawberries. They too were miniatures with a lot of taste. The only crop we didn’t have luck with was bell peppers. The plant blossomed and a beautiful pepper began, but somewhere along the way it decided to give up and stop growing. Parsley, chives and oregano grew with gusto—plenty for our salads, pizza, and to freeze. Next summer we’ll put our small garden in a little red wagon and pull them in at night. Or perhaps we’ll cover our flowerbed so the plants won’t be eaten and it will be warm at night. Or maybe a greenhouse. Probably the grocery store.

Grocery stores all sell flowers and they are really cheap. The weather is dry and the sun hot, so the stores don’t want to keep watering them a couple of times a day for long. After a couple of weeks, the sale signs appear. Reading on the Internet, talking to neighbors and friends we decide to plant a few bargains- rosemary, red salvia and chrysanthemums. Since all have a bitter taste the consensus is they are pretty safe.

One morning I looked out the kitchen window to see the back end of an elk standing in the flowerbed. She didn’t eat anything, but she was definitely curious. A couple of times a week I’d find several plants pulled out of the ground. Continuing this dance throughout the summer- she’d pulled them out of the ground and I’d plant them back.

The hummingbirds liked the red salvia. Tiny darting iridescent green bodies would travel from one to another. I added a hummingbird feeder and our house was officially added as one of their summer stops. If I forgot to add syrup to the feeder one particular hummingbird would hunt me down. Sitting on the deck reading a shadow would appear over my shoulder. Then the little green bird would fly in front of me, dipping a couple of times before taking off to the feeder. How strange that something so tiny could be so persistent.

Something else liked the salvia, but we never saw what it was. One or two blossoms a day would vanish in a line.

This winter I’ll read about plants for the foothills. Part of our yard is high desert. There are rocks and cactus (not pointy), wildflowers, lots of grasses, lichen, and flowering shrubs. Add a heavy sprinkling of lesser chipmunks, Stellar Jays, and nuthatches and you have our view out back. Maybe I won’t grow vegetables.

First Snow of the Season

Today after the boys left for school the snow started, by 10am there was an inch covering the grass. Yesterday the temperature was in the 60s, the ground is warm so wherever there is gravel there is no snow, but looking out into the backyard the scene is winter. And with 39 degrees it feels like winter.

Several times flakes came down that were so large they were bumping into each other, morphing into icy lace. Other times the snow was so small it looked like rain. In either case the flakes came fast and the temperature didn’t climb as the weatherman said.

Tad built a fire in the fireplace 15 minutes before the school bus was due. We put on our coats, headed outside, and found the snow had just stopped. Five minutes later the snow starts again fast and steady as the boys get off the bus. We watch the bare patches in the grass greedily soak up the new as we walk to the house.

At 5pm there is snow everywhere, 2 to 3 inches. The boys have talked Tad into taking the sleds into the backyard and trying out a slope or two.

The weather forecast says the temperature will be 31 degrees tonight, so tomorrow we may be greeting the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of fall dressed in white.

Justin Makes $28

Today Justin had 7 baby teeth pulled to make room for new permanent teeth. Looking at the picture you can see they had some big roots. You can also see we left them untouched—blood still intact.

First the dentist gave him laughing gas and let him watch Shrek on a big screen television mounted on the ceiling. After about 30 minutes Justin was smiling pretty big and didn’t seem too concerned about having teeth pulled even though it was the first time.

The dentist deadened his whole mouth since the seven teeth were pretty equally spaced throughout his mouth. Then in less than 30 minutes that seemed to me like 2 hours the dentist pulled all the teeth, put them in a big plastic tooth, and gave us instructions so we could go home.

As we paid Justin stood by the office door. He said, “I’m not in pain now, but it hurt several times, the cotton wads in my mouth are bloody, and I’d like to go home.”

We were home by 10:30am and taking to heart the number one instruction: watch Justin so he doesn’t bite his cheek because the deadening feels weird and he might chew on himself checking it out. Since the shot was to wear off by noon this was an easy job. All the cotton wads came out, Justin had soda and relaxed about half an hour. He wasn’t sleepy so I got out the craft kit I’d got as a surprise. He stitched three pictures from Eric Carle books in no time with his shoelace sewing kit.

By the time Grant got home from school at 4pm Justin looked as if he’d never had surgery. Wow, talk about fast healing-- he’s talking about eating pizza this weekend.

Evergreen Lake in Summer

Walking the short one-mile loop around Evergreen Lake I enter the world of nature even though I’m in the heart of town. The wildlife in and around the water keep my eyes busy searching the landscape for movement, they don’t stray to the small highway circling one side of the lake.

I begin at the large log Lakehouse on the west side of the lake. The Lakehouse is owned by Evergreen Parks and Recreation, which hosts special events there throughout the year. Tall, large windows face into the lake taking in the beauty of the water while giving the building a church like appearance.

This part of the lake will host skating in the winter. I look forward to skating with my family on a frozen lake for the first time in a few months. I know skating first began around 1940 on this lake and even though that was over 60 years ago I feel a connection to the past as I follow in the footsteps of others who have loved this lake.

At first the path is wide to funnel people, small sailboats, or small fishing boats down to the shore. Blue spruce trees line the path and give off a resinous odor. Ducks form small groups of four or five and swim around on unseen roads.

Sleek black cormorants float on the water and periodically dive under the water. I watch anxiously for them to reappear for what seems like a long time. When they resurface they resume floating as if they’d never been gone.

I head east pass several maintenance sheds to a long wooden building that houses a nature center and rents paddle boats and kayaks. It is still early morning so everything is closed. I walk along the docks listening to the water lap against the boats and feel the waves pulse below my feet. Here the water smells a little fishy and I wonder how many fishermen visit each day.

The path quickly narrows as a leave the docks. The path isn’t manicured; powdery gray soil and small gravel mark the footpath bordered with wildflowers mingling with tall grasses. The lake is great for walkers, runners and serious hikers use other nearby parks that allow them speed and freedom. Paths angle down the steep slope to bare areas against the shoreline where fishermen are stationed with ice chests, dogs, and family members. My wrong turns go unnoticed, as the fishermen remain focused on the water.

The main path heading to the dam has several thin wooden bridges. Here I nod as I pass a few other hikers out to enjoy the morning. Beneath one bridge I see something move in the water. A very long fish with teeth, a tiger muskie, is heading into the sun. Posted signs say any caught less than 36 inches must be immediately returned to the water. This fish was introduced into Colorado lakes in the 1980s to control other species and to give fishermen a trophy size fish. I’m excited to see such a large fish, one that can weigh over 40 pounds, that dwarfs the brown or rainbow trout I usually see.

The water before the dam is usually calm because the end of the lake is shielded by hills across the street running behind Main Street in downtown. In the afternoon boats at this end of the lake have to paddle to find the wind.

More cormorants line the top of the dam on the east end of the lake. They sit on the edge as if permanently affixed as the water rushes under them.
I walk down the steps behind the spillway; the water is loud, a light spray of water rises in a white mist, and a slightly musty smell waits at the bottom where the sun encourages algae growth. Here Cub Creek comes from the south to join Bear Creek, and the ice-cold water continues east under a bridge heading off behind buildings in downtown Evergreen.

Coming back up to lake level I see the highway. I keep my eyes looking down at the lake and walk quickly to escape eye contact with the people passing in cars. I know I’m in the middle of the city, but right now I want to continue enjoying nature without interruption. Only the smell of car exhaust is hard to block out. Soon I’m on the north side of the lake where Bear Creek enters and the marshes begin. Red-winged black birds sit sunning in the tall cattails, the bright red on their wings stand out against the green grasses and water.

Walking over a bridge something else red catches my eye. A large crayfish over 4 inches long heads out of the grass. It looks more like a little lobster than the small brown crayfish I’m use to seeing in Texas. I pull my camera out to record his progress, but before I can focus he ‘s under the bridge as if intentionally avoiding having his photo taken. Even though this area has many marsh features the cold running water in the area gives off no stagnant water odors.

At the end of the marsh I come back to the Lakehouse and turn for a one last look down the lake. I see a serious wave of walkers begin their circle. Since we moved to Evergreen at the first of the year I’ve enjoyed this walk many times. It is short and I can enjoy it alone or with my family. In a few weeks as fall arrives I will learn what changes a new season will bring.

Walking back in to the parking lot I notice the golf course is busy and carts are traveling across the well manicured grass. The golf course comes right up to the lake, but the golfers ignore the lake and its visitors the same way we ignore them. I’m glad the elite of Denver invested in Evergreen and started the Mountain Park System in the early 1900s. The money created fast economical growth, and later protection of the natural resources. How wonderful that when there isn’t time to hike the mountains and be alone with nature I can come to this man-made lake and get a quick nature fix.

Thinking of Texas

I can travel 799.91 miles back to Texas in less than five minutes. Sitting in the sun on my deck here in Colorado with my favorite gardening hat over my eyes the familiar feel of my hat and its smell of the sweet black earth I left behind is all it takes.

I miss seeing bare trees at the house we built. I remember in the fall and winter stealing minutes throughout the day to memorize the way the trees look before spring covers everything in green. The beauty of the woods is simple--- just gray--- the gray oaks, birds, rabbits, squirrels, opossums, armadillos, and coyotes. In the early morning the gray is opaque; watching the trees I see movement, the shades of gray separate into animal forms.

I miss seeing the brightly colored flowers of spring I knew. My mind playing with the meandering path of color dots, carrying me off into the past, 35 years ago, running through a field near home with my dog. We run as fast as we can until we have to stop to catch our breath standing next to each other with our sides heaving. Walking back home I’m happy in the sun, knowing I will hear mom’s voice, and there would be water waiting.

I miss the flowers and wildlife I saw every year and all of the human traits I gave them. I love reading books about the meaning of each flower’s name and then deciding which person I know matches that description.

WORDS OF WISDOM/OLD SAGES
The tall purple and white iris reminds me of Grandma Frances' advice, "Stand up straight. Keep your shoulders back." I can see Grandma tall and thin among her friends; like the iris their varying heights punctuated with showy white heads.

BEAUTY/LOVE
The viola's delicate purple flowers surprise me from behind the brown rocks of the pond. Beauty can be seen in the most unlikely places. Their large heart shaped leaves remind me love is a gift without regard to size or age. I think of the friends Grandma Frances had. A group of 70+ year old women who played cards once a week and talked of love and live, past and present.

INNER STRENGTH
The pink rose has a very feminine appearance that hides strong inner strength. During difficult times the fragile looking rose can adapt to its environment and turn back to the wild. I remember when my delicate aunt gave birth to a premature and ill son; she kept harm away with large protective thorns I hadn’t seen before.

FAITH/TRUST
The water lily opens daily to float in the sun. Each night the bud closes and hangs at the top of the water holding trapped rays of sun, confidently waiting for a new day. Mom was often sick since she'd been diabetic since she was three years old, but she pushed worry out of her mind, trusted in God, and looked to see how she could help family and friends.

PERSERVERCE
The tulips move throughout the day following the sunlight and defying gravity by moving their large heads on graceful stems. They accomplish what they have been designed to do unaware of how impossible their feat appears. Our daughter has the ability to accomplish much and I can’t wait to see her figure this out!

SHARING/MOTHERING
The sunflower opens to the size of my hat. Birds come to take away the seeds that form the center. Some seeds fall to the ground to sprout later in the season. They are like kids, standing tightly at my feet with their heads tilted up to watch and imitate momma. I think of Deborah, our cousin, and her three kids that follow her lead.

STAMINA/ENDURANCE
In August heat overtakes both day and night in Dallas. The sun's setting giving only a brief reprise. My bed of zinnias will ignore the heat and send out flame colored blooms. Their leaves will be small and often dry as the plant sends all its energy to the top. The flowers will quickly drop seeds to add to next year's zinnia army. I see cousin Sandie and marvel at her strength through years of surgeries.

SELF-SUFFICIENT/SELF RELIANT
Bugs, birds, and small animals also live in my yard with the flowers. Unlike me they live together without walls or barriers. My walls and barriers is called a house--- I'm not sure if it's to keep me in, or things out.

I miss being outdoors in Texas so I dig a garden here in Colorado to see if I can’t fall in love again. Our yard is full of rocks, but there is a raised bed by the kitchen and here we till the dirt. Pulling weeds and grasses I see results and feel satisfied; I delight in a rare instance of immediate accomplishment. As my muscles tire I don’t miss Texas so much. Digging my hands into the soil, clasping my new piece of earth I’m working towards my goal connecting by something strong and simple, mutual touch.