Thinking of Grandma

I woke up and started a pot of coffee. I really appreciate having mornings to myself, even if it's only for a few minutes. As I scooped my beans, I started to hum pretty sporatically and pretty low. Immediately, I was reminded of Grandma Jo. Grandma loved spending time alone, and even when people were around, there were times she just wanted to observe and have things quiet. In those moments, you could often hear her let out a few, low hums.

I love that I "inherited" that from her. It's quite soothing :)

Yes, I voted!

Andrew and I went to the Tamarac Square Mall (right across the street from our apartment) today for early voting. We were given paper ballots! I've never used a paper ballot before, but all the elderly volunteers were eager to assist me, and pretty soon, I was using paper ballots like a pro.

I went in with a list of all my choices checked, so I was in and out in no time. What fun! And now I have an "I voted" sticker to don.

Such a Slacker!

Oops.

I had a 10am dental appointment today to pick up my next three invisalign braces. I woke up early, made myself some breakfast, took Bailey out, and had a pretty uneventful day. Soon, I was on the computer on Pogo playing canasta for my badge. I didn't even pay attention to the time...

...until it was 9:40. Oh crap. I hadn't brushed my teeth or done my hair, and it's about a 20 minute drive to the dentist. I ditched the person I was playing against on Pogo and ran to brush my teeth. At 9:45, I decided to quick call the dentist to let them know I'd be 5 to 10 minutes late.

They told me that didn't work for them. Wha? They couldn't get me in again until Tuesday. Darn you, Pogo Canasta! That's what I get for not paying attention to the time, I guess.

Let this be a lesson for all you slackers out there.

Cold Snap and Pumpkin Pancakes

For 24 consecutive days this summer, Denver's temperature climbed above 90 degrees. Those 24 days set a record for our city, though it was one I would have been happy to have missed out on. Indeed, the summer was a scorcher...

...which is why I couldn't have been more thrilled to have this break in the heat. Today our high was 59 degrees, and it felt fantastically cool. We were able to break out the long sleeved shirts and put real socks and shoes on our feet. Absolutely delightful.

Aminta and I went to the mall. After browsing a few clothing shops, we stopped at Williams-Sonoma. I was thrilled to discover that Williams-Sonoma had their pumpkin display out, and I beelined it for the table. The focus was on pecan-pumpkin butter filled pancakes. During our last visit there in spring (Aminta's my shopping partner), I'd bought a pan for making filled pancakes. So, I had the pan. Now I just needed the fixings. I grabbed a recipe card and loaded up on pumpkin pancake/waffle mix and pecan pumpkin butter. It sounded positively scrumptious, and I was in the mood to pretend it was fall--pumpkin season!

After visiting with Aminta and Nicole for a while, I headed home to my beloved. I was so excited to show him my prizes. At first, he was a little skeptical. It's also quite possible he winced at the $15 price tag on the pancake mix. But once I showed him the recipe card with the picture of the filled pancakes, I knew he'd forgive me. For extra emphasis, I pointed out the fact that the filling was the pecan pumpkin butter blended with cream cheese.

Next thing I know, we're in the kitchen cooking up pancakes (at 11pm). The kitchen filled with the fragrant smells of pumpkin and spices as well as the sound of a begging dog. Scrumptious!

Tomorrow's back up in the 70s. I'm a little disappointed, but I sure am glad I got to enjoy the start of the season change. Just a few more weeks until the aspens begin to change colors. I can't wait!

What Did You Do to My Bed?

It used to be soft and white in the middle, and pink and fuzzy every where else. It was the perfect thing to dive into, to cuddle into. It's Bailey's bed.

When Bailey was going in for her first surgery to remove her breast cancer lumps, I busied myself by going to Target and buying everything a dog could possibly want and need. I bought Neosporin for her incision. I bought baby pain killers to help with her pain (as suggested by her vet). I bought soft biscuits. I bought comfy puppy jammies because she needed something to cover her so she wouldn't lick and infect her surgical site. And I bought the softest bed I could find.

See, when Bailey was a tiny puppy, my mom bought her a bed that's meant for 100 lb dogs. It had gotten bleached by the sun, so the pet shop offered it to her for $20. Bailey loved that damn bed. Its diameter alone was at least three times her length. She lept into it and played with it and lived it up. That is, until she learned how to unzip the bed. She unzipped its outer sheath and had a ball exhuming all the styrofoam-type pieces inside. It looked like Christmas with all the tufts strewn about. She had fun, but that was the end of her bed.

In subsequent years, I purchased a handful of beds for her, but none of them would do. They went unused and took up space. I did one hell of a job picking out a bed for after her surgery, though. Bailey found a new beloved bed. I placed her in there after her surgery, while she was still drugged up. She snoozed and snoozed. Afterwards, when we should try to limp around, she'd examine the room and her food and water, and then go back to her bed. It's been her place ever since.

It's three years later now. Her white and pink bed is now brown and kind of pink. It has dog hair all over it. There are mysterious stains that are likely from past chew sticks. I'm sure there's Neosporin smears in there, as well as streaks of food she was able to beg from the table.

In short, her bed needed a washing. I took on the task today by filling the sink with some laundry soap and hand washing it. Then, when I was semi-satisfied that the bed was clean, I took an armful of towels and tossed the whole kit and caboodle in the dryer. During the entire process, Bailey sat at the entrance of the kitchen, as still as a statue, watching my every move. I felt so bad for her, but my words could do little reassurance. After a while, it struck me as a bit on the funny side.

After hauling the bed and towels downstairs to the dryer via the laundry basket, Bailey decided to spend a good five minutes examining the basket, searching it for clues to the whereabouts of her bed. My heart goes out to her. I know, though, with as much as she loves to roll and play with dryer sheets, she'll be thrilled with the new smell of her bed.

Oil Drilling in Our Protected Lands

I wonder why the subject of opening up our protected wildlife refuges for oil drilling has so much public support. For me, it seems simple: Drilling for oil in these protected areas is a temporary fix, but the environmental effects have the potential to be devestating and long lasting. In order to open up these areas for oil drilling, we'd need to install roads and landfills and long miles of pipelines. We'd risk oil spills, and we'd make this land unsightly, and we'd impact the wildlife of these areas.

I'd rather us focus on developing alternative sources of energy than just bide our time and devestate the protected lands. Why, then, is this such a costly issue for Democrats? Why, during this time when our country seems to be more environmentally friendly, do the majority of people seem to be in favor of this drilling? I really don't understand why so many people support the Republicans on this issue and support drilling in our wildlife refuges.

Please, enlighten me. I'm so confused.

Still No Tickets to the Convention

I'm a little disappointed. As an Obama supporter, I've been on the list of emails for all of the important information in his campaign. A little more than a week ago, when they opened up their site for people to sign up for tickets, I was one of the first on and entered. I crossed my fingers, and...

...I made it onto the waiting list. I knew approximately half of all the tickets were going to people from Colorado, and since I was so early with registration, I thought I'd have a good chance. They must have some sort of selection process, though, because I told a girl I work with about the website. She signed up one day later than me, and she managed to score tickets to the event of the decade.

I suppose there's still a chance I'll make it. When people don't pick up their tickets, they're redistributed to others on the waiting list. Still, with less than a week to go, I'm less hopeful than I was earlier.

On the positive side, Andrew wasn't looking forward to the crowd and chaos, anyway. He simply agreed to go with me because he didn't want me going by myself. If we don't get tickets, I suppose we can pop some corn and watch it from the comfort of our living room. Not quite as good, but still memorable.

I love watching the Olympics!

Yes, I'm hooked on the Olympics. Every summer, I make sure to catch as much of the women's gymnastics as possible (winter games, I love figure skating!).

Before the individual uneven bars today, I got the chance to watch some of the track and field events. I discovered the pole vaulting is an incredible sport to watch. Thankfully, I also had the opportunity to watch the American men sweep the 400 meter hurdles event.

There's one aspect of the games this year that's bugging me, though. Every single women's gymnastics finals, the announcers seem to accuse the Chinese women of not being 16. It really hits a nerve with me, maybe because I was always so young looking at that age. These women clearly look 16 to me. Their passports say their 16. The Olympic committee says their 16. Drop it already. I'm not sure why, but it really, really bugs me. They're all at least 15. Let's get over that issue and enjoy the gymnastic games already!

Me, a Home Owner?

Andrew and I have recently been discussing buying a home summer 2009 or 2010. I've heard a lot of people mention a grant for first time home buyers, but it's very difficult to find anything on the web.

I found the government's website http://www.grants.gov from many websites that offer help to find federal and state grants. However, no matter how hard I search, I can't find any information at that site for grants for first time home buyers. HUD had a website that had step by step instructions on how to apply, but they didn't explain which grant to search for (they simply said to search by the number of the grant without offering any example numbers). Additionally, I couldn't find much information on Colorado's assistance for first time home buyers, except to learn that this state doesn't offer grants.

I was wondering if any of my readers knew any specific information. What grant do I search for? Is it easy to apply? Does a person apply before they find a house or after?

Thanks!

Smells Like Burning Plastic

There's a wildfire at Green Mountain! For my family who were in Denver for Grandma's memorial, we drove through that area on the way up to the mountains. It wasn't too far from where we pulled over to check on the rental car.

There are quite a few homes in the area of the wildfire; none have been damaged, but there are a lot of evacuations just in case.

Living in Colorado, we've had our share of forest fires. However, this one is so close that it makes it a bit difficult to breathe outside. That, and instead of smelling like a campfire, it stinks like burning plastic.

Hurray to the firefighters who already have it 85% contained. Hopefully, everything will go as best as possible.
http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=8786770