By the Campfire

I have been begging for years, since we moved to the ranch really, for a fire pit.  I have asked to have one dug - that was a no-go...  We have a very large and relatively flat back yard and what if the boys wanted to toss the football around?  They can't be stepping in the hole all the time!  I have asked to purchase a chiminea - The Man hates them...  Can't stand them!  (Have I told you he as an aversion to patio furniture too?)  I have purloined 50 gal metal barrels to make a fire barrel out of...  At last!  It took 5 years, but I have my fire pit!  OK, it is actually a barrel that Shane welded on (Almost blowing himself up in the process... But I digress!) and made me a fire barrel...  I LOVE IT!

Man indulges me by roasting hot dogs and making s'mores with the kids...

Girl marvels at how many times you can "skin" a marshmallow and re-toast the remainder...

Boy relishes burning stuff up...  Although, he is a bit cautious about fire to start with...

All in all, soot on our faces, warm marshmallow goo sticking our fingers together, and laughter shared all around, the fire barrel is a very good thing!

I sincerely hope you are enjoying your summer...  I know I am!

Gone Analog... Back soon!

Ah, yes...  There are reasons I have been missing from the blogosphere!  As some may know, I suffer from S.A.D. (aka, Seasonal Affective Disorder) and the winter in Colorado can sometimes drag on well into May...  Thus the late April snow storm you saw here.  Once the snow clears out, however, things get much better for my depression, and since I have resolved not to take meds, I HAVE TO GET OUTSIDE!

So, in light of that (no pun intended), I decided this would be the year that I actually quit talking about a flower garden and put one in!  With some help from a trusted friend (and offers from many others), I trekked off to the Home Depot (a hardware store) and bought some start up stuff to get my feet wet, so to speak.  As you can see from the above picture, I am still rather haphazzard with my tools and my empty flower buckets, but the effect is starting to take hold...

A Grant's mini-rose, almost ready to bloom...

These wonderful, bright and cheery orange jobbies with dark purple centers...  (Apologize for awful cell phone pix...)

Sweet little Innocents...

And many more, that I will not bore you with, since camera is on fritz and cell phone has better pixels anyway.

I have been just as happy as I can be, getting out each morning to spend time on the front porch, watering and listening to the red winged black birds chirp and scold me for being too close to the feeders...

I hope you will forgive me for being so terrible about updating this wonderful little ante-room of my life.  I was out living it and should be able to get my poop in a group to share more of that with you!

We gather here today...

...to mourn the death of a beloved PC girl. But fear not, bretheren! She is reborn a Woman of the Mac!

Yeah, Dell is now personna non grata in the Brown household these days! After three frustrating weeks without an office computer, because a brand new Dell Inspiron in the most lovely shade of violet blew up 4 days out of the box, I became so tired of the run around I walked into the Apple store. I can hear your whoops of approval now! They had me at "hello." I was immediately ushered into the lovely brushed steel atmosphere of warmth and shiny screens. Here I will communicate with those who's first language is English, I will be treated with respect and intelligence, and I will walk out wih not one, but two Macs! (I think we all know when I go, I go all the way!)

When Husband is away...

:-:  I tend toward not fixing myself dinner.  Snacking previals!

:-:  I do wild unconventional things - like buy bird feeders and bird seed and humming bird feeders...  OK - So not so unconventional, more crazy bird-lady...  Still...

:-:  I sleep with the tv or the radio on, or both, to block out bumps in the night

:-:  I sneak off for lunch with the Number One assistant (don't worry! It's a girl - not an affair!)

:-:  I sometimes leave the tv off all morning long!

:-:  I get quit a bit done

:-:  Pogo sleeps on the bed right next to my head, instead of at the foot, like he should

:-:  Evening cocktails lose their appeal

:-:  I miss the sound of spurs on the foyer floor

:-:  Bad days seem worse

:-:  I sniff the flowers he brought for our anniversary over and over and fret when they start to lose their petals

:-:  I dance with my music blasting in my ears and sing loudly without fear of being caught!

:-:  The cats disappear - He is their favorite, you know...

:-:  I count down the hours to his return.

:-:  I realize how much I miss my very best friend....

Who wudda thunk it?

:-: That one short week would produce beautiful green grass from nasty white stuff...

:-: That if you tell an overacheiver his calendar is largely open, he will fill it full of crap to go do... RIGHT NOW!

:-: That after such a terrible challenging last year, this year seems so hopeful and upbeat...

:-: That the love affair with our new "Hope and Change" dude would end so quickly (snicker)...

:-: That our anniversary (15 years) and Mother's Day would fall in the same 7 day stretch, possibly a recipe for disaster...

:-: That someone at Girl's middle school actually gives a hoot about why she has been out 12 times this year...  (Was actually asked if she was having any trouble with fitting in, etc. - Floored me!)

:-: That a trip to "get away from it all" would end with a renewed appreciation for what one has at home...

I enjoyed every minute of it...

There is nothing so wonderful as a few stolen moments with a friend you enjoy to share it with.  No requirements to be anything to anyone other than yourself...

It was glorious!  I ate little, drank alot and got to have one day of absolute bliss in the spa and by the pool.  Thank you, thank you, thank you - and you know who you are!