durangoscots

I am up early and will make this short as I need to do some quick rearranging of some parts of the condo. My handyman is coming today to fix the fan which is good as it is supposed be pretty hot the next few days BUT... he has decided to begin to tackle some of projects that I need done. I have no idea where he will start so will do a little shifting and then, when he gets here, we will make a plan. Evidently one of his customers cancelled on him due to a family issue so suddenly he has some free time. Guess we start now and I will live in more chaos than usual for the next few weeks. Cool and nice when I walked the dogs, but that will not continue. High today in the mid-80's... tomorrow the mid-90's. And no rain although something may slip in on Friday. It is what it is. Back later. Susan

We have finally had some showers. Not much, but I will take it. And it is chilly right now... temp is an actual 61, but it feels like 55. After the heat, it is welcome. Looks like they have backed off a bit on our highs tomorrow too. And my handyman will be here to deal with the fan. Susan

Good afternoon everyone. As late as I am today you would think I was getting a lot done but no.... just very slow. Today has been a disappointment in terms of weather. It is much cooler than it has been, which is good. Current temperature at 2:30 is only 77F. BUT... it was cloudy and there was some thunder, but no rain!!! And we need it....badly. It is supposed to start heating up tomorrow. And, to add insult to injury, the ceiling fan in my bedroom is on the blink. Got a new battery for the remote... light turns on and off, but the fan does not turn. It tries, but does not move. The only real accomplishment for today is that I did go grocery shopping so that is taken care of for the week. Tomorrow I need to go get dog food and haul a few loads to the thrift store. (I hear thunder again!!! Maybe????) Am trying to follow the Eurodam and wondering how my downstairs neighbor is enjoying her first cruise. I don't think the weather is cooperating. Better get back to work. Take care all and hope health issues are resolving themselves. My sister has her annual checkup coming up and she is not looking forward to it. She says she has a number of things to raise with the doctor.... all age related. Susan

Good morning. Sunny and dry but maybe a wee bit cooler today. The dawn chorus woke me early and I got up and opened up the house so right now it is very comfortable. I think I am going to have to look at getting a cooling system installed .... actually one of neighbors who really knows about such is looking into one for his condo right now and will pass on info to me. Something more to think about. It would help the resale on my condo if and when I have to (or decide to) move. @kazuI too have been looking at what moving to a senior living entails if you have a pet. In my case with 2 dogs, in all probability it means I would have to rehome one of the dogs .... something I don't want to consider but it might come to that. I will celebrate (?) my 87th birthday coming up shortly and I am not sure how long I can continue to go up and down the stairs to my second floor unit several times a day to walk the dogs. However, my Mother lived on her own until about 97 and my sister at 95 has a house although it is in an 55 plus community and both had single floor living in their last years. Ah.... decisions. Meanwhile, I plod along.... to to get something out of the house each day, get some help from neighbors at times and wear my Medical Guardian. And I walk the dogs although those walks are getting a bit shorter. Ah the joys of growing old and beginning to fall apart. And the dog walking at the Humane Society has, for the most part, stopped. Have not been to today's destination and it is not on my list of places to visit. I love Irish coffee in the cooler weather. Garlic anything usually makes me happy. Take care all. Terri... I hope you have a good day and get to sit on the beach and read. Susan

Good morning. Still sunny and dry. Temperatures will be in the low 90's again today. I have the house open and cooling, but will close it up shortly. It is supposed to cool down a bit in the next couple of days. My downstairs neighbor left for Seattle this morning to join the Eurodam for its next Alaska run. Her first cruise. Her son is baby sitting her cat and the condo. I really hope she likes it. She is a bit concerned about sea sickness, I am tired this morning. Made the mistake of watching The Longest Day last night starting late in the evening, so I did not get to bed until after midnight. As in the past I was particularly taken by Henry Fonda's portrayal of Ted Roosevelt. Roosevelt was a remarkable man and needs to be better remembered for his participation on D-Day. Anyway, tonight will be an early night and there may be a short afternoon nap. @marshhawk Sorry about DH issues and health. Sounds like you need to do some forceful coordination with doctors. I suspect he has never been an easy patient. Take care of yourself too. Off to try to do something constructive. Best wishes for a good day for all. Susan

Good morning. Sunny and dry today. Current temp is 59 with high of 93F expected. Very hot for Durango in June but it is supposed to moderate a bit after tomorrow. We need rain. I was supposed to meet a friend for breakfast this morning, but she has pulled a back muscle, during PT yesterday so it will be cold cereal and coffee for me this morning. Need to do a bank run and then work on the condo finances and, of course, more sorting and hopefully more tossing. For some reason I just can not get into the swing of things. No wildlife when dogs and I walked this morning, but I heard some frantic barking outside when I was getting dressed, so I think something was out there earlier. Take care all. @Seasick Sailorglad you have had that ankle looked at. @Cruzin TerriHope your trip goes better as the day goes on. @rafinmdThat is unusual weather for Maryland and I am sure everyone could do without it. Have not heard from my Sister, but I know she would not have been happy. Susan

Good morning all. Still sunny and dry and it looks like the rain has been removed from our forecast. Drat!!! Dogs and I had an exciting walk this morning. We met a grey fox in the yard.... and for the first time, Bandit really got excited and began barking and pulling on the leash and clearly wanted to give chase. He has never reacted to wildlife before and we have seen lots of it. I started backing up slowly keeping the fox in view. Foxy stared for awhile (I think he had his eye on Monty Chihuahua) and then he finally ran off in the direction of the river. Hope he follows it north and out of town. Bandit is very proud of himself. Hope that is my excitement for the day, Terri.... I am sorry your travels were so very difficult. I have found I just can not trust the airlines to provide help when requested. The result is I try to allow quite awhile between flight segments and figure I am going to have to get myself from here to there. I spend a good deal of time sitting in airports!!! And then to have DH fall... well, I hope you can get him settled and cared for today and then enjoy the rest of time in Barbados. On your return, refuse to move without that chair or other help. Good luck. I enjoyed our stop at Mystery Island on the GANZ this year. I just wandered around for a little, put my feet in the water, and then went back to the ship. There was not a lot to do except enjoy the island. Very laid back. Off to do laundry and try to clean a rug which may be hope. Susan

Cool here right now.... high today into the 80's before heat sets in later in the week. At least we are spared the humidity. Hopefully some rain this weekend although I am not all that optimistic. And if it does come, it will come with lightning which is not a good thing. I am leading a very uneventful life right now. Slowly pottering around the house and tossing things out here and there. Walking the dogs... reading. @NickelpennyThanks for posting Crabby Road. One of my favorites. I have a Maxine doll who often accompanies me on cruises. My cabin stewards love her. Off to do as little as possible today. My eyes are a bit itchy...allergies are kicking in. Susan

Good morning. Sunny and dry as usual. Current temperature is 60F with a high today forecast to reach about 80 which is not too bad. Low tonight 46 which makes good sleeping weather. Someway the "meal" just does not appeal. I used to love chocolate but have reached a stage where it just does not appeal for some reason. Just as well as I have to watch my blood sugar. Have been to beautiful Moorea. Given my reaction this year to heat and humidity, I am unlikely to return. Things here are quiet and very unexciting which is probably a very good thing. I continue to plod along with downsizing at a very slow pace. Am getting a fair amount of reading in and of course dog walking. I am no longer walking dogs at the shelter. They have mainly large dogs who are just too strong for me to handle.... my little guys appreciate the extra attention at home. Next week is the annual adoptathon at the shelter and I will help with that a bit. Am looking at cruises but right now looking is all I am doing. Take care all. Like others, I am finding I am feeling aches and pains more and that I can do less and less with ease. I am also finding that reliable help is hard to come by. Oh well.... upward and onward and a turtle's pace. Susan

Morning all. Sunny and dry again. And another day of just trying to keep up with things. I certainly am not moving very fast on my down sizing. Hope slow but steady does it. Little happening here except for rather heated spat with a neighbor who sends her kid (and a friend of his) to ride his bike or scooter in our driveway.... which is dangerous to say the least with cars coming and going and many back out of their parking spot, and a steep hill down toward the street. Since this is not common property for the condos we have said "No" .... she says to the kids "go ahead". I hope my brief email to her landlord will settle the issue. I don't want a squashed or injured kid. The by-laws are pretty clear on the issue, My helpful neighbor has been gone for a week to help her Father after surgery and ran into the "you can't get there from here" issue with Durango air travel. Her flight out was cancelled due to mechanical issues so she drove to Albuquerque to catch a flight from there.... had to stay overnight in hotel but made it to her Dad although she got there after the surgery. Coming back her flight to Albuquerque from Denver was delayed, probably going to be cancelled, and there was an empty flight boarding for Durango so she switched. So she is home in Durango, her car is in Albuquerque 240 miles away. Fortunately someone has volunteered to help her get it Monday. That is a long drive across the rez. The issue Denver to Albuquerque was weather related on the Albuquerque end although a lot of fights were cancelled in Denver yesterday.... I am surprised the Durango flight left. This is why I always fly in several days ahead when I cruise. Hope all is well with everyone today and maybe the awful weather will settle down. We need rain, but I am afraid to request it as it might come in excess. Susan

If I were about 10 years younger, I would be on the Pole to Pole. Have done much of it at other times and when I was much more spry than I am now. The SA part of it is pretty amazing too.

Good afternoon on a partly sunny and cool day. High today will be around 70F but temperatures are due to rise next week. I have been enjoying the cool although it it pretty chilly in the mornings.... hovering just above freezing. Have started some heavy house cleaning which entails moving furniture, mopping floors and washing rugs. Slow going with just me but it needs doing. The dust has gotten way ahead of me. And I need to haul the dog crates out to be washed thoroughly. Dogs prefer their open beds so I may get rid of a few. It is good to have a few extras as I found day before yesterday when my neighbor and I found an old, blind chihuahua wandering in yard. We secured her in one of my extra crates and when we could not locate an owner we sent her to humane society. She has been claimed...and she came from not far from us. Seems to the family did not realize she had slipped out of the house. When we grabbed her she was walking toward a busy street. Glad my doors to the outside are double doors but even then dogs have gone walk about in the past. Anyway, a few extra crates stay. Otherwise quiet here. My downstairs neighbor is excited about her first ever cruise coming up in a few weeks .... Alaska on the Eurodam. I hope it goes well for her. I have never done a really short cruise as I feel that with all the trouble to get to port, at least 2 weeks is needed to make it worth while for me. Better get back to work. While rug is washing and floor is drying I will pack up some stuff for the thrift store and haul it to the car. Anything out of here is to be celebrated. Susan

Sun is finally out.... maybe the dog blankets will dry outside.... they certainly need the fresh air. Iron Horse race was completed without incident. The ride from Durango to Silverton is 47 miles... time was about 2 1/2 hours for both men and women. My legs hurt just thinking about it... there are two mountain passes. Local riders won both events in the pro category. Lots of riders in this area both amateur and pro. Anyway... that is done for another year although there are several more competitive events tomorrow. Now back to work.... have some financial stuff that needs dealing with when I locate my calculator. That should occupy me the rest of the evening. Susan

Good morning. Partly cloudy this morning and cool. Today is the Iron Horse race from here to Silverton.... cyclists against the train. I am sticking close to home until things settle down in town. Have to make a dog food run but I am well set with my own food for the weekend. Do have to do laundry later as Bandit Shih Tzu was sick on the bed last night. At 2am I was remaking the bed. He seems fine this morning. I am a bit tired and will need another coffee to get going. I don't have any plans for this weekend except to walk dogs and perhaps work a bit on my store room. While my neighbor and I got it cleaned and organized a few weeks ago, there are some storage boxes I need to inventory and probably discard most of the contents. What does one do with old sheet music? No piano anymore. Hope everyone has a good weekend.... and refrains from overdoing. Jacqui... is Ivan recovered from the attack the other day? Hope it has not made him leery of going for walks. Monty Chihuahua loves his stroller.... but Ivan is much too big for that. I feel a bit silly pushing him along.... but he can't walk far anyway.... he does seem to have some problem with his little legs. Susan

Happy Birthday to Tana!!! Cool here this morning, but it will warm up into the mid-70's. Still dry and windy. Rains are staying north of us. Little news from here. I have to leave shortly to pick up a friend being discharged from hospital. I didn't know she was in until she called me for ride. Need to run errands... pick up dog food and get people food. My fridge is really empty looking. The rest of the day will probably be devoted to cleaning out drawers since I am having trouble closing a few and I know there are things there that need to leave the premises via the dumpster. A friend of mine just wrote that he is sorted books and has 1,500 to get rid of. I am wishing him good luck with that and don't tell me any titles. Off to the races. @kazuHope your foot is getting better and that Ivan has no adverse reaction to the attack. My dogs will get a chariot ride later today. Susan

Sorry about Ivan being attacked. I haven't discussed it, but I have had to alter my dog walking due to loose dogs, a few of which were not friendly. Walking two is a problem since I can not protect both, so I now walk with a doggie "baby carriage". Little Monty who weighs only 4 1/2 lbs begins the walk and then I put him in the "stroller". Bandit walks until I see loose dogs, or he gets tired... then I pop him in too. So far it has worked fairly well. But it is awkward. We do have leash laws but people seem to think it does not apply to their dogs. I am glad you reported the attack. Poor sweet Ivan. Susan

Add to that the fixed dining patrons who arrive late for their seating. That happened to me recently... sometimes as much as 1/2 an hour after time.... rest of table was on their main courses when they ordered their starters.

Good morning. Sunny and dry today with high predicted in low 70's. We did have a light freeze last night. No rain in our forecast for the next week or so. Spring is running behind in this area. My white lilac which usually bloom in mid-April just started to flower. I was afraid it was dead. The air tanker and fire fighting helicopters arrived at the airport for the summer.... they are stationed there every summer. The fire danger in this area is high. And high winds are predicted for Thursday. I need to get my evacuation kit together.... dog and people essentials. Little planned for today. I have grooming appointments for the dogs this afternoon. And I need to hang up clothes I washed yesterday and left hanging over chairs in the dining room when I ran out of steam in the late afternoon. Otherwise, just puttering about doing a bit of this and a bit of that. Hope all doctors appointment and surgeries go well today. Susan

Good morning. Got back from the dog shows yesterday evening and picked up the dogs on the way home. They seemed happy to see me, but they do like the excitement of boarding. The shows went well without incident but I am tired. I think this will be the last year I will go down to Farmington to work them. Just too much of a mental strain. Weather there was hot.... in Durango it is cooler. Today's high will maybe be 70 and it was just above freezing when I walked the dogs about 6:30. It is supposed to stay that way and dry the rest of week. Flowers are slow blooming this year. I will take it for now and hope the lawn survives. Off to unpack, do laundry and put things away in the right places. I would like the salad. Would not draw Mohammad even if I could draw. That seems to be needlessly mean suggestion. Will try to keep up during the day.... someway I think my pace today will be slow. Susan

Good morning.... just barely. Sunny and cool....not bad at all. I took the dogs out to board this morning.... they were really excited and bounced right into the kennel. Guess I don't really have to worry about leaving them. I am headed down to New Mexico to the dog show in Farmington. Hopefully I will be back on Sunday evening and can pick up the dogs then. Speaking of dog shows.... I watched Westminster.... did any of you see that little Agility dog named Nimble run?? Incredible. Glad to see an "all American" win for a change. He is a border collie cross but still a cross. I keep telling people with mix-breeds you can have so much fun with them. Better get to packing. Will try to check in while away.... but I never know how I will do. Susan

Sunny and cool here. I am having trouble getting myself started this morning. No good reason.... just no motivation. Dogs have been walked twice now and they are back in bed and not setting a good example for me. Saw the Grand Australia for 2026 listing. That is one great cruise... but hot. I have my eye on a couple of other cruises but glad I did Australia this year. I am not getting any younger. Evidently the Volendam will be doing the World Cruise that year. @NickelpennySorry to hear of complications. Hope the gradual raising of the bed allows you to walk free soon. Somehow these days nothing is ever easy and back surgery is not easy to start. I would not care for a liquid diet unless it was milkshakes. Susan

I happen to be one who loves silence but I will have to say that the music on the Volendam for the 94 days I was on was not intrusive. Actually, I rarely noticed it and I am pretty sensitive to sound. It was there but in the background. Susan

Good morning. Sunny and cool this morning. As dark and cloudy as it got yesterday, it never rained. Maybe later this week. We do need it. No plans for today. I may walk dogs at the shelter this afternoon... it depends on how much I get done today at home. I want to get one more box of books ready to go, and sort at least one drawer in the bedroom. I know I have lots that can be tossed. And am trying to catch up on reading magazines that came while I was away so I will keep busy. Oh yes, need a quick trip to the grocery store. All very low key and not very exciting. May call my Sister this pm and see how her day was.... I know her daughter and granddaughter will see her and perhaps take her out. She very much misses being able to drive but her eyesight has gotten very bad. Have a nice day all. Susan

So am I - a woman of a certain age. If I really can't get down and back then I just call and leave messages and let the chips fall where they may. The front desk has cancelled for me at times.... one time my spot even was sold and I got a refund. At least you tried. Susan

If the desk is not open, I go down to the where the check in is on the ship and tell them. I too hate to think of them waiting for me. I leave messages anywhere I can and then hope for the best. Susan