Little Drops of Happiness
Summer is winding down, kids are going back to school, and we’ve reached the point of the year where I don’t have to use central AC. I love summer but it has been HOT, and I’m ready to for the short window of “autumn” that usually turns to frosty mornings after just a few weeks here in Colorado. As I type this in a sundress on the patio, under the dappled late afternoon light of my redbud tree, this feels like a good time for savoring the daylight, bare feet, and lack of layers.
On the Road
After leaving Telluride last week, Kevin and I decided on a whim to drive a few hours West to drive the Lamborghini in the canyons there. She just hit 15K miles!
Last year on a roadtrip to Utah we randomly discovered Gateway Canyons Resort (and its part of the Amex fine hotels + resorts program!) and it’s the most incredible middle-of-nowhere adventure travel stay. It was created by John Hendricks, the founder of Discovery Channel, and sits at the confluence of 5 different canyons so the views are mind blowing. And just like last time, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves.
Sometimes I feel like travel is just a constant search for new places to sit and read, and the patio of our suite (thanks for the upgrade Noble House!) didn’t disappoint. Despite being one of perhaps 4 couples on the property, the food program was just as spectacular as last time.
Over the holiday weekend we drove 2 hours West from Denver to the Continental Divide to visit our friends in Granby and hike their land, which backs up against the Granby Ranch Ski Resort. It was pretty cool to discover I could actually do the hike in decent time. I was still winded and sweaty, but lugging 50 fewer pounds felt great and I was able to pass on the offer to ride in the UTV. We brought Emo and Taco along, and I even got to break in a new pair of hiking boots!
We made it back down to the house just in time for an afternoon thunderstorm to let loose with hail, wind, and some huge lighting bolts across the valley. Meanwhile, we were cozy inside with our reward: seasonal beers and bowls full of sliced Palisade peaches and pluots topped with freshly made whipped cream.
Around the House
It feels strange to be thinking about my winterization checklist when its still hitting 90 degrees most days, but here we are. Right now it’s all about the gardens, including building the fence and making plans to grade the lot next door and harvesting my raised beds.
Based on lessons learned, I’m making plans for the switch back to hydroponics (let me know if you’d like the Google Doc describing my setup!) for the colder months and I think that’s going to be my main source of lettuce and herbs going forward. It’s just too hot outside. I’m also planning to grow cutting flowers so I can have some fresh color and sparkle indoors during the darkest months.
Lesson learned (again!) to start my seedlings earlier than I think I should so they can be bigger and heartier before transplanting outside. Hopefully I’ll harvest a small number of peppers from these plants before the first frost, or maybe keep them going in my atrium, but its nowhere near what they could have been.
Inner Life
Body
As my health transformation continues, I’m coming to terms with the logistical impact of dropping several dress sizes and I’ve been rotating my clothes, trying stuff on, and gave away 13 BAGS of stuff that just doesn’t fit anymore. I’m also on a mission to start running 5 miles every morning in under 60 minutes, but right now I am only testing that distance 1-2x per week and my current PR is 73:01. Combine that with neighbor Pilates and barre classes plus weight lifting in our home gym, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be unloading a lot more clothes come spring!
Another huge win is the reduction of my tinnitus as a result of better posture, thanks to Pilates, and the resolution of my cross bite thanks to Invisalign. The ringing in my left ear isn’t completely gone, but falling asleep is a lot easier. This week I’m getting masseter muscle Botox to relax my jaw and allow the muscle to reduce, which should help with my clenching and restore some symmetry, too.
Mind
My break from social media continues, and I took my Twitter account private right after my previous post because I was just feeling raw from the grief and could not deal with random interactions there anymore. Honestly, I’m grieving Twitter too — it was a huge part of my social life and career success, but now I’ve followed too many random weird accounts and I am actively purging daily. Ugh! I think going private was more than I needed to do, but I didn’t really notice a meaningful change in impressions on my posts so I’m going to leave it like that.
I’ve been reflecting a bit on what I’m looking for out of sharing my life online, and after blogging for so long (20 years!) I have to admit just keeping up the habit ranks somewhere on the list. I’m not sure how often I’ll be blogging, but I’m enjoying it for now so I’m going to see if a weekly cadence could work for me. After getting some kind emails in response to last week’s update, including encouragement to keep writing and sharing pictures and slice-of-life updates, I see another benefit in just being able to stay connected to wonderful people I’ve met over the years who are scattered to all corners of the Earth. Hello out there!
P.S. My SUV Blue Betty was “the mule” for the trip, and while she’s no supercar we did manage to get some great glamour shots. She’s going up on Turo for the winter. Email me or drop a note in the comments if you’ll be heading to Colorado and want to rent her!
This and last week’s post were incredible. You’re very inspiring and authentic. Thanks for writing!