Ya, wipe that slate and make up a new story!

The house is finally clean, really clean but still lived in. The desk was cleared, the taxes started and the monthly reports done.  Show entries for next year are piling up in my "IN" box and I ignore them all.  I find myself reading lists made by friends on facebook and feel compelled to join in.  My lists were made with so many resolutions my pen ran out of ink.  We are now 3 days into the new year and this morning as the wood stove flames flickered out, my list just went up in flames; I tossed it in the wood stove, I wanna lay on the couch and eat chips and watch Road Runner cartoons.  Every year I make lists and every year some of the list happens and most of the list gets recycled to the next year.  This year, no list.  I'm gonna free range my life, no fences this year!  

Christmas has come and gone and once again a true whirlwind.  We left on the Dec 21st, the longest night of the entire year.  We loaded in the dark and drove through the dark, the weather was great and the sun was out. 

two kitchen aid mixers, two pressure canners, a wheel of cheese, three baskets of canned goods, a turkey, a pork tenderloin, half a gallon of Ohio maple syrup, 30 pounds of dog food, large dog bed, large dog food dishes,  a 91 pound dog, 5 gallons of water, two loaves of bread, road snacks and too many clothes.   

Paine Falls to Gunnison  Colorado is supposed to be a 23 hour trip according to google maps but alas it took us a bit longer with dog walks, an excuse to stop the humans from seizing up.  I am not sure I ever truly appreciate how big this country is until I drive across the Midwest.  Kansas....... I just have no words and it's flat and it goes on forever and how many hawks can you fit on a fence post?  I lost count of hawks as I saw hawks ever single day on this trip. One bald eagle and two golden eagles and hawks.  The sun rose and set. 

Hey, wait did you drop a cookie? 

Finally, reaching the state of Colorado and I was almost delirious with happiness.  Across the landscape rising to the mountains I spied leaping Q-tips, hundreds of leaping Q-tips....... what are those?  Not Q-tips, the butt end of Pronghorn Antelopes springing along in unison and no music! 

64 degrees in Colorado Springs, we walked Kirby in shirt sleeves and called the mother ship in Gunnison.  Hey we are 4 hours out, how's the weather?  MOM, it's -13 in Gunnison.  NO!  How can that be?  Can we get across Monarch Pass?  Ya, no problem, see you soon!  Smooth driving all the way to Gunnison!  Woo Hoo!  This is our third trip and sometimes it's a white knuckle drive.  We cruised in around dinner time.   Found our hotel and found Abby!  Let the fun begin!  Rachael arrived the next day.   

Rachael flew out on Thursday and we departed early Friday morning as a storm was coming in and sure to close the mountain passes.  Kiss Kiss, Hug, Hug, see you this summer for fishing!  And off we drove on a bitter cold dark morning hoping to out run a storm.  Most of the weight was gone and we were going home light, we didn't even pack snacks!  The horror!  And then the ride of terror began..... 

Seriously Mom? 

I noticed SUV's, trucks, cars and snowmobiles streaming up the mountain just as we were descending.  I was yelling, GO BACK, SAVE YOURSELVES!  OH no they were headed up the mountain to go skiing.  Monarch Ski Resort must be huge as the parade of cars went on for miles, all the way to the bottom of the mountain.  Give me a hot toddy, find me a fireplace, a pair of warm slippers, a good dog and maybe a copy of Architectural Digest or a good cookbook with lots of pictures.  That is what I call a fun winter day. 

Notice the plow had opened the road for the skiers coming up.  Nothing for the escapee's.  It was nail biter for sure.  My Fitbit went off twice, alerting me to a great cardiac workout.  NO! IT'S STRESS CARDIO!  I waited for a shock from Fitbit to start my heart!  

Thought we would get off the mountain and hit the 65 degree weather in Colorado Springs.  Rain, ice, fog.  I checked the radar and it looked like we would come out of it by Limon, Colorado.  We didn't even stop for coffee.   And then the radar map turned pink and it stayed like that all the way to St Louis.  

We decided not to stop as they sometimes shut down Rte 70 if the weather turns truly bad and there is no place to go.  I had no desire to camp in a cornfield in Kansas....... argh Kansas again!  The bulk of the storm was behind us so we decided not to stop and keep going, we were being chased.  We finally came out of it 3 hours from home.   We pulled in the driveway at 5 pm and kissed the ground.  Sunday we unpacked and started cleaning the house for New Year's festivities. 

 Next Christmas, maybe Texas or even better the porch! 

No rest for the wicked!  Monday morning I backed out of the driveway at 6 am and headed due south for West Virginia to breakdown a show.  Kirby jumped in the van, I had to make myself get in the van.  Rain, 55 mph wind, darkness....  we arrived at Stifel Gallery around 9:30 am.   A quick walk for Kirby and then inside to breakdown by 10 am.   

Load and head back North, pulled down the street around 4:30 pm to carnage! 

I had missed the brunt of the tree falling.  The power had just been turned back on but no phone or internet and that was OK with me!

Unload the van, grab dinner and run to the store for tomorrow nights neighborhood crawl.  

We do it every year and this year we had 10 neighbors progressively crawling from house to house, noshing, and ringing in the New Year.   

  

New Years Day and I finally made it to the beach!  Time to reflect and see what the 2020 might hold. 

The walk was cold and stark, the lake explosive with power.  Only one solo seagull flew overhead.  

I came away knowing I need to strike out on a different path this year.  I am done driving all over this big blue marble, I am hoping to do two shows close to home and stay put.  Maybe this will be the year I finally get a studio show together.  I don't know but I do know it will be a very different year.  Free range, as I strap the Fitbit to my leg so I can record my activity today.  Is this like an ankle monitor and should I just make a run for it? 

Butch thought this would be the ideal Christmas gift for my oh so recumbent lifestyle.  I found myself jogging in place last night at 11:30 pm to get my last 150 steps in.  Ya, I'm not sure I'm a Fitbit kind of girl.  If I don't do paperwork I have no problem reaching the 10,000 steps by mid afternoon.  Guess I will buckle up for 2020  

I'm off to find some Kale....... or salad ...... or anything green and lo-cal.

Happy New Year!