A lack of time, a rainy weekend, a parade, a concert, a huge packet to read, and a lot of work on Guy’s plate… not to mention a nasty cold… and not a lot got accomplished this weekend. Well, actually, a lot got accomplished but mostly smaller things… still important things.

First was the homecoming parade for CSU. The Engines and Energy Conversion Lab built a “float” using the Hydraulic Hybrid as a rolling bandstand. While the band rocked, the hybrid rolled through the judging stations on hydraulic power. It was a success for Czero and a load of fun for the students and faculty involved.

After the parade, the students and faculty came by the house for a pizza party. To the neighbor’s relief, the band didn’t play and a block party didn’t materialize. Better for all involved, I’m sure.

The next up on the list was sanding the plaster repairs in the bedroom and painting everything before the flooring guy comes Monday. But, my cold was not going to tolerate breathing plaster dust and the weather decided not to cooperate either. Saturday was cold and rainy with a high in the 50s. The forecast at mid-day was for rain to turn to snow in the Front Range with up to an inch of accumulation.

Needless to say, that necessitated a change of plans. The outdoor plants had to come in. Some of them needed some serious rehab and replanting so I got to it and made a makeshift plant shelf in a west-facing window to afford the ailing aloe some warm sun. Meanwhile, Guy got busy working on a cold frame for the herbs. It seems that he’s been promised a turkey for Thanksgiving and probably something yummy around Christmas (after our travels) and is excited about the idea of some fresh herbs.

The garden beside the house is almost all clay (plus the two huge bags of coffee grounds I mixed in). So Guy dug up herbs and began prepping the area. The drizzle kept him wet and cold most of the day, a perfect combination with me exposing him to my cold. I hope he doesn’t get it this week while he is traveling!

By the end of the weekend, Guy had the cold frame 95% done and functional. As is usual for Guy’s projects, it will be standing much longer than the house! I mixed in some good soil and replanted the herbs.

While Guy worked, I felt badly that he was out in the drizzle, though he barely noticed. So I made him a nice steamy pot of chili with about ¾ lb diced roasted green chiles and some terrific New Mexico red chile powder. Enough pepper and vitamin C to ward off any cold! That kept him going for the afternoon and staved off enough hunger to get us to the evening’s activities.

We went to Avogadro’s Number, a local mediocre veggie restaurant and terrific music venue. Peter Mayer, a fave folk musician from Minnesota, was playing. As usual, his concert was top notch. Something about seeing a favorite musician in a small venue with about 100 people is great. Check him out at www.petermayer.net

When the chores moved inside, Guy managed to create a ski rack for all our gear. We are beginning to look organized! And ready for winter…. Which, it seems, is coming fast!


Oh, and I finally took a photo of the clothes line Guy put up for us. It’s a bit too rainy now to use it… but once snow flies, it’ll be dry outside again and we’ll be able to use it.

So all in all, this weekend was a nice mixture. Some fun, some work, and some resting.

Next weekend will be a bit of a break as I’ll be at the Palo Duro Canyon 50M/50K/20K working an aid station with Red’s daughter Revelle. I’m sure we’ll be sharing some wonderful memories and probably more than a few tears. I look forward to seeing my Texas friends and getting in a short run on some of my favorite trails ever. I know Red will be with me every step of the way.

We’ll get in one more short weekend of work before heading for Florida on the 29th. Keep sending good ju ju. The house has prevented 99% of the training I needed… the other 1% is pure laziness. ;-)