We are finally getting settled! The first three days we basically camped in our house. The kids loved it. The air mattress and I were not getting along so well. I did not think to pack a blanket, just sheets. It's COLD up here at night ya'll!!
With in about 10 minutes of getting in the door, two little neighbor girls came up to meet the boys. They are sweet girls and they all had fun running thru the empty house and getting to know each other! After awhile their parents, Karen and Kevin, followed. Karen stays home and asked if I did as well.
"I do. I was thinking of getting a job this year since the boys would both be in school but since we've moved I think I will just get to know Colorado instead."
For some reason I then added: "I'm...an artist. I like to paint. So I would like to take an oil painting class." They both thought that would be fun and that this was a great place to paint.
For a couple of years now my friends have been trying to get me to call myself an artist. I just don't think children's art qualifies... Whenever I say it, my Inner-me cowers in anticipation of the mocking.
The next day the kids and I went up to the school to check it out. The school is an adorable little building. There is one 1st grade teacher, one 2nd grade teacher, and so on. Just tiny! I marveled at the view my kids will have while playing out at recess. Everyone was really nice. I was introduced to a few PTA mom's as Karen M.'s new neighbor.
"Oh! I would LOVE to be Karen M.'s neighbor!" exclaimed one lady. The more I get to know Karen the more I see why. Karen and Kevin both are great people. I think our families will have a lot of fun together. She likes to make all her food from scratch. She even makes her own cheese! Every Tuesday a group of ladies gets together at her house to bake. They use the grain she ground herself. I kid you not. So cool!
When the movers came Karen invited the boys over to play. When I went back to fetch them she invited me to her patio to see the new sculpture they just had delivered. As I walked out I see hanging on the wall a large bronze (I think it's bronze. It's metal.)window with a demure Native American woman sitting in the window. She has one booted leg hanging over the side. Leaning up against the window is a Native American man about the size of my husband. I immediately recognized the sculpture as a work of Glenna Goodacre's. If you are not familiar with her or her work, Google her. She is a Texan but is most known as a New Mexican artist. She also designed the Sacajawea silver dollar. My grandmother and I love her work and always go to look at her pieces in Albuquerque. She is the mother of Victoria's Secret Model, Jill Goodacre, who is married to Harry Connick Jr.
"Is that a Goodacre?!" I asked. Karen's eyes flew open wide.
"Yes, it is! I'm so glad that you know that!" We talked more about the artist and how I was familiar with her work.
"She is a family friend of ours." Karen informs me. "My family owns an art gallery in New Mexico." She then takes me inside to see the other Goodacre pieces she owns as well as some other pieces of various artists. As I'm perusing her impressive private collection, my inner me went from cowering to slapping myself in the head.
"Idiot!" Inner-me says, "You are such a tool! Why did you tell them you were an artist? Oh my freakin' lands!!! They are family friends of Glenna Goodacre!!! They are art connoisseurs for crying out loud! BOOB BOOB BOOB BOOB!"
Inner-me says this over and over as I admire the art of Jill Goodacre as a child doing ballet. IDIOT!!! So, you see old friends, I am still sticking the proverbial foot in my mouth.
After removing said foot I returned home to unpack. I found my canvases. No brushes or paint yet. Could be a blessing!
I would also like to note that there are indeed many bugs in Colorado. All the folks that told me otherwise are getting a scowl from me right now. There is an interesting critter here that no one has ever seen before. It's small and brown (and no I am not referring to myself), it's about the size of a grain of rice. It's everywhere! So annoying. It does not seem to bite or anything though.
Much better then the bugs are the furry friends we've got up here. Every morning I sit at the window and watch the foxes play in our yard. One morning I watched one fox run about and then lay and roll around in a sunny spot. He then sat up, ears cocked, alerted to something else. I was intrigued...what else is out there Mr. Foxy?
The fox then started slowly moving with body low to the ground. I tried to follow his line of sight to see what it was but did not notice anything. The fox eventually moved out of my sight and so I ran into my room to look out that window. The fox was there. Stalking. Stalking what? Hmm....oh crap. It's my cat!
I ran outside and called my kitty in. Whew! Rule #1: pets and children in during dusk and dawn.
People are friendly here but not nearly as polite. The weather is AMAZING! To all the nay sayers regarding our non-a/c home...bah! It's quite comfortable. The pets are doing great! I'm not finding many snails for Gary but Karen said she would try to bring some back when they visit NM this week. The cats are loving it. Even the very non-social Smee, has taken to CO. She has ventured out onto the decks several times. This is a big deal since Smee-cat usually does not even venture out from under our bed. The road trip seemed to have forged a new camaraderie between Smee and Theodore (as road trips do). Theo is having a hard time with the stairs, being as how he can't see them. He had one spill that was scary but left him unharmed. Since the house is in the side of the mountain he can go out the back door from the upstairs level, walk down hill to the front deck and be on the lower level. Clear as mud? Anyway, this has proven to be interesting because when I let him in downstairs he can't walk up stairs. So now I'm carrying him around. Unbelievable. But mostly he stays on the upper level with me.
I guess that's all the latest. As soon as I find my camera cord I'll down load some pics. I miss everyone and everything in Texas but I am enjoying things here immensely!
P.S. I know my grammar sucks. Forgive.
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