Bunch o' savages in this town

To steal a line from Clerks, there truly are a bunch of savages in this town. Grr!

On my way home from work, I caught a glimpse of some idiot's graffiti on our neighboring 'hood's welcome sign. You know, the signage that signifies the name of a certain community? Well...three big characters scrawled in black covered the entire sign, and it has to be 8+ feet high.

Luckily, ours hasn't been tagged yet. It's probably our sign's size (3 feet tall with dark brick) and lack of room to vandalize. But it seems week after week the sign across the street gets hit. What gives?

Reminds me of the graffiti we saw stamped on several fences and buildings on our way to the Montego Bay airport. Simply put, it read "Big Nuni Singer."

Hmmm...

Run to the Roses?

With only five and a half days to go before the Kentucky Derby, a memory returned from our recent trip to Jamaica.

On the third night of our trip, we had gone to the main drag of the resort to watch the nightly activities. But we thought we were too late, so we headed on to dinner. About halfway through our meal, we heard the announcer, then we heard the familiar tune.

My Old Kentucky Home, the song that signals the start of the Run To The Roses, was playing over a loud speaker. The crab races had begun.

Though we didn't see it, it sounded hilarious. The races were complete with crab painted with different colors, a play-by-play announcer and cheering fans.

All we needed were mint juleps and some stylish hats!

It will be hard for me to watch this year's Derby without letting out at least a tiny chuckle.

The motherlode

Today while walking into work, I spotted a black pigeon standing atop the cracked concrete and blacktop. Partly on the sidewalk, partly on the street, partly in a drive way, it was feverishly picking food out of the crevices. S/he gorged on something that was an afterthought by one of us humans, perhaps dropped by a patron of Cap City Tavern in the 1200 block of Bannock Street.

Nachos? Chips? Whatever it was, this pigeon hit the lotto.

Gasp!

My 7-foot wooden ostrich is gone!

Not knocked over, not broken, just plaine gone. Who will I wave to every night I drive home from work?

Thank you, Easter Bunny

Well, the furry little dude didn't happen to hit my place, but that's probably because I skipped church this weekend. For some of us, this means the end of lent and fish on Fridays.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter, Passover or plain ol' spring weekend!

Another bizarre day

Later, while moving my car into my work building's garage around 6 tonight, I spied a man with glasses and a hat walking against the wind down Colfax Avenue (sometimes the most bizarre stretch of road in the city and beyond).

Beneath his charcoal wool coat was a ruffled white skirt. Beneath that were black leggings. He wore flip flops with white straps and seafoam green soles. I couldn't stop staring at his frilly skirt. Nor could the man walking in the opposite direction toward the capitol.

What will I spy tomorrow?

Cow town

Walking to work this afternoon, I had a weird tickle in my nose -- and then it hit me.

It smelled like manure. In the middle of the city.

For the entire 15-minute walk, I clutched my sleeve close to my nose and mouth, almost excited when I walked past a smoker on the street because for once, it didn't smell like cow poop.

(And it almost seems appropriate to take a dig at real cow towns Greeley or Lamar ... but I digress.)

DEN-DFW-MBJ

In eight hours, I'll be on a plane to Jamaica, by way of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

I'm packed and have my entire week planned out. It consists of ... nothing! I've been a little stressed in the past month, so this break comes at a great time. About all I have time for is swimming, spa-ing, lounging, napping, eating and drinking. I might squeeze in a little more napping ... (But I don't want to overbook myself.)

And with the Internet cafe at our resort coming with a premium, I'll check back with y'all next week! I hope I have a tan by then. :)

"It's a llama!"

For the past month or so, I've noticed an unusual creature peering at me from the side of the road when I drive home after work.

It's a 7-foot wooden ostrich, yellow beak, knobby knees and all, decorating a small patch of grass in front of a sign shop (Eye Candy Graphics) on Broadway near Curtis.

The first few nights I noticed the black body, long legs and beady eyes, I had to steal a look from my rear-view mirror. Did I see what I thought I saw? Now I look for him almost every night, and the few folks who seem to always be waiting at the bus stop just a few yards away act as though there's nothing wrong with this picture.

Edit: Why haven't I noticed this before!

Beauty

When I walked into the break room at work to heat up my burrito, there it was, happily staring back at me.

Ribbons of pink and blue sky filled the view, full with the majestic Rocky Mountains and the sharp edges of the City and County Building. I am so glad we get another hour of daylight to see this beautiful landscape of ours.

Note: I'm moving a little bit slow this afternoon after making that time change.

Josephine's alphabet

A--Available, Married or Single: Married.
B--Best friend: Rod ... and Monique.
C--Cake or Pie: Pie.
D--Drink of Choice: Ginger ale, Diet Dr. Pepper.
E--Essential item you use everyday: Hmm. My blender for a smoothie or the coffee maker.
F--Favorite Color: Purple.
G--Gummy bears or worms: Bears. Cherry flavor.
H--Hometown: Denver, Colo.
I--Indulgence: Designer handbags.
J--January or February: February.
K--Kids and names: Booty and Gabby, my four-legged kids.
L--Life is incomplete without: Family.
M--Marriage Date: Nov. 19, 2005.
N--Number of siblings: 1. A brother who is OLD. :)
O--Oranges or apples: Oranges. God I love OJ.
P--Phobias or fears: Not heights, not snakes. Spiders. Ick.
Q--Fave quote: This, too, shall pass.
R--Reason to smile: Hard to say.
S--Season: Spring and fall are my favorites.
T--Talent: I can tap dance. And I can crochet and knit.
U--Unknown fact about me: If I say then it won't be unknown any longer.
V--Vegetable you don't like: I like most all of them, but I might say raw onions.
W--Worst habit: Being consistently 5 minutes late.
X--Xrays: Don't like the ones at the dentist when you have to bite down on that little plastic thingy. Stay still!
Y--Your fave food: Grandma's cooking.
Z--Zodiac sign: Aquarius.

Let it snow

Just when the tiny patch of snow remaining on our equally tiny patch of grass was threatening to leave after the warm temps this week, more white stuff started to fall late Friday. Or I guess it was early Saturday . . . about 12:30 a.m. when I was on my way home from work.

And the moment the temperature was just right, the snowflakes arrived. But it was more like a rush of the tiny flecks dancing across the headlights of the oncoming cars. Whoosh. It is here. And I have two Netflix movies, a chest full o' yarn and plenty of lounging intentions for my Saturday off. Don't be mad if I fail to answer the phone. :D

It's in the air

A few days after Denver failed to break the record of consecutive days with snow on the ground, it's starting to take shape.

You can see it all around. Before Tuesday, we had dealt with snow cover for 61 days. Sixty-one long days with some version of the elements on the sidewalks -- be it slush, ice, snow or a mix thereof -- and it wasn't always fun walking a mile each day when I come to work.

But the past couple of days when I made that short trip on foot, I saw more and more people getting brave with their wardrobes. Shorts. Flip flops. Skirts. Capris. Strappy, open-toe pumps. No coats. No hats. No gloves. No scarves.

At last, spring is in the air!

Eww

Getting ready to return the moldy birthday cake to Safeway (not Albertson's as I originally had thought). Imagine my surprise when I'm serving up slices of the white cake with pink icing, and all of a sudden there's a moldy circle about two inches in diameter staring back at me from the spongy cake! Someone called out, "It's a blueberry. Don't worry!" It was almost eerie how indifferent people were about it. We popped out the mold and kept serving.

Funny thing, I didn't eat a slice.

Graduation

A day after turning 33, I am finally yielding to all these cold symptoms. They began three nights ago -- my sore throat masked as heartburn -- and today I just s t o p p e d. I've been going full blast since Wednesday, so it's no wonder this cold is taking control when my body is at rest.

But don't fear. I've taken some meds (drank my OJ, too), traded my PJs for some equally comfy lounge clothes and after cooking a late breakfast of blueberry pancakes, I am graduating from the bed to the couch . . . where I plan to stay all day long.

New meaning to "airport gifts"

As a kid, whenever Dad traveled, we always wondered what he brought back from his trip for us. These little treasures quickly were dubbed "airport gifts".

Sitting in a Minneapolis airport a few weeks ago, I saw a bit of Retail America that I fear has gone too far. Behold... the electronics vending machine.



iPods in pink, green and blue? Cameras? Headphones I get. But cell phones and Bluetooth? So many questions flooded my head. What music would you listen to? How? If no music or videos, would you be forced to stare at your fancy new possession on a 3-hour flight? Or would you be able to download, at 99 cents a song, some music from the machine's iTunes?

Swipe card. And for some people it's just that easy.

Yikes

Thirty days since my last post. That's a bit frightening.

I have had many ideas for posts, they just have not made it here yet. But for starters, here are a couple of photos of the City and County Building, as seen from my view at work. There is still snow on the ground, despite the rapid meltdown after a 60-degree day this week.


Since I took these photos, the lights are coming down and it seems like the world has adjusted to post-holiday life.



P.S. The red 't' on the Benjamin Moore sign has been fixed!

The seen

While driving home from work Sunday night on a giant neon sign at Park Avenue West and Walnut Street:

Benjamin
Moore
Pain s

The red 't' had burned out.

Even a fox

Anticipation was in the air as the three of us walked down Bannock Street in Denver. The clock hadn't yet rang 6 o'clock and people were milling around the City and County Building waiting for someone to set the holiday lights aglow. Vendors sold glow-in-the-dark merchandise and flashing "sun"glasses among other goodies. Bundled up, citizens walked past heaps of snow and up to the nativity scene, looked up and stared at darkness.

As we neared the end of the block, lights still unlit, one of us spied a tiny fox. Its feet painted black and its tail whipping about, the little critter hopped alongside the building, seeming to be filled with excitement at the firing up of the lights, but we all knew the shy creature was just plain scared. It was searching for a tree or bush to hide behind, yet too much action was going on nearby and it was evident the fox could not relax.

Still, there it went - Hop! Hop! Hop! - not even letting the fact it only had three legs (the lower hindquarter was missing) slow it down.

Snow days!

I've been home all week anyway, but over the last two days I couldn't leave the house if I wanted to.

Denver was buried under 2 feet of snow and blizzard conditions for about 36 hours, ending earlier at noon today. But now, the sun is out (until it sets in about 15 minutes) and our driveway and neighborhood streets are still covered under drifts up to 5 feet tall.


This was a view from our master bedroom last evening. Yes, that is a street in our complex filled with mounds of snow. I think the plow truck got stuck; at least that's what it sounded like last night.


By the look of it, the sun has a lot of snow to melt in the coming days, including the massive amount on our rooftop.

Lest anyone worry, C. and I have plenty of food, drink and stuff to do. To wit, he has been playing a Tom Clancy game on his Xbox while I've been uploading photos, updating this space and sending e-mails to friends far and wide. Yesterday, I baked 11 dozen cookies and 16 mini loaves of lemon and pumpkin bread, wrapped them in cellophane bags and prepared to pass out the holiday cheer. I think a game of Scrabble might be in the cards later. Today, I even have done a bit of crocheting and knitting. (Below: Thanks, G., for the new Ballband Dishcloth pattern! As you can see, I'm loving it and almost have two scrubbies completed! Thank God I buy the kitchen cotton almost every time I'm in the craft store. It's so inexpensive at just over a buck a ball.)



That is all for now. I hope you and yours are staying warm and safe!