Fall Fun

Here is a rambling update on some events from the past week..... Last Thursday, most of the state of Colorado had the privilege of being hit by a winter storm. The metro area of Denver experienced up to a foot of snow in some areas, while the mountain towns received up to two feet! What else did we receive? Well, take the fact that many trees still have their leaves on them and add a thick, wet snow and you get lots of broken branches. Here is a picture of the one that fell in our backyard, by far the largest one I saw in the neighborhood that day. Despite the size and the amount of clean-up involved, I know it could've been much worse. Fortunately, only two planks in our fence were broken and the house was spared entirely. We are indeed counting our blessings. Of course, all the cold weather means that our many animals must snuggle up with us and even each other to stay warm. Here are a couple of typical (and not so typical) ways to keep warm. Finally, last evening found Jess and I partaking in what is becoming a fall tradition - carving pumpkins with her niece, Sydney, and nephew, Max. They are full of innovative ideas for carving but are a bit averse to scooping the "guts" out of the pumpkins. Here is a shot of them with all the pumpkins as well as a close up of Jess's pumpkin, where she did a great job of illustrating the animated actions of our youngest cat, Wayne.

Composting!!!

Are Jess and I becoming tree-hugging hippies? Maybe. First we decided that we are going to xeriscape our front lawn. Then we sold one of our cars and bought bikes. Now we're going to begin composting. We attended a composting class at a local grocery store called Wild Oats (similar to Whole Foods) and decided that there is no reason why we can't compost. We have the space to build a bin, which will be relatively cheap, and we certainly generate enough yard and household waste to make our own compost. We discovered that at least 20% of what we send to the dumpster can be turned into compost, that we can save hundreds of pounds of yard and household waste from filling up landfills, and finally that, with a little effort, we will be able to create our own nutrient rich compost for use in gardening and lawn care. Another useful tidbit that we discovered is that Denver has a "leaf drop" program. This program allows Denver residents to take their leaves to a central location where they will be turned into comopost over the winter. Then, come spring, Denver residents can go back and pick up free bags of compost! What a way to save dumpster and landfill space! Perhaps your city has a similar program? Just google "city name and recycle" and you should be able to find your city's recycling webpage. Here is a link to the Denver Recycling compost page. It has many helpful tips about how to start composting. Have fun!

This picture is not related at all to the words below

OK, so at the prompting of my wife's friend Rachel (well, Rachel is my friend too), I am making a bold venture into the world of blogging. I think Rachel is right in her opinion that blogging has kept her better connected to friends who are scattered across the globe and perhaps even some that are across the highway. So I am blogging in order to stay better connected with you, whoever you are and wherever you may be. Keep your expectations low and you won't be disappointed...... Today was a beautiful day in Denver. For some reason, I prefer cold and dreary days during the fall and winter. Always have. They are just perfect for listening to bands like Sigur Ros, Hammock, or Radiohead. We were blessed with over two inches of snow here in Denver! I just got back from taking our dog Sierra out for a romp in the park, and she cavorted and leaped about like one who had just been set free from a long captivity. I think four hours in the house is akin to four days in dog time ;) At any rate, the abovementioned bands aside, I have been digging the music of Mark Heard as of late. He was a pioneer in the Christian music industry who never got the recognition he deserved until he died. I'm no expert on his music yet, but I hear that his last three albums are the best. You can find a tribute page here. OK, that's all for now. Goodnight.