Snow at last

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Snow at last

Snow at last

Though much of the country has had far more snow this winter than want and know what to do with, the Pikes Peak Region — the place I call home — has had nothing measurable nor magical.

Saturday we got measurable, we got magical, we got happy thanks to moisture-filled snow that fell most of the day.

Of course, as is typical for Colorado, snowy skies Saturday transformed into sunny skies Sunday. Temps rose little, though, so the blanket of white stuck around and created an enchanting winter wonderland Jim and I — and Mickey Dog, too — enjoyed viewing from indoors.

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9 things that petrify my pit bull

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Folks who have never owned a pit bull nor had much experience with the breed often consider the dogs — and any mix that includes the breed — ferocious forces to avoid at all costs.

I own a pit bull. Well, a pointer-pit bull mix. One of my earliest posts here related the story of how/when/why we adopted the injured babe twelve or so years ago.

pit bull puppyMickey, soon after we adopted the fella.My husband and I weren't positive what we were in for at the time, but in the years since, we've learned our Mickey and others of his kind are far from ferocious — unless owners teach the animals to be that way, as is the case with any breed.

In fact, despite his maniacal barking that makes him seem tough and terrifying when he notices bicyclists, motorcycles, dogs, rabbits, and plastic grocery bags caught in the wind scooting down our street, Mickey is anything but ferocious. He's a chicken of the chickenest sort.

Mickey quakes, shakes, and shivers at...

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My (uneventful) week in photos

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I haven't done much of anything worth writing home about about on my blog this past week. Which, in all honesty, is okay with me. Sometimes busyness and booked calendars are highly overrated (not to mention exhausting).

Even with nothing much on the agenda, though, I did manage to take — and in one case, appropriate from my daughter's Facebook page — photos of the nothing much marking my days. Following are a few such markings from my past week.

bear yard art
A chainsaw-crafted set o' friendly bears a neighbor recently...

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Lions and tigers and bears and more: The Wild Animal Sanctuary

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The Wild Animal Sanctuary

In January of 2014, I published a movie review of the film LION ARK, which I saw as part of the 2013 STARZ Denver Film Festival. The riveting documentary tells the true story of the dogged efforts of Animal Defenders International and other compassionate folks as they rescued twenty-five African lions from deplorable, inhumane conditions in Bolivian circuses and transported them across the world to a safe haven in Colorado.

I found the feat and the film heartbreaking, humbling, inspiring, amazing. I was doubly delighted by the fact the forever home where the egregiously mistreated animals would now roam was mere hours north of me. It warmed my heart that my forever home state was now their forever home, despite the assumption I'd never actually meet my big-cat neighbors.

Fast forward to June of 2017, just a few weeks ago. I was invited to attend a Nissan event highlighting the fun and feisty Nissan Rogue Sport. The day would include time to go wild at the wheel of the crossover vehicle as well as the opportunity to witness the truly wild at The Wild Animal Sanctuary located 30 miles northeast of Denver. I immediately...

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