Author: Laura Lee Carter
Surprise, Surprise!
A perfect double rainbow over us this morning!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
There’s always going to be a few assholes…
Try as I might to avoid or ignore the mean, ignorant people of this world, they still turn up in the most unlikely places. Yesterday a troll turned up on the Amazon sales page for my new book. What world does this guy live in? Wherever that is, it looks mighty grim to me, and his criticisms are absurd too.
I know my book isn’t anywhere near perfect, but it is an honest description of our “adventure” here in rural southern Colorado. From our original thoughts of moving to Ecuador to retire, to the purchase of our property, and then the move to Walsenburg three summers ago, this is our story. My favorite part of his rant is: “This book is more like a daily diary of her thoughts for the moment.” Hello, this is a memoir after all. If you feel my thoughts and feelings are “fluff” then why the hell did YOU buy the book? There are all sorts of free websites about building a passive solar home.
Just go read those, you moron!
My final comment on this obviously brilliant Internet troll and his poorly written rant, in responsive to his line: “She fancies herself as a writer…” I fancy you to be some miserable asshole hanging out alone, because you’re so naturally nasty and negative. Am I right?
Mike’s response to our friendly neighborhood book troll:
If this guy didn’t want a memoir, why did he buy one? This book is not about the technical aspects of solar building. There are plenty of detailed sources available for the technical information needed to properly design a solar home. The house was only about 10 percent more expensive than the house we sold. Besides being passive solar, the house is a major upgrade in quality and interior finishes. I also love my oversize garage that’s almost twice the size of the old one. There is no comparison between the corporation built tract home we sold and our new custom solar home! The trials and tribulations of building a beautiful retirement home in the country is what this book is about.
Naturalist report from Spanish Peaks Colorado
In a summer of many terrible wildfires in the West, we are fortunate to have received over 12 inches of precipitation from March through June in our area. How do I know? I measured every inch of it myself for COCORAHS. We are also fortunate to have such vigilant volunteer fire fighters patrolling our area at all times.
Our temperatures are not too bad at 7,000 foot elevation, and our solar home is keeping us nice and cool this summer. The highest temperatures here have been in the low 90s and our well-insulated stucco home hasn’t gone up past 76 degrees inside yet, with no need for AC. Every room has a ceiling fan when more air flow is needed.
Our greatest surprise has been the plethora of different birds stopping by our bird feeders this spring and enjoying our bird bath. Mike also built a bird house to Blue Bird specs this spring, and we did have a few Mountain Blue Birds check it out…
but in the end a pair of Ash-throated Flycatchers laid eggs inside. We were thrilled to watch them so close to our home, bringing bugs back for the babies to consume. Mike looked inside the nest a few times while the parents were away.
Then we were so disappointed to find they had all flown the coop while we were up in Fort Collins this past week! In fact so many of the birds we’ve come to expect at our feeders are not around anymore…
I had another surprise in my garden recently. I LOVE to see so many lovely cacti (common name Cane Cholla) around this region. This photo was taken along I-25 on July 2nd on our way up to Fort Collins. I read that if you cut off a small section and stick it in the ground, it will begin to grow immediately, so I tried that this past May.
The other day I was messing around in my native plants garden, and was shocked to find that my tiny seedling was already flowering! You go girl!
Keep your eye out for a major bloom along I-25 north and south of Pueblo soon!
All in all, I am quite pleased with the turn out in our new native plants garden in the southern Colorado foothills. Note the Mirabilis Multiflora that volunteered to bloom right in front of Buddha… Life is good!
Best of Boomer Blogs, Number 505
I woke up entirely too early this morning. In fact the moon was still slowly sinking in the west when I went outside, and I could see the orange haze from wildfires west of here. I enjoy working in my garden at this time of day, before the sun comes up.
It’s my turn to present a few blog posts from my fellow Boomer bloggers. Today I received an interesting mix of posts about food and drink, along with a couple about death and the pain of loss.
Over the holiday weekend Tom Sightings had a premonition that something was wrong — only to find out that a friend of his had died suddenly of a heart attack. Now he shares with you his way of saying goodbye to a friend.
It can be hard to see the blessings in the tough challenges that arise in life. Here Carol Cassara writes about a different way of viewing the pros and cons of life’s major challenges.
OK, so some of us are better than others at embracing life’s challenges. In fact some us choose to drown our sorrows, but what does that do to our health? On The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, Rita R. Robison, consumer journalist, asks whether we should limit our alcohol consumption. A recent study showed even one glass of alcohol per day can increase your risk of breast cancer. In contrast, a huge study is being undertaken to see if a glass of wine, a beer, or a cocktail every day might prevent a heart attack and help us live longer. I wonder who funded that study?
No matter. Alcohol is not my drug of choice… and I also cannot stand SPAM!
This week Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting had food history on her mind. Though not a fan of processed products, she nevertheless pays homage to a product consumed today around the world. Some love it, others hate it. Here’s Ms. Baer’s tribute: Spamming the World for 80 Years.
After a three day trip back to the city we moved here from, the longest time we have spent in a city since moving to the country, I came home feeling so relieved that I never have to live in a city again!
In a world full of self-absorption, better known as selfie obsessions, I thought I might add my own version with my garden and the Spanish Peaks behind me as I peer into my own dining room…
Happy Summer! Have some fun while the sun shines!
My 4th of July Trip Down Memory Lane
I lived in Fort Collins and Loveland Colorado from 1995 until Mike and I moved south in 2014. I moved to Fort Collins with one husband and left with another. The divorce in 2001 was brutal for me, not because I lost a love, but because I felt like a loser afterwards for a few years. Of course, it did not help that I lost over 75% of my income, but loneliness was my major issue.
I felt certain that I would spend the rest of my life alone.
We went up to Fort Collins this past holiday to visit old friends. I got up early my first day there and visited some of the places where I lived, like Horsetooth Reservoir.
My first husband and I purchased a log home overlooking Horsetooth Reservoir, Lory State Park and the Bellvue Dome in 1995. Early in the morning the air is so cool up there, and the reservoir looks fantastic! I was surprised to see how the hillside leading up to our log home has been transformed into a bevy of large, luxury homes. When we lived there most of the houses were old and rundown.
Everyone says home prices in Fort Collins are through the roof now, and I can see why. It really is beautiful…for a city. It felt a lot like Boulder did decades ago with all the hip, outdoor-types moving in. I enjoyed how green it was with flowers everywhere.
The next day I drove down to Loveland to see a friend, and had a look at our past home on Morning Drive. I’m sure glad we didn’t stay there long! It looked so crowded in, and it’s only a block or so from a major highway leading up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Overall, I enjoyed visiting my old haunts. I felt somehow stuck in my past for a day or two. Then I returned to our fantastic new home in the foothills of southern Colorado, and knew I was home. The cool, quiet of nature suits me just fine!
My theme song now!
Hello and welcome to my world. I’m new to southern Colorado, and recently compiled a book about the ups and downs of moving from Fort Collins Colorado to west of Walsenburg to build a passive solar retirement home: A Memoir of Retirement: From Suburbia to Solar in Southern Colorado. Please contact me directly to order your own signed copies of any of my other books… Cheers, Laura Lee (email: MidlifeCrisisQueen@gmail.com)
Adventures of the NEW??? Old Farts 