Keena's Couch

When she's not outside, our Siberian Husky Keena hangs out in our back room. It's a cozy room, with her crate and favorite blanket for napping, and of course lots of rawhide toys for chewing on.

This is also where Chukani usually spend time tv/movie watching, so we hang out with her back there quite often. However, when we aren't out there... she sometimes pouts and decides that lounging on the couch will get our attention.

Keena also thinks of herself as a lap-dog, so if you sit on "her" couch, she is likely to join you for a cuddle.

What a silly dog!

Gardening is a joy

Our vegetable and flower gardens are in full swing, and I've been meaning to share some photos. So here we go!

I was up early and decided to grab the camera to take with me as I walked around the yard. I really like the early morning sunlight on the plants, it makes the colors glow and everything is so fresh and crisp.

This is the new flower bed we made this spring. There was a triangle-shaped portion of space that was covered in mulch and then had large pots of flowers in it every year. We tore it all out, reshaped the bed and laid sod (the part on the left) so that there is more space walking from one area of the back yard to the other.

The new flower bed is smaller, but this way the plants are in the ground, and we used a lot of perennials, with some annual color as well. I'm really happy with how the flower bed turned out!



This is a campanula that just started blooming, one of my favorite flowers. It's right next to my lavender plant that is blooming as well, making a nice blue contrast to all the pink and red going on in front of the bed with the dianthus, nicotiana, and petunias.



We also planted 3 lilac bushes, 2 hydrangeas, and there are about 4 rose bushes that were transplanted from the front yard over the last few years. We jokingly call it the rose-graveyard, because if a rose plant isn't performing well out front Pat wants to move it to the back yard and get something new and pretty for the rose planters out front. But then eventually the roses settle in out back and do very well, none of them have died as we had expected, in fact the two that have been in the "graveyard" the longest are blooming like crazy right now!

Here's a planter Pat has over on her side of the backyard, I just love the hot pink and dark purple colors together. The geranium has nicely variegated leaves which shows well with all the bright colors of the flowers.



Ahhh... the veggie garden. My pride and joy! :)

Everything is growing very well so far this year. There's also another planter along the back fence that Chuck has several rows of corn growing, next to it are a bunch of sunflowers and hollyhocks. They were still in shadow so I didn't snap a photo... I'll post something once they've grown up a bit more. The sunflowers are the really tall 6 to 7 foot variety, so they'll peek their flowers over the top of the fence, should be really pretty by late summer.



We use the square-foot gardening method and I've been really happy with it. I like the tidy look of the garden, and it's kind of amazing how many plants you can get into the boxes, since we don't need a whole row of pumpkins or beets, just a few sections of the garden is plenty.

Below is the box that holds two pumpkin plants, a mini one, and a regular jack-o-lantern one. In the middle are Leeks growing from seed, but they're still too tiny to see well in the photo. I noticed the big pumpkin plant already has some buds on it, so we should see little baby pumpkins in another few weeks. yeah!



Next is the tomato box, 4 heirloom tomatoes, two red, a yellow and a Cherokee purple. yum yum yum. Last fall Pat and I were able to can the last of the harvest, and I'm hoping to have enough this year again.

I plant marigolds in the garden because they have a scent that the bad insects don't care for, so they stay away from the veggies. I also think the blossoms are good for attracting bees, which I need to get everything pollinated. My garden would be nothing without the precious bees in the area.



There are several green 'matoes on the vine, I'll have to keep a close watch on them. I am so excited for homegrown tomatoes, they taste so much better than the ones in the grocery store!



This box holds some cucumber plants and celery plants. I also have a jalapeno and anaheim chili plant in the middle. They are doing well, I noticed some peppers looking nearly ready to harvest!





And there are little itty-bitty- cucumbers too- right behind the little yellow flower is the baby cucumber. so cute!



We are growing broccoli this year, a new plant for me. I only got four seedlings, because I didn't know if they would grow well, but they seem to be doing fine. In this box there are more marigolds, cilantro (that's already going to seed) and lettuce.

In the right lower corner is a zucchini plant... hello chocolate-zucchini cake!



This planter is my herb-garden. Anise, fennel, sage, lavender, basil, mint, cilantro, oregano... you get the idea. There is also a yellow crook-neck squash plant in the lower left corner, because I had nowhere else to put it. You have to be careful not to plant your squashes and cucumbers too close together, or they will get cross-pollinated while the bees are buzzing about from plant to plant, and you'll end up with weird veggies!!



Chukani decided to plant Potatoes this year too. (it was an adventure at the garden center for sure!) The back of this planter is the dozen or so potato plants, and then the rest is filled with beets, carrots, and radishes.



In fact, the radishes are ready! So I harvested those this morning. I also made a discovery- our dog Keena loves to eat radishes. I gave her one, and she happily crunched away, so I gave her another just to be sure. Yep, she thinks they taste delicious.



Well, thanks for touring the garden with me. I have some pics from the flower beds in the front yard, but I'll share them next time.

Before the bath

In Colorado, we tend to get some late Spring snowstorms that come in, drop several inches of heavy, wet snow, and then move off rather quickly. It's great for watering our newly-awakened spring lawn... but tends to make something of a mud-pen in the parts of our backyard that aren't covered in grass.

A few Mondays ago, I woke up to a gorgeous sight. The storm had snuck in overnight and let loose with snowflakes, and the city was just blanketed. In fact, it snowed for several more hours that morning, I think we ended up with about 5 inches all told.

(Oh, please pardon the reflection of the lamp in that picture. I took this shot at 5-something in the morning and it was too cold to go outside in bare feet! I guess there really are some lengths I just WON'T go to for a good picture, hahaha. )

Not being sure what the weather would be like, I kept Keena inside that morning, and headed off to work. At lunchtime, I zoomed back home so she could be outside for a bit. By then the skies were mostly clear and it was much warmer, so I thought it might be a good idea to leave her outside in the backyard while I was at work for the afternoon. That way she could play in the snow and have fun outside. At least, that was my plan.

Then I came home to this mud-ball of a dog!

Hmm, so it turns out that the really heavy, wet Spring snows also tend to melt rather fast... and in doing so, softens the earth quite a bit, so that digging is the MOST FUN EVER. There was a sizeable hole in the yard over by the well-head... and she was out-of-control hyper.

Oh my goodness, I laughed so hard at the sight of her when I got home, I think she was a little embarassed! But, we went on our afternoon walk anyway, with me giggling about it pretty much the whole way.

I had to pick Chuck up at the airport later that evening, so we didn't have time for a thorough bath. But Keena and I DID spend several minutes in the bathtub, washing the worst of the mud off.
I was kinda sorry to see mud-dog go, she was fun.

News Update

I haven't posted much the last few days, but never fear my dear readers, I did keep my camera handy, and I have lots to share.

Keena wasn't feeling very well last week. We thought maybe she had eaten something- she was very lethargic and not eating, but throwing up a lot (and other unmentionables!)

If you've met Keena, you'll know that she is pretty much known for her energy, so believe me when I tell you it's an extremely noticeable difference when she's not feeling good. So after a day or so with no improvement, Keena and Chuck went to visit her vet. The doc was very nice and tested a few things to determine that it wasn't anything serious, but there was some bacteria present in her stool sample. So with a shot to control nausea, and some meds to go, she and Chuck headed back home.

She perked up within a couple hours, and started eating again soon after. We fed her a bland diet of rice, ground beef, and pumpkin for a few days (makes hospital food look pretty good, eh?!) and now she's back to jumping, playing, and howling like a banshee. Next on the agenda for her is a bath, like the one she got a few weeks ago:

In other news...

I have always been a "do your taxes as soon as possible after Jan 31st" kind of girl. However, Chuck is the exact opposite. Hopefully, by the time this blog is posted, we will have e-filed and be done with it. But yikes! April 15th is already here! It kinda bugs me to wait so long...I worry about what if we're getting money back... what if we owe... I need to know and make a plan! :) Can you tell I like things planned out a bit more than most folks? (thanks, Dad, I get that from you.)

Especially with the economic situation Chukani have been in lately (since his contract work is not steady yet), I admit I've been worried about having to owe taxes, and where the funds might be coming from. But I've really been trying to NOT worry about things so much, and give that worry to God and just make sure I'm doing what I need to do now, and not worrying about the what-ifs. So I finally convinced Chuck to tackle our taxes Monday. And lo and behold- We DON'T owe anything, in fact we'll be getting a modest refund for the first time in 3 years of filing jointly. Yippee! Praise God. At every point in the last few months that I think we won't be able to make it, things are just too tight- God has provided in one way or another and we have been blessed again and again.

Speaking of blessings, Chukani spent a lovely evening last Thursday celebrating 4 years of marriage. We kept things pretty low key, just exchanging cards, but he had some beautiful flowers for me as well.

One of Chuck's sweet relatives had sent us some $$ for a nice dinner out, so we went to a really good Japanese restaurant in town, Kobe An. We've enjoyed going there on dates over the past few years, and even ate there with a bunch of snow-stranded friends in the wedding party the night after we got married! So it's a special place for us, and we enjoyed some delicious sushi:

Our waitress even talked us into trying their chocolate lava cake dessert. It was very rich and chocolatey!

We did get each other an anniversary gift this year actually, Chukani bought a new bible last weekend. Chuck picked out the NIV Archeological Study Bible, and we both really like it. The gal at Family Christian Stores did a good job putting our names on the cover. I have to tell you that Chuck's Grandma Mary Keller used to do the bible engraving at a Christian bookstore, so I had to laugh when both Chuck and Pat were a bit critical of the workmanship... both saying it was slightly crooked, and Grandma would never had sold that. :) But I think it's beautiful.

Chuck wanted to get a cover to keep the bible safe, and we looked around for a bit, not finding anything that really looked good in our price range.

Then we noticed this one- with the verse that has really claimed our lives these past few months. (And my Wednesday bible study focused on this verse the first week as well, so it's doubly important to me.) I knew it was the right cover, and it fit the new bible (which is awfully thick!) like a glove. yeah!
Which leads me to last weekend... Did you have a good Easter? Hope so!

Ours was rainy and cold outside, but blessed and warm inside! Chukani colored our Easter eggs Saturday night, and then Sunday morning we made it to the 8am (wow that's early) service at church. The heater hadn't quite had enough time to warm the sanctuary, so I had to keep my coat on over my Easter dress...brr.

We came home and made buttermilk pancakes with homemade strawberry syrup, and what a sugary, yummy way to start the day.

Later on, Chukani and Pat went over to Bill and Diana Robbins' house for Easter lunch. Bill (jr), Donna and little David were there too, and it was very nice spending the afternoon with them. Di cooked a fantastic brisket, Donna made some amazing cheesy mashed potatoes, and after a hearty lunch, we relaxed while David played with his Easter basket of toys and goodies. While he napped, the grown-ups played Mexican Train Dominoes and it was a blast.

The rain was kind of disappointing because I was looking forward to a sunny Spring day, but truly, rain was very needed here in Denver. And now the grass is nicely greening up and our daffodils are beginning to bloom. So as Chuck says, "it's all good."

Here's Chuck hard at work with the egg dyeing:

And me with some of the finished product. I have to admit several of these pretty eggs turned into Deviled Eggs the next day, which is my personal favorite way to eat a hard boiled egg!
This coming weekend I am going to New Mexico to visit Jen. We are going to go shopping, play tourists, and check out this spot for sure. I'll have access to email and fb, but I won't probably post to the blog until I get back next week, so check back soon.

The weekend after that, Chuck and Pat are both headed to Utah for the weekend. Pat's nephew Orson (we know him as SAM though!) :) is being commissioned into the Air Force and family is gathering from far and wide to honor the occasion. I am so sorry to have to miss it, but I can't take any more time off from work right now... so Chuck and Pat will have to hug and kiss everyone for me! I know you Hartogs/Porters will have a great time!

Ok, I think you're all caught up on the latest news from our side of the mountains. Take care!

Spring Blizzard '09!

It's snowing in Denver today-- In fact we are in the midst of a Spring Blizzard! The weatherman says it is supposed to continue snowing throughout the day and overnight. I took these pictures at about 10:30 am, and there's already about 6 inches on the ground. Yeah! We sure do need the moisture here, and it's nice to have an unexpected day (or two) off from work.

I went in to work this morning (Chuck drove me actually) and then I called him and asked him to go get us a dozen doughnuts (since all the drivers were just hanging around the office as we were shutting down.) His efforts were VERY appreciated!! :) Then at a little after 9am, my boss sent us all home, so I called Chuck yet again and asked him to come get me. (thanks honey!)

We are home and playing in the snow with the dog now... fun times!

Hope you all have a great day wherever you are- snow or sunshine. :)

Snow Dog

Our siberian husky Keena sure loves the snow. She really enjoys playing in the deep snow up at the cabin, but even here in town... if there's only a couple inches on the ground, that's enough for her.

A few weeks ago we had some snowfall overnight, and the next morning chukani and keena went for a quick walk through the neighborhood. It was a beautiful morning, not as cold as you might think, and the sky was so bright and blue, just wonderful to see. I think the late winter snows in Colorado are great, because the storms usually blow through quickly and you are left with gorgeous scenery, cobalt blue skies, and temps nicely above zero. (a real plus!)

The backyard was just dusted with enough white to look pretty for a while, until the sunshine kissed it goodbye.

Keena was thrilled with the white stuff all over- she gets so hyper running around and playing fetch in the back yard. You can see that her footprints cover nearly every square foot of the yard!

Here she is by her water dish (a big ice cube really) and looking at me- probably wondering why I am standing there with the camera instead of going to get her fresh water. lol!

I can hardly believe she's nearly a year old already. Keena is an April Fool's puppy- born April 1, 2008. She's become such a part of our family since we got her last year over Memorial Day weekend. I think she is about full size now, less than 60lbs- which is great. She still likes to sit on our laps on the couch- she doesn't realize just how big she is... but luckily at her size it's still somewhat manageable. And I don't feel too squished when she jumps into my arms.

We still use the puppy gates to keep her in the back room. Funny thing is we just lean them up against the doorways... she could easily knock them over, or better yet leap over them- I've seen her make a standing jump higher than the little 2 foot high gates. But in her mind they are as imposing as a closed door. Keena certainly has a healthy respect for the little gates. And I intend for it to stay that way!

Lately, we've been moving one of the gates into the kitchen on our side. We still block her off from the rest of the house, (and away from the cats) but give her the run of the back room and kitchen. Keena seems to really like to be in there with us, like when I'm cooking dinner, or if we're doing dishes. I think we'll let her in the kitchen while we eat dinner in the dining room now- and see if that curbs her whining to be near us.
Hope you are all having a good week!

What's new

Hi All,

Since it's been sooooo long since I last posted, I thought I'd just update you all in a random stream-of-consciousness fashion.

So, Chuck is at the cabin right now. He and Bill drove to Kremmling this afternoon, picked up the two snowmobiles that were being repaired and took them up to the cabin. They are gonna hang out for a while, and head back sometime tomorrow. I'm sorta bummed that I have to work, and couldn't go up with them, but I'm glad that Chuck and Bill get to hang out.

He called tonight to say it was in the high 40's there today, and there's definitely less snow up there than the last time we were up. But plenty still- the snow is still about level to the deck, which means at least 4 ft on the ground.

In other news... I really like my "new" job. I still work for SRC, but moved to the transportation department last fall. It was a really good move for me, I love working in this department. And we've been blessed with some new federal/state/county grants and are able to hire more drivers, purchase a few more new buses, and even upgrade our scheduling software and get new computers this year. All this even though the economy is in such turmoil! I think it's because the need for senior services is so great that our local and national legislatures are doing the best they can to fund services even when budgets are tight. I'm so pleased to be a part of an organization that does such good work for seniors in our community.

The gal that I trained to replace me in my former department came upstairs to chat with me for a few minutes today. Just in that short time of discussing some of the ongoing issues in my old department made me realize once again just how happy I am to have taken this new opportunity. God gave me the courage to take the risk and take this position, and it is good. :)

Speaking of work- I know I mentioned in December 08 that Chuck had been laid off. Well... things are getting better for us. He's been doing some consulting work drafting for a small surveying firm in Evergreen. Luckily he can work from home a lot, and only needs to drive up there once a week or so. It hasn't been very steady work as of late... but any work is better than unemployment, so Chuck is grateful for the opportunity.

Having him home all the time has added a new dynamic to our lives. He is around to help out with stuff around the house so much more, and I know the dog (and cats) like not being alone all day. So there are definitely some perks to working for yourself. The "honey-do" list gets checked off practically as fast as I can think of more items to add to it! Hopefully as the year progresses he will have a few more contracts and the workflow will be steady and busy. We've certainly gotten used to making do with what we have though!

It's nearly Spring again, my favorite season of the year. I love seeing the budding leaves and flowers again. Pat and I planted several dozen tulip and daffodil bulbs in the front planters last fall, and they are just beginning to poke their heads up to get some sunshine. I'm excited to see how it all turns out, and I'll be sure and take pictures so you can see as well.

Chukani are already planning our vegetable garden for this year also. We are going to expand again, and plant crops of onions and potatoes along with everything from last year. We are also planning to plant more roses and flowers in another bed in the back yard, to reclaim some of the lost spaces back by the fence. Of course, there is a big concern about how to keep Keena from damaging the garden. She has been re-enacting the movie "Holes" in the back yard for the last several months... so there may be some fence-building in our future garden plans as well.

I've been considering joining our church's choir. They have a wonderful music program at Bear Valley where we've been attending for the last couple years or so. The big choir only sings a couple Sunday's a month, and does some really great music for all the major holidays. But I'm currently in a women's bible study that meets at the church the same night as choir rehearsal, so choir will have to wait awhile. Right now I am enjoying just singing my heart out from the pew each Sunday, so that will have to do for now. :)

Ok- I think I've rambled on long enough. Sorry the blog doesn't get updated too often. I blame facebook... but then my other friends who keep their blogs current AND are on fb lots...well, they pretty much put me to shame. So there it is- I've posted again... (finally!) and I'll try to keep you all up to date more often. Thanks for not giving up on me!

Take Care!
Nicole

Getting ready for Christmas

Howdy all...
Here's a gallery of what we've been up to lately!

Merry Christmas!

A cold, but beautiful sunrise

It snowed here in Denver over the weekend, and I absolutely love how everything looks all covered in white fluff!

Chuck normally takes Keena out for a walk each morning at about 5:30 am. He came down with a bad cold over the weekend and wanted to sleep in a bit Saturday, so I offered to take Keena for her "morning constitutional."

Since it snowed Friday night while we were over at Bill and Di's (we went over there for a game night with Bill and Donna, it was lots of fun) I stayed in bed until about 6:30 Saturday. I wanted to be closer to sunrise in hopes that it would be a tad warmer.

I sleepily bundled up against the cold, and got Keena on her leash and out the door.

BRR!! It was so cold... but the dog was oh so excited to be out in the white wonderland. We walked for about 40 minutes, and she just kept running and jumping through the snow whenever she could, it was so much fun to watch.

The sky got lighter and lighter, and as we rounded the last corner a block from home, the grey sky turned the most gorgeous color of salmon pink, it nearly took my breath away. All was so still and silent, it seemed like Keena and I were the only ones up. I could hardly believe the colors... the snowy landscape so bluey and white, with the sky just as pink as could be. And wherever the sunlight glanced off the snow, it made everything glow.

Pardon all the wires in this photo- I couldnt get a better shot and the light was fading with each passing second, so I snapped what I could before the sun rose up into the clouds and fog again.

The light on the Chinese Elm in Pat's front yard was so pretty!

This is my absolute favorite photo from that quiet frozen dawn. I think it was the best reward for getting up early on a day off. Just lovely!