NEW THINGS

GOURDS AGAIN...
The amazing wind and windstorms Colorado’s been having completely ripped apart the squirrel basket. I would have another identical basket to replace it with, but it went out with the donation stuff before the divorce. The only (sturdy) thing I could come up with was to attach the milk crate to the fence with Bungee cords. That red milk crate that my gourds were curing in. It’s secure although not cute like the basket was. I have a ceramic pot water catcher thingy sitting in there for their food.

The gourds are done now, by the way. They’ve been done for about a month, so they cured much sooner than I thought they would.


The fatter ones went bad pretty quickly. The survivors came to 24 out of the 52 I started with. Unfortunately they've definitely lost their vivid colors and luster. Most of them develop a layer of flaky white mold, and some get black mold spots.


DANISH CHEESE...
My mom’s from Denmark and one of the Danish foods I love is Esrom. It’s one of those stinky cheeses, although mild in comparison to some, but stinky enough that if you touch it you’ll want to wash your hands. Mom called yesterday and said she made a stop at the Cheese Company and had some for me. So today I drove over and picked it up. I’ve been craving it the past few days, so mom’s timing was perfect. Sliced French bread with some butter and a couple slices of that cheese and yum! (Abby informed me I’ll need to brush my teeth after I’m done if I want a kiss from her.)

BOOKS I'M READING...
Yesterday I was at my favorite used book store and bought James Redfield’s The Celestine prophecy, An Experiential Guide. I’m looking forward to getting into it. I’m also re-reading Robert Monroe’s Journeys out of the Body and re-reading Bruce Moen’s Voyage into the Unknown. I have several books I’ve never read before, but I do enjoy re-reading my old favorites again. I’m also reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and Carlos Castaneda’s Journey to Ixtlan. I’ve always been a literary buffet type of reader—always reading several at once. I think maybe why I do that is to savor each book just a little bit longer than it would take to read just one at a time.

MY BOOK...
Speaking of books, I’m still preparing mine for publication. Bruce suggested I advertise on his site for volunteer proof readers. That was a great idea and it’s exciting. I now have four people reading for me. It’s just another small step, a little tedious, but I do want this project to succeed. This book was a lot of work, but also fun and therapeutic. I’m excited to hear their feedback.

THE CRUISE...
I’ll be leaving for a cruise at the end of the month, Barenaked Ladies Ships and Dip V! www.shipsanddip.com. This is the third year my favorite rock band is doing it, so I guess it’s the new thing. It’s an amazing thing, but I doubt I will be able to afford this again, now that I’m divorced. My ex and I went a couple years ago, and we’ll be going together this time but this time we’ll be bringing along our daughter. Unfortunately our son wouldn’t enjoy going, so he’ll be staying home with grandma. But Abby is so adventurous, I know she’ll have an incredible time.

SQUIRRELS AGAIN...
The best hit so far has been Rice Krispy Treats. I put several out one day and the same squirrel stole each one in a matter of a few minutes. I watched as he took one and hid it in one tree, came back for another and hid it in another tree, and so on. He had five different hiding places.