Reach Out and Touch Someone...

 

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Leaf-Peeping

       Colorado's autumn is primarily gold -- but the aspen put on an incredible show while doing it. Unfortunately, our flashy stuff in the mountains only lasts a few weeks, though the flatlands trees will stretch it out for a few more.

      We went up this afternoon to look at the leaves along Sleger Road in the Sangre de Cristo neighborhood -- and they were incredible. To top things off, it was cool and crisp, but not chilly. Oh my. Then some hot popcorn and a few Charlie Chaplin videos to end a perfect day. 

Meanwhile:

'Stupid' lifehacks that really do work!  We do some of these now...

Twenty quintessential American dishes....and nearly all influenced by other countries' cultures. Thass America for you...

Maggie Smith died, aged 89.  An feisty, amazing actress. Kris Kristofferson also died recently.

SpaceX lifted off months earlier than planned -- with the goal of rescuing the two astronauts left on the International Space Station.

A former military commander reveals what the Air Force REALLY shot down, instead of a UFO. Turns out that more spy balloons were shot down than we were told about. (Oh goody)

A POLE DANCER at Detroit's 'Regency Era' Bridgerton Ball? And food served by a girl in jeans and a Detroit Lions jersey? Lots of other weird stuff, too...for tickets up to $2000 each. Oh my.

Ten ways to feel rich -- and stop worrying.  (From White Coat Investor)

Who's winning for President? The results, so far, of the Cincinnati cookie poll.

The Colorado King Soopers killer is found guilty... mentally ill, but not insane. Interesting.

Fudgy brownies, that The Kitchn blogger says are wonderful.

Can wearing fur be banned from the Western Stock Show in Denver...and Denver itself? Denver voters will be voting on this in November. (People in my county won't -- they'd think it was ridiculous.)

Charlie Blackmon is retiring! This Christian ball player for the Rockies has been a favorite pretty much his entire 14-year career. He will be missed... greatly. (Terrific homerun hitter.)

Anna Delvey is out from Dancing With the Stars. And what did she learn from her experience? "Nothing." Hmmm... classy with a capital K.

Have a great week. Go peep at some leaves!

Frugal Hits & Misses: The September Report

 September is one of my very favorite months. The autumn breezes are kinder for breathing and sleeping, and this is the month that Colorado has the most fall color. It's also my birthday on Sept. 22. I am one of those oddballs whose natal day (Virgo) falls right before the next change (Libra). It's also close to summer's last official day -- and Fall's autumnal equinox. 

    So...am I temperamentally Virgo...or Libra? Or both? A Fall person (yes!)...or one of the Last Roses of Summer??Add in the lefthandedness and the odd hobbies, and who knows. I guess I am just myself.

    This month was mostly the same things: working on the roof for the Brick (12 rows done, 4 to go!) and appraisal reports for yours truly. We made a trip to Castle Rock for more appointments, plus a birthday supper with dear friends. We also stopped at the thrift shop there, as well as the diesel truck repair. Another visit's needed to both -- yay for one, boo for the other. But truck repairs seem to be part of our life. 

     No freeze yet, though we may have one next week.

FRUGAL HITS

(some of these are from late August)

*A new offer, to teach and appraise in Durango next year. Hooray! 

*Picked up more appraisals, on everything from quilts and poker tables to Navaho rugs.  These will generally be due in late October. Which is good.

*Got a job working elections for Costilla County. It's long hours -- but the work's not difficult, and I can do other things in between voter visits. And I'm getting paid.

*Fifty exra SB -- for my birthday. I'm close to a $25 giftcard -- but at a 12% discount. Have you ever thought about doing this? Just doing your normal search-and-buy schedule will get you giftcards. It's free, too. I've been doing it for years, and it works. (If you join up using this link, I'll get a little extra, as well.)

*A $25 giftcard from Safeway for a transferred prescription.  It's an old program, apparently, though my coupon had no expiration date. I had to really work for it at Customer Service, though.

*A Starbucks giftcard from our Medicare rep! What a nice guy.

*Started Book #2 of our monthly income/expenses. (Book #1 was begun in Dec. 2022, and filled with this year's August entries.) This also includes tax and sales tax info, as well as who we donate to, etc etc. Income goes on one side of the page; expenses, listed by category, on the other. Then I add each side up, and compare them to each other.

    Yes, I could do this online. Yes, I could use a spreadsheet. (The Brick does, for our finances.) But there is something 'personal' by filling in the numbers on the page, and seeing our savings, especially the house loan payments, add up. And it only takes me about an hour each month to do. You should try it!

*House repairs:  The Brick fixed the sinks (we had leaks in a few places), and replaced the screws holding down the roof metal panels. The screws were stripping, and lifting up the steel sheets as they degraded. Now we have watertight sinks and roof, but it has been A LOT of work. (Thank you, Sweetheart.)

*Watched friends' house while they were on vacation -- picked two tote bags of tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and yellow squash from their garden, as instructed -- and took it to share at church. (We kept some, .and loaded a crisperful for them to enjoy when they got back.)

*Got a Brick brother a buffalo nickel! The Brick appropriated coins out of his brothers' collection, as a kid. Then he went and bought candy with the proceeds. We sent a nickel to another Brick brother in May.  I'm considering these as compensation for wayward deeds. (Ahem)

*Made a big pot of chili -- sent some to friends, ate some and used the rest for our monthly potluck at church. Not bad. The Brick delivered the chili when he went to their house for an evening of music -- and to get a ladder they generously offered. They fed him, too. (Thanks, Dears!) 

*$12.65 from Quora, for answering questions. (And having people read my answers, I guess.) Every bit helps.

*We both got haircuts at Great Clips -- $10 off each!

*The first snow for Daughter #2 and Son #1 - Sept. 4. (And a lot of ski resorts.) Other than the Blancas, our closest mountain range, we haven't had any -- but friends in Forbes Park, five miles away, got their first snow on the 21st.

*Worked on reports - a lot. I have more to do. I also bid on several items on Ebay, using 'Best Offer.'  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't -- but I got several Bicentennial era items, including ribbons and Clinton/Dole boxing puppets.

Two bucks!!

*Lots of rain, to the point that some of our dirt roads have washed out and gotten very bumpy. (The paved roads are fine.) Temperatures have been ranging widely from heat to cold; the Blanca mountains got their first snow on the 21st. (We had rain. Bigtime.)

*Replanted four dianthus that were in our flowerpots -- it's a biennial, so should reappear in the garden bed. (One kicked the bucket-- but three seem to be ok..)  I also moved herbs to an inside pot, planted a vine I'd had since last November (a gift from an election judge),  picked a few handfuls of beans and a bowlful of tomatoes, and did a little weeding. Next year should be even better.

*Found a lime plant and a lemon plant for half-price at Lowe's: $12.50 each! Plus a yellow mum plant for $4.  

*A 19th century 'how to load a gun' French military handkerchief -- very rare. I was the only bidder!

Voila.

*A gold picture frame (one dollar!) for the Augustus Egg note.

*Started a Free Little Library charter. I have been hoping to do this for years. It became especially important when I visited Fort Garland's 'library:' really a junkroom full of older books and VHS tapes. The Library will be in front of Calvary Blanca church; we've got the box for it, but need to add a roof and a few other details. A 5%-off coupon saved us $2.50 on the charter.. Hooray!

*Found a railroad coverlet. I have been looking for one of these for soooo long. And got the already-reasonable price down a bit with the 'Best Offer' option. (It turned out to be a vintage reproduction...still a good price, but not the incredible bargain I'd hoped for. Darn it.)

*Flow blue cup and saucer -- c.1840-50 -- for nearly half off their asking price. (Helloooo, 'Best Offer!')

*Our granddog Freya spent a lot of time here, while her parents did several rock shows.  They'll be at the Albuquerque balloon festival -- look for Phenomenal Gems there!

*Continued to dry clothes outside. (They keep their color better, and smell so much nicer.) This keeps our electric bill lower, too. ($41 and change this month - up slightly.)

*A free aloe vera plant -  plus lunch with friends (who gave me the aloe vera).

*The wheel claim is finalized! It's about time. They docked us 20% for depreciation on some things, but oh well. We were also able to pay our friend for renting his truck. One check was delayed because the paperwork was returned -- we (me, sadly) put on the wrong address. I still do not know for sure how that happened -- but it did. (Has this been driving me crazy? Ummm... yes.)

*A hostess gift of veggies, plus more from church, including three Rocky Ford melons (the BEST). A baseball-bat-sized zucchini from friends in Castle Rock. And a zuke, offered by a stranger while we were at the Amish grocery. Weird.

*A quadruple payment on the house loan. We could only do a single one last month. 

*A Money Diary accepted! Do you read these fascinating 'what I spent in a week' reports from Refinery 29? They come from different people all over the country...including Fort Garland and yours truly. I'll let you know when mine is published. 

*Twenty antique Horatio Alger novels: less than two bucks each, including shipping. (Yes, Ebay's Best Offer.) I asked about more that the Ebay seller mentioned in the listing-- and he threw in two more books for free!  (Thank you, Castlebooksandtea!) Horatio and I are old buddies, and I will enjoy having him around again. 

       I also bought three Peter Spier Christmas! books for nearly $11.50, including shipping, on Ebay. A fourth Christmas, plus a Noah's Ark, came for even less. One of these will go in the Free Little Library box.  A wonderful book. 

*Ate or froze the rest of the peaches, as well as greens and a few green peppers. Made a peach pie, and froze a peach dumpling.

*Piano lessons for my girlie student -- she is just beginning to learn how to play with both hands at once. (She'll get a Christmas! book for... well, you know.) Her mom gave me an excellent loaf of seeded bread.

*Thrift shop deals:  An armload of books, videos, cards, piano student music books and CDs -- 50% off. (The most expensive was $4...and most were a dollar or less.) Eight smaller and four larger French crystal stemware -- $1 and $3 each!  Two large towels ($5 ea) -- 10% senior discount off the total, and a few holiday giftbags thrown in, for good measure.

*Worked on setting up a greenhouse for a friend -- watching for snakes all the time. (She was bitten by one a few weeks ago, after she shot it -- then leaned over with an axe to finish it off. The 'dead' snake leaped up and got her on the finger. An airlift and several days in the hospital ensued.)

*Planted more bunching green onions...for springtime use. Our pole beans, sadly, were decimated by the hail we got in late August. (I did get a few more.) I pulled out one bin of tomatoes, and planted Amish Deer Tongue and Kale greens.... which are FINALLY starting to come up. (I'll cover them for the next few months, hoping to get a spring crop, too.)

*A free birthday burger from Red Robin, plus a $10 reward on a second visit. They'd better! I bought a lot of stock after their price dropped.

*Grocery deals:  $2 coupon for bakery items, $7 coupon off meat (these were both rewards), milk, $2.27/gallon, Ribeye steak $5.37/lb, sirloin steak $4/lb (BOGO), $2.97/lb hamburger (in a 10-pound chub, carrots/cucumbers/green peppers for an astounding 47 cents each  (Safeway). Packages of coffee for less than $7/pound, plus discounted Dutch Stroopwafels, a sort-of waffle cookie sandwich (Amazon Warehouse Deals). Italian lemon soda (8- count 'em, 8 --the Brick and I both dote on this stuff) for $1.99/bottle, 35-cent pkgs of wet dogfood (to supplement Ruby's dry kibble), 10 pounds of flour ($2.65), chopped pecans ($3.29 for a 10 oz. bag), 29-cent cheese slabs (2 ounces each) and a variety of marked-down canned goods, including a 79-cent can of roast beef hash -- whoo hoo! (SLV Amish Grocery). Fifty pounds of potatoes for $15 (Worth the Drive bakery).

    Did you ever think that you'd be grateful for $3 or less/lb hamburger?? It's currently up to $5.47/lb at Safeway. Egg prices are back up in our neck of the woods, too -- nearly $5.00/dozen.

FRUGAL MISSES

*Missed out on using a '$10 off $10' birthday coupon from IKEA. Missed getting a free drink at Starbucks, too. That's life...

*Resin -- and molds.  Discounted prices, yes, but I really wanted to play around with them and the mica powders I got last month at the thrift shop.

*Who knows what our electric costs will be? The little dears at Excel have informed us they're putting in a 'smart' meter...which means they can automatically cut power whenever they so wish. We do have the option of keeping the regular meter...for $24 more a month. We can also opt out of varying costs-per-hour. ('Peak' is 4-7 p.m.; the lowest is from 7 p.m. - 1 p.m. The Brick thinks this has a lot to do with air conditioning use.) If we do, though, there will be an additional charge.

     We'll let them make these changes -- it wouldn't make sense to pay extra, just out of stubbornness. And they're not charging us for the new-and-improved meter. But we don't have to like it. 

      This is making our plans to eventually go solar just that much more important.

*Bought Restore-A-Finish to refinish the cabinets in the fifth-wheel. One step further to putting it up for sale eventually.

* A couple of Ebay purchases lost via the USPS. They should be refunded.

*No found money this month. Darn it. 

*The 32 little succulents I bought for use in terrariums are now down to 5 or so. I don't think they like me much.

*One of the garden bins was pretty much toast after the hailstorm. The other is barely hanging in there. Except for the dianthus (a gift from Daughter #2), I didn't buy any flowering plants. Which was hard. (The tomato plants were huge, and a terrific buy at 4/$10.)

*STILL had to throw some food out when it spoiled. Shame on me. 

*Late on some appraisal reports. But getting better, at least...gave some books away, to thank the clients for their patience. I am catching up now. 

*Had to delay delivering a restoration job that's seemingly been going on forever. I felt bad... but had a great sense of relief after my decision. (The client will get it in October, instead.)

Here's last month's report -- and 2023's September report. Plus the 2022 version. 

Here's hoping your October will be wonderful.

Guess Who Said This Recently?

 “We just need to move past the failed policies that we have proven don’t work.”

Go here to find out.  I think you'll be surprised.

Wrong Numbers That Work Out...

 

I'd do this! 

More here, if you're curious.

Apprenticeship

 These experts know their stuff.

For more silliness from Bored Panda, go here.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Out and About

     Nothing really exciting to report. The Brick has spent most of the week up on the roof, screwing down metal panels (he's on row #8), and yours truly working on reports. I made a peach pie from the last of the fruit (sob), cinnamon rolls and peanut butter cookies. All of which made the Brick very happy. 

     This week, I've got several clients to meet in Denver for appraisals, plus a quilt restoration. And finishing up reports. 

And it's raining. Maybe even snowing, eventually!  The fun never ends around here. Update: friends five miles from us got snow -- and so did the Blancas. We just had rain -- LOTS of rain.

For those of you in the know -- Michigan beat USC. Barely. Given the final moments, I'm not sure they would have if there were five more minutes of play. But maybe that's good coaching.

            And the Buffs beat Baylor, 38-31 in overtime! Heavy rain, too. (We got some, as well.)

Go, Ralphie!

And a kicker for Temple did a 64-yard field goal...with room to spare! It's the second-longest in college football history, and only a yard less than the pro record. Wow.

New conclusions on the weird mystery story of Kaspar Hauser. DNA makes it interesting again!

Fifty online freebies anyone can benefit from. (We use several of these already.)

An unusual (and yes, doable) way to save money. I know -- because we did something similar for five years.

The elk hunt from hell -- including a broken leg, grizzly attack, runaway horses...and a chopper rescue! Oh... and no elk, either. (Thankfully, the outfitters got the horses back.)

A surprisingly reasonable kitchen makeover in 'serene blue.' From floor to ceiling.

Bad Dogs. (and other pets.)

The Brick and dogs. Our goofy canines in a classic from yours truly.

If this is true...

Another hmmmm in politics. So the death threats in Ohio were hoaxes -- and most came from overseas!

We watched a surprisingly good Western series, 'Joe Pickett.' He's a game warden in Wyoming. (Boooo... the series was filmed in Alberta, Canada.) And shock of all shocks -- no overt sex, no unfaithfulness...and a man who loves and protects his wife and kids! You'll enjoy this., particularly if you enjoyed series shows like Longmire.

Free stuff on your birthday. Whoo hoo!

Best thrift store and yard sale finds. Including a signed Hemingway book -- for two bucks!

A pizza-themed race in New York City! (You have to eat two large slices before you even start.)

The Best (and healthiest) Cheeseburgers, according to this survey -- out of dozens of burgers tested, Burger King, McDonald's and Culver's Butterburger topped the list!

'Mr. Okay' turns out to be 'Mr. Right,' after all. This sums up a lot of bad reasons for quickie divorces, I think. Just being with someone may turn out to be the most loving, after all...there are times that the Brick was obnoxious. (He probably thought the same about me!) But I never stopped loving him... nor he me. I am a fortunate woman. 

Have a great week.

Ready, Set, Blow #2!

 

I played trombone, too... my poor parents.

Ready, Set, Blow!

 If you've heard me during a 'History of Handkerchiefs' lecture, you've heard me mention that 19th century bandannas and handkerchiefs were used for unusual purposes -- including illustrated guides for loading and cleaning guns. I've only seen these in pictures -- until now! 

Here's what the Ebay seller said:

"Mouchoir d'Instruction Militaire No. 1" is the first  in a series of ten instructional handkerchiefs meant for distribution to French troops in the late 19th century. This handkerchief provides instructions  for disassembly and reassembly of the Model 1873 Revolver

In 1872, following the introduction of general conscription for all French citizens (male), after the failure of the war of 1870, it was important that they could keep the training they had received.
Indeed, this training was often done orally, and few traces remained.
Solutions are therefore put in place to be able to train through the image, and the solution of the military instruction handkerchief is developed. The handkerchief, in the 19th century, is a very important accessory. It serves both for fashion, but also as a commemorative object of an event or a situation.
Finally, other uses in the field are also possible for these handkerchiefs: scarf, splint or even bandage for an injured limb. 
Printed in red and black on an off-white ground. The complete series consisted of: No. 1 Dismantling the 1873 model revolver No. 2 Dismantling the 1874 model revolver No. 3 Signals and basic instruction for cavalry No. 4 Instruction in packing for cavalry on parade or campaign No. 4a (second edition) Dismantling the 1890 model carbine No. 5 The use of the 80 and 90 mm cannon No. 6 Basic military lore for the reserve soldier No. 7 Health and safety on campaign No. 8 Preparing for inspection and review No. 9 Dismantling the 1886 model rifle No. 10 Methods for crossing streams
 


The former owner: Selma Ekrem ( 1902-1986) author, daughter of Turkish and former governor of Jerusalem Ali Ekram Bolayir ( 1867-1937), granddaughter of author and poet and social reformer, Ottoman Empire,  Namik Kemal ( 1840-1888). 
The textiles came with her as a child to the United States in 1924.  
Ms Ekrem lived in Plymouth MA until she died in 1986.  

Come to one of my lectures -- and you'll see this rare piece in person!

Made With Love... Or Not

I've wondered if that's how Cincinnati Chili got invented...

or Garbage Plates.

At least they taste good!

'Subway Car'

 Something about this painting by Mayumi Nakao... I just love. Maybe it's all the little details, from the white sandals to the lollipop clutched in a grimy hand. She clearly knows what kids are like.

If you're in the NYC area, there's an interesting art exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, featuring Borough artists. This painting will be there, too.

Happy Engineers Day!

 I'm a few days late... it was on September 15. But I want to commemorate MY favorite engineer:

The Brick.

Happy Engineer's Day!

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Fall Is Creeping In

 Lovely cooler temperatures -- and a lot of wind -- are wafting over our house. The Brick knows that very well; he's been uptop replacing and tightening down screws that hold our metal roof in place. He won't let me up there. (My balance has not always been very good lately.) But I made him promise to take his phone, and I listen VERY carefully for footsteps and thumps. 

What else can you do. 

Otherwise, life goes on. I'll make up the last of the peaches into pie, and keep working on more reports. Gradually starting to catch up, which is wonderful. 

Meanwhile:

Another assassination attempt on Trump -- thank God, this one was also a failure. (This is all I knew as of Sunday night.) NOW WHAT?!?

Seventeen of the most amazing metal detector finds, including the largest nugget found (so far, at least) in the U.S.:  the Mojave Nugget. 156 ounces!

Don't get discouraged... here's a list of valuable vintage and antique Christmas ornaments. Including this 19th century skater:

One year after surgery: the recipient of the world's first eye and partial face implant.

Dozens of interesting crochet projects. Including this one -- a dissected rat. (No, I am not making this up.)

Intriguing secondhand finds.

A wonderful visit to the Cotswolds; I needed this mental break!  (Thanks, Mavis at One Hundred Dollars A Month)

Very funny e-mails. 

'IQ' moments -- hundreds of them. These are very clever.

In the interest of fairness -- the fact-checks VP Harris should have had during the debate -- and didn't. Not including another 'oops' -- turns out the Goldman Sachs report she cited during the debate has slightly different conclusions than what she stated. Oops.

A hobby horseriding championship?  Only in Deutschland...

Oh, and Michigan (28-18 -- against Arkansas State) and the University of Colorado (28-9 -- against CSU!) both won their games. But both teams-- the Wolverines and the Buffs -- need some work. 

Have a great week.

Listen to the FULL INTERVIEW...

 J.D. Vance is interviewed by CNN's Dana Bash on State of the Union:

"My constituents tell me..." said at least three times. (I lost count after that.) 

   Remember: he's a senator from Ohio.

I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican -- Don't let ANY headlines tell you what to think.

Make up your own mind.

Scotland The Brave!

 Just last month...

Scotland the Brave | 2024 The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo March Out

Just makes your Scottish blood quiver... 

    (And yes, I am a Scot. Partly, anyways.)

Handmade = Great!

 

Hand-embroidered and beaded parrot bag

More wonderful handmade things here, thanks to Bored Panda.

Add the Election Debate Into the Mix...

 

We'll deal with it together. (Love you, Brick.)

A Bright Idea

 

(No) Closing Call...

 

Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Up and On

      I would love to tell you we're doing wonderful things...well, maybe fixing the sink leak, picking up a heavy box of roof screws (to fasten down the roof) and printing out reports is exciting. The Brick took Friday and Saturday off to go play mandolin with a good friend in the Springs; I stayed home to type. (And meet a couple of good friends who came to visit, while scouting for the upcoming hunting season.)

     Making progress, albeit not as quickly as we hoped, is still progress.

      It's still hot during the day, but cools down to chillness at night. We got some rain, but Daughter #2 and Son #1 had snow falling in Nederland. (So did a bunch of ski areas!) Fall is definitely starting to creep in. 

Meanwhile:

Texas beat Michigan 31-12 on Saturday.  I don't want to talk about it. Colorado's Buffs didn't do much better. 

Thousands of Christians are being attacked in Nigeria -- simply because of their faith. Did you know this??

Colorized photos of the Titanic and its passengers.

Turns out that six 'right-wing influencers' were actually working for a Russian company promoting disinformation. Oh boy.

The world's oldest existing gardens. 

The best of Mrs. ah-Wiggins and Mr. Tudball:

Inmates training dogs?  This program seems like a real winner.

Silver Roman coins -- 27 of them -- discovered on an Italian island after a heavy rain.

And in Scotland, a 1000-year-old Pictish era ring is discovered at the site of an old fort. Cool!

Now we know what Anna Delvey's up to -- she's Dancing With the Stars. I hope she gets booted out pronto. Apparently I'm not the only one who wonders why .

Starliner made it back to Earth -- seemingly flawlessly. But it might have cooked the astronauts inside, if they'd taken it. 

The final days of the submarine USS Thresher.

WWII legends that drove the Nazis crazy. 

20 Depression Era dishes:

More wartime recipes to try.  (Thanks, My Vintage Lifestyle)

G-Dragon is selling a bunch of his personal stuff. Including this coat, which he wore on tour. (Pharrell's auction company is helping.)

Sort of a Crazy-quilted look here...except it's fur.

Did CNN always support Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate? The answer is NO. And some of the same problems they mentioned back in 2019, when she was running for president back then (remember??),  are still issues you must consider today.

      Again, please note:  This clip is a CNN report from 2019. Sound familiar?

A trip on the Orient Express -- at $32,000 a night. Was it worth it?

How to make your own liquid 'dry magic eraser.'

A Van Dyck Rubens portrait resurfaces -- 45 years after it was stolen!

Where is Octomom now?  I've been wondering...

He disappeared during a snowstorm in Texas -- and was found in Massachusetts two years later. How did this cat make the trip?

Animals' surprising responses:

A Continental dollar coin -- found in the bottom of a toffee tin in England!

And finally -- Jennifer Garner's reading nook in her 'farmhouse'-type home. I love, love, love this spot.

Have a good week.

"Americans are fighters. We’re tough, resourceful and creative, and if we have the chance to fight on a level playing field, where everyone pays a fair share and everyone has a real shot, then no one – no one can stop us."

                         --Elizabeth Warren

Bigfoot on Colorado's Longs Peak?

 This just in -- from a pair of tourists who photographed their climb on August 24:

They didn't notice anything until looking over their photos weeks later -- what do you think?

If it is, it's a mighty skinny one...with no visible hair. Hmmm... I dunno. It gets cold, this time of year. Mr. S. should have been growing more hair, not shedding it!

We've climbed Longs Peak -- it's an odd place, to begin with. But interesting.