grand passion for tree houses?

cool, cloudy, in the 60's, trying to ignore the neighbor across the street who is dismantling a sheet metal shed with a sledge hammer. What a way to waste a beautiful peaceful time of day!

a tree house is a place where you can give free rein to your individual creativity

The other day, I happened to buy the newspaper and found an article on tree houses. The images and first few words were all that it took to spark my imagination. Without any deep thought, I have decided that when I retire, I want to live in a tree house.

It appears that I have company. One thing is for sure, the Colorado Rockies may not be the best place to build one. Generally, our trees are not big enough. One other retirement fantasy that I have had for years is to retire to the Olympic Peninsula. I spent a lot of time there when I was younger. Hmm, I wonder if this is the beginning of a grand passion?

p.s. I might actually be able to afford a tree house!!

best place to be

Current temperature: 70° F

Today feels like the first day of summer to me. We reached about 90° F and the sun was shining fiercely; just the kind of day that I like to stay in from. My M.O. is to be out early and then out again late after the sun sets until it is too dark to see what I am doing. That isn’t terribly practical but nevertheless, I aim for it. So many people worship the sun, I worship cloudy, cool weather.

Luckily, Colorado cools off nicely in the evening even on the hottest of days. Summer is my least favorite season.

This is what I look forward to:

Monday: A cold front will drop temperatures into the 70s, with a better chance of storms and showers.

I had a conversation on Friday with a friend about how overwhelmed we both feel over the state of our homes and yards. The number of “things” that need attention is completely overwhelming. She started a list which launched us into a conversation about how hard it is to even get to the items on the list! We both have various reasons why we are so overwhelmed but the consensus was that much of it is psychological. It is so daunting to have so many tasks that we never even start. We both know that the philosophy of “just get started and keep plugging away” is sound but when the reality is never to finish, how do you psyche yourself up to get going? I am not a totally lazy person; in many ways I accomplish a lot. Or I should say, I am quite capable of accomplishing a lot. Is it seasonal-, cyclical-, temperature- or lighting-dependent? For years, I have accepted that I can’t do it all and believe me that translates into a lot of things that do not get done. Hiking, photography, blogging, the new job – all have taken their toll on the list of things that I do get done.

I decided to commit to thinking about the problem this weekend (I don’t want to set myself up for too big a fall!!). My latest thought on how to get motivated is to imagine and envision some of the things I will enjoy if I get even some of my things done:

1. Fresh vegetables from a small garden
2. A patio that is no longer part of the urban (or suburban) ghetto – with wind chimes and frog lights where I can sit in the early morning or late evening coolness and enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
3. A backyard not so ugly that I will actually let my friends see it.

It is Saturday evening and I have actually accomplished a few things on the list. I have mowed the back yard and planted the beautiful iris that I bought in Boulder. But it shouldn’t be all work, so tomorrow I will get up early to photograph the sunrise in one of my old haunts. The noon hour tomorrow may actually find me napping – the best part of the day to be in!

testing the waters

It has been a year since I was in the wilds of New Mexico. It is not hard to conjure up the very strange feelings of arising in the middle of the night and quietly getting ready to head out the door for the drive south to the Rio Grande and ... the birds.

I feel much more civilized right now... but I miss that too.

Most of my activities are still centered around work. I can feel the grip loosening and am sending a toe back out into the water. I have lots of ideas of what I want to photograph and places to go. I feel the draw of sunrise again. It is all good - I am still very happy with the new job but I am ready for a little more balance.