Deck blessings! Plus, GRAND Social No. 210 link party for grandparents

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Deck blessings!

May is always a challenging month in Colorado, weather wise, as temps rise and fall in grand rollercoaster fashion. It can be in the 70s one day, blizzard like the next, sunny and clear the day after. Once June arrives, though, the chance of snow has pretty much disappeared and summer-like spring days are more the norm.

Last Friday was such a day. I decided to soak up the sun while kicking back on my deck for an afternoon nap. Three minutes into it, though, I gave in to the natural blessings surrounding me and opted to grab photos instead of shut eye. Here are a few shots of what I caught, never moving more than a few feet from my Adirondack chair.

backyard birds...

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Snow monster! Plus, GRAND Social No. 200 link party for grandparents

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Snow monster!

Like much of the country, I encountered snowy weather on Saturday. Unlike much of the country, though, I also encountered a snow monster on Saturday.

Seriously.

When I woke Saturday morning and sauntered on into the living room, I found this peeking in my window:

snow monster 

A snow monster!

Crazy, right!?

The funky fella hung around much of the...

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Multigenerational travel: Why vacation at the YMCA of the Rockies

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Until a couple weeks ago, when thinking about the YMCA, my thoughts turned to workout equipment, fitness classes, swimming lessons. I certainly never considered the Y as a destination spot for a family vacation.

A weekend at the YMCA of the Rockies changed all that. I now have countless reasons why YMCA of the Rockies ranks near the top of my list of family getaways. And countless photos confirming those reasons, a mere smidgen of which I'll share here.

why vacation at the ymca of the rockies

The YMCA of the Rockies recently offered me a multigenerational travel opportunity I couldn't refuse: a free weekend in a fully furnished log cabin located on its 850-acre property minutes from downtown Estes Park, Colorado, and bordered on three sides by Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park has long...

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Perfection... no effort required

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“About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.” 
― Gloria Pitzer

Most days I agree wholeheartedly with cookbook author Gloria Pitzer's quote above. I put in a fair amount of effort — and thoughts on how to most effectively put forth said effort — toward being a halfway decent wife, mother, friend, human being.

The same is true regarding my attempts to achieve something at least halfway close to pleasing when fiddling about with photography. I take a jazillion photos, choose one that's perhaps meh, then...

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Holiday pounds affect more than people

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I don't know about you, but I've definitely increased in poundage over the past month or two, thanks to the tasty treats and temptations of the season.

People aren't the only ones putting on pounds this time of year, though. Proof of such an assertion: the squirrel of mixed-race — apparently the result of hanky panky between a regular tan squirrel and an Abert's squirrel — I spotted outside my window the other day.

chubby mixed-race squirrel

Chubby little fella...

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