Long Lasting Friendship

 Every Christmas, two friends and I would meet to exchange gifts and eat a meal. We did our gatherings until one moved to New Mexico, one lives in East Denver and I was in Arvada. We all had busy lives and we found it difficult to continue our meetings.  Our friendship has settled into a Christmas card exchange!
 

In sorting out different albums I found one I had prepared for both my friends to let them know how much I appreciated their friendship. The pictures below are not in any order but they show our happy faces in those years we met!

 

The Three Friends

Working in the same building I sometimes would go across the hall to visit my friend Maggie. Sometime in the early 1980's I went to visit her and. Maggie said, "Have you met Maria?  She works in the office right next to you." We walked over and she introduced me to a large girl with long, black hair and an accent. As the years passed, our friendship grew. We saw each other daily and shared parts of our lives. A pregnancy, a broken romance, a husband with cancer, employment woes, our travels and many other chit-chats that friends will share. Fun time and sad times, yet our sense of humor, the respect for each other and the love that was growing between us, helped us "make it through the day."

Then, everyone went their separate ways. No longer were we right next door to each other, but the friendship had taken root and it continued even though it was from a distance. A marriage, some cruises, acting lessons, children, grandchildren growing up, discussions about parents and a move out of state.

A yearly Christmas dinner caught everyone up on what was happening in each other's lives. A son in the service, Flamenco lessons, a new grandmother, birthday celebrations, a father's death, job changes and traveling adventures to Mexico, Canada, Florida, California and Europe.

This year, 2003, we will meet again.  Even though hair styles will change, a few more wrinkles will have crept in, and depending on the year, some weight gain or loss. We will be more mature and, hopefully more grown up, and the three friends are anxious to catch up, to get filled in, to find out what life has brought each one since the last meeting.

Busy friends, each doing their own thing, yet friends there for each other. Conversations will pick up as if there has been no parting. It will be fun finding out what has happened since the last time we were together. As we gather, we will be transformed into the same laughing girls of years past.

As has become a habit, gifts are exchanged, and it is always fun to be surprised. But, they know that the gift of friendship they share is the most important of all!

Erlinda Moscoso, December 23, 2003

December 11, 2023:  Our meetings began to fizzle. I would meet one friend at a time, but it was not the same. Maria lost her husband now lives in New Mexico and her children are adults, Maggie continues in the acting business, and she was in the play, Dairy of Ann Frank, that I went to see, and I keep busy doing things at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community with a new set of friends!  

What's Going On?

 What a shock I received this morning when I opened my blog and found that many readers had either opened or read my blog. The average number of readers is between 10 and 16. This morning I saw Me and Blue Tape had 54 readers, A Regret, 54; Keys Galore, 52; London Fog Coat, 50; It's A Small World, 61; I Became a Hoarder Overnight, 40; and a Poltergeist in My House, 33.  

I will never know if it is one person opening the blog or many persons. I also do not know if every time the blog is opened, if it is read or clicked on by mistake. I actually have about 15 readers that I know read my blog.

The statistics let me know that I have written 2,018 blogs, 721 persons have commented, and the all-time number of people checking my blog is 156,231! The blog with the most views is Hypnosis with 73 views, and that is a record for me!

"I am a blogger -- 

that is amazing for me 

because it captures a

moment in time every day!"

Mena Grabowski Trott

A 1995 Newsletter From Mexico

In the many boxes and envelopes I am going through to dump or keep, I have found many memories of my life throughout the years. I found a newsletter entitled HAND OF HELP, COLON, QUERETARO, MEXICO dated October-November 1995. I read about Friends and Benefactors of Santa Maria del Mexicano regarding all the assistance given to the orphanage, how a doctor and nurse had joined the staff, and what caught my eye was the headline: ERLINDA MOSCOSO ARRIVES FOR THE SIXTH TIME.

Many visitors come to Santa Maria and to our homes, but those from Colorado are very dedicated and committed. Erlinda arrived this Oct. 7, 1995, for her sixth visit to help in our program. She was very surprised to see so many new faces and changes. A new kitchen in the boy's home and another new one at Santa Maria really caught her eye. Yet, the biggest surprise was the great influx of the number of children.

The following are a few of the children she encountered. A slender boy named Edgar, 10 years of age with a crew-cut hair style. He told Erlinda that he had been working since he was six years old. His Dad died and he had to work to support the family. He had a variety of jobs including washing cars and also dishes at a hotel. Eventually he was fired because he broke too many of the dishes. (He continues washing dishes in the Boy's Home, but our plastic dishes are as hard as steel, so no problem about getting fired.)

Erlinda has many other new little ones jumping on her all the time. Little Pedro is four years old, sweet and chubby and lovable. This type of child can be spoiled very easily but the staff is always on the alert for this. His father is working in the U.S., divorced from Pedro's mother and who is now classified by the judge as an unfit mother.  We have so many similar cases such as Pedro. Erlinda and the other staff members will make life a dream for them, rather than a nightmare.

The rest of the Newsletter were Christmas Greetings from the children and Father. Two children tell their story.  Mauricio Robles, 10, tells about sniffing glue, joining gangs and being in a detention center. "I am happy at Casa de Ninos and everybody loves me here. I have never celebrated Christmas."

Leonel Robles, 9, never met his father, his mother was always in the street with men, and he lived with his grandmother. "I have an uncle who uses drugs and is now in jail. We traveled to places together where we would steal. Once he left me in Guanajuato and I got lost. I lived in the bus terminal for two months. I slept in a carboard box and a lady gave me tacos to eat. I was run over by a cab and my grandmother brought me here. I am happy here but sometimes I want to be back in the streets."

The Newsletter was signed by Fr. Cliff Norman and his wish for the greatest joy and peace to all.

I returned a couple of more times and each time I met new children. I remember when I was put in charge of the girls' house and it was like being a mother to fifteen girls, ages 5 to 15. Those young girls also had tragic stories but seemed more settled than the boys. The first year I helped I taught the Kinder class and those children will forever be in my mind. Those children are in their thirties now!

What I experienced by volunteering is one highlight of my life. If my own children had not given me grandchildren, I probably would have continued helping out at La Casa de Ninos in Mexico.

I thought I was going to help and give them my love, but it turned out that they gave me more love and won over my heart! Hugging the children as I said good-bye left my heart sad as we all cried our goodbyes. When they gave me their prized possessions, so I would not forget them, I came home with many stuffed animals and drawings they made for me.

 Finding tidbits in going through boxes is great for bringing memories upfront and letting me relive parts of my past!

"I left part of my heart in Mexico."

E. Moscoso

Me and Blue Tape

 After getting my floors refinished, I noticed that the baseboard in one of the rooms had orange, green and yellow markings that did not look good with my "new" floor. I mentioned to my daughter and friends that I would paint the area to cover the colors that the room had been in the past. No one agreed with me and I heard, "It is harder than you think, repainting is hard work, the fumes will overwhelm you, get someone else to do it, how will you get up once down on the floor," and so on. In my mind I pictured myself lowering myself to the floor, sitting on a cushion and agile and handy as ever!

I shopped at Lowes for paint that matched the room, two small brushes, and wide blue tape. Yesterday I decided to put the blue tape along the floor so that the new floor would not get painted. Nothing was as I had pictured it. As I slowly lowered myself to the cushion, I missed it and ended up on the hard floor. I tried pulling and pushing the cushion underneath me, but I could not raise my body high enough to slip the cushion beneath me!

Somehow, the best position to put the tape down was leaning on my elbows and before long they hurt. Then I tried sitting with my legs crossed and that hurt my hip area. I tried to get to my knees and couldn't. I prayed and somehow, with the floor feeling like it was as if there was no skin, just hard floor and bone I scooted around the four walls of the room and I had the blue tape in position. Now came the hard part of me trying to stand up!

Before starting the blue tape chore, I brought a chair to use to help me get up but it did not help. My muscles did not have the strength to pull me up on the chair. I managed to get up on my knees and hands, push with my hands, get my rear up in the air and stand up. Today I will begin painting but I will sit in a chair and bend from my waist to paint the baseboard. I will see how that goes!

How odd that in my mind the scenario is so different than the reality! Something that should have taken about 1/2 hour took me over an hour. 

Today I shook the can of paint, opened the can by prying edges with a screwdriver, poured a bit of paint into a cottage cheese container, picked the small brush and I was ready to paint. Bending over and painting seemed to be the best way but before long my back began to hurt. I pulled up the chair and that helped my back but it bothered my hips. Slowly I made my way around the room until the baseboard was painted. The color I had picked was lighter than the wall but what the heck, white looked better than the orange, green and yellow!

I did have one splatter on my floor but it cleaned up right away and I carried a damp paper towel with me in case I splattered again. Luckily, there were no more drips. The next move is removing the blue tape to see if any white had seeped to the floor! I am glad the job is done, my hips hurt and I am walking slower than yesterday!

My advice to anyone over seventy is don't try to do a paint job yourself unless you can run up and down steps, sit on the floor and get up without aid and are agile enough to do summersaults! 

"If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, 

then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."

Vincent Van Gogh

A Regret

 There is one day in the whole year that I have feelings of regret! Thanksgiving Day is difficult for me because my small family lives in California and I live in Colorado. We try to visit each other on Thanksgiving with me flying to California or they come to Colorado. No matter if here or there the first thing I do is attend mass to begin the day. 

The regret I have on Thanksgiving Day is not having a large family! Seeing Facebook postings of large families around the table fills me with sadness. I am fortunate to have wonderful friends who "adopt" me during this holiday. On other years I have spent Thanksgiving with at least four different families and it is all right, but not the same as being with my very own family.

During Covid, it was not bad because everyone seemed to be spending the holiday alone or with their immediate family. The saying of misery loves company is true because I did not feel bad when everyone was spending the holiday alone! This year of 2023, I felt the need to be with family even though I had been invited to two different homes, I had decided to spend the day alone.

The sadness began when I saw the postings of how much fun everyone seemed to be having in different homes. Phone calls were nice and I enjoyed texting with my family but the feeling of loneliness bothered me. I am always alone, but never lonely, except on Thanksgiving. That depressing feeling lifted around six in the evening and today, the day after the holiday, I am okay.

I still ate turkey, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato pie. I gave special thanks to God and prayed for peace. Not quite the same as being surrounded by noise of family or friends, yet it got me through the day! Today I have leftovers and it amazes me how feelings can change in a day!

"We can always find something

to be thankful for, no matter what

may be the burden of our want or

the special subject of our petitions."

Albert Barnes

Keys Galore

Every house, every car, every suitcase, every locked thing requires a key to open it! My question is once that key is no longer functioning, why do I keep it? I had no idea how many keys I had gathered until I was clearing out a drawer. I found a few keys to my Ford, Toyota, Wrangler and Subaru; some keys that belonged to a previous home, some luggage keys plus many more keys that I had no idea what they opened! 

Odd shaped with jagged edges may look the same but will not open anything but what they were cut to open. I put the picture of the keys on Facebook and a couple of the comments were: Trash them or make a collage of keys. Since I will not do anything artistic with the keys, I will toss them in the trash!

w

"Keys open locks,

but what do I do with the keys

when they are no longer needed?

Seems a shame to toss them away

to never to be used again

but that's okay!"

E. Moscoso

London Fog Coat

 

Around the '60's I purchased an expensive, well for me it was expensive, coat by the brand of London Fog. As the years went by, I stopped wearing it though I would use it for Halloween when I dressed as a spy or detective. Every time I downsized, I could not bring myself to get rid of the coat. I would push it back to the rear of my closet so for sixty years I have looked at the coat but did not have the heart to get rid of it. I knew I would never wear the coat and I could not understand my attachment to it.

The look of my coat today is not the same as when I wore heels and proudly wore it to work. I put it on and the look with sneakers just does not do it! The coat seemed heavier than what I remembered! I wondered if the brand is still in existence and looked it up on the Internet. It surprised me that London Fog trench coats are very similar to mine so it never goes out of style!

This year, in 2023, I did a major clearing of many of my clothes, yet I could not get rid of my London Fog. It still looked brand new! Then I happened to read on Facebook where someone had entered: Do not think of what you are giving away but think of someone who might need it.

I pictured someone in the cold wearing my coat and that was all I needed, I put the coat in a goodwill bag!

"Living in the past and thinking 

someday you will wear a favorite outfit

is not enough reason to hang on to clothes

hanging in your closet!"

E. Moscoso

It's A Small World

After I decided to have a floor refinished, my son-in-law from California found a name of a person in Colorado who worked on floors. We noticed that the young man was punctual when we met him and he seemed to be honest with a nice personality. When looking for someone to work on your home one never knows who will show up! The date was set, and he began working on refinishing the floors in three rooms and every day we chatted about our lives. I enjoyed talking with him and found him to be nice and friendly. I got to know him and his family and he learned about me and what I do. I happened to tell him about volunteering at my church, Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, and he told me that his aunt was a parishioner at Spirit of Christ. I looked her up in our church directory, but her name did not come up.

The following day he mentioned that he spoke with his aunt and when he mentioned my name she had remarked that she knew me and that she had traveled to New Mexico on one of my trips. I asked him again what her name was, and he said that his grandmother's name was "Mabel." Immediately I remembered his grandmother and his aunt, and I said, "Yes, she wore a lot of turquoise jewelry!" And his reply was, "Yes, that is my grandmother who raised me!" 

I recalled how sweet his aunt was on the trip and what a lovely lady she is every time I see her and we stop to chat. His grandmother was impressive and fun to talk with and here they were, related to the young man doing the floors! It was like finding a lost friend! I laughed and told him, "Well, gee whiz, we are almost related!"

"Your aunt is a friend of mine and I see her at church all the time! In fact, I will probably see her on Thursday at our Young At Heart Thanksgiving dinner!" I liked the young man and how dedicated he is in working to make my floors look better. And now that I know who he is related to, I liked him even better. We both found it strange how we were closer to each other than we thought! 

What amazed me about the young man was his work ethic. Reminded me of an older person who grew up in the 30's and in fact, some of the things he said reminded me of my father. I mentioned it to him and he said, "My grandfather took me to jobs when I was a tiny tot and I learned what I know today from him!"

It's really a small world when two lovely ladies traveled with me and I got to know them, that the young man found by my son-in-law to do the floors was related to them, and how great my floors were looking! I really believe that God has a hand in our daily lives. I give thanks that a worker hired is now a friend and I have spectacular looking new floors!

I would recommend First Step Hardwood Flooring to do the work on any floor because I know the finished product would be excellent!

When the floors were done, we finalized the three days we were together by taking some photos!

"There is just one moon and one golden sun,

and a smile means friendship to everyone.

Though the mountains divide 

and the oceans are wide,

it's a small world after all."

Richard B. and Richard M. Sherman

I Became a Hoarder Overnight

 Without much foresight, overnight my house began looking like a hoarder's home. It all began when I decided to tear out the carpet in my bedroom. For years I would look at the carpet and wish I had a hardwood floor in my bedroom. I mentioned it to my daughter and son-in-law and they decided to make my wish come true. On one of their visits they tore out the carpet and it turned out to be more difficult than I thought. The floor where the carpet was torn out had black blotches! After all the pieces of carpet were bagged I ended up with a lot of garbage bags that did not fit in my trash bin.

I found out that for $3.62 I could buy yellow tags to put on the trash bags so the bags could then be picked up by the trash company. Like six chubby soldiers, all in dark green, the yellow tagged bags were lined up on the curb! And then they were gone! 

The room had the original oak floor but it needed to be sanded and finished. My son-in-law located a young man to come out to give us an estimate. As the case of any project, they seem to multiply and instead of the one room I decided to have a total of three rooms sanded and finished and the work would begin Monday the 13 of November.

Now, my job was to clear out every room and as I brought loads of clothes from drawers and closets, papers, folders, and everything off of bookshelves I quickly filled up the front room. I tried keeping the area in special sections; everyday clothing, underwear, socks, jewelry, scarves, shoes, etc.  I clocked three miles and I still had not finished emptying the rooms. My family arrived on Veteran's Day to finish moving the heavier items like my computer, printer, file cabinets, bookshelves, dressers, desk etc. Loads of music cassettes tapes and music discs I sorted and even though I hated parting with my music, I knew I would never listen to them so I said goodbye to Bublé, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Virginia Lopez, Ricky Martin, Beethoven, Jerry Lee Lewis, Arthur Fielder, The Mills Bros., Juan Gabriel, plus many other artists. A set of Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus will help some couple mend their relationship! There were many discs of religious hymns, Greek music, polkas, Christmas songs by different artists and easy listening for relaxing that joined the Goodwill box! This whole blog could be filled with the many CD's and cassettes I got rid of, so I am only listing a few of them!  I kept about ten that I hope to listen to someday, but as my daughter said, "You can listen to whatever music you want over the internet!"

Sorting through my books was even more difficult but I did manage to donate some of my books and DVD's to the library, while the rest were put in a bin for Dream Books. Someone else will enjoy reading my books! I kept Isabel Allende, Manuel Ramos, and Kurt Vonnegut plus a few other favorites, and I still have many books in the shelves downstairs that I will need to sort through.

The dressers are in my garage in case I have a garage sale or put them on Facebook! For a couple of weeks I will sleep in my front room with all my belongings and then comes the work of getting everything back in its place! I went from a three-bedroom home to a studio for a few days but the floors will look great!

I now have eight trash bags ready for pickup on my trash day and somehow I feel lighter and more at peace! Getting your floors done is one way to downsize! 

With the help of my family, the rooms are now empty and the floors will be refinished.  In a few weeks my family will return to help me put everything back in its place. And then I can relax until I decide I want to tackle another project!

"Does your stuff and things around you represent 

who you are today, or who you were in the past?"

The Uncluttered Angel

A Poltergeist in My House

 When the television in my bedroom turns on automatically at six in the morning, I wonder why! The remote is sitting quietly on the nightstand and there is no reason for the television to turn on. If by mistake I set it for a wakeup call, I could understand the set turning on as if I had programmed it. But it doesn't happen every morning. I have had the television for over five years and it has never turned on by itself. That is, until about two weeks ago when it freaked me out when my bedroom suddenly lit up as if I had turned on a light! 

This morning I woke up at six and thought the sun was shining through the windows. I figured it was time to get up. I got up and once again my television's white screen was glowing and it was still dark outside. I turned off the t.v. and went back to bed as I wondered why this odd thing was happening. Maybe neighbors had a remote that turned on my television when they turned on their set. 

The odd thing is that it doesn't happen every morning. Could there be a ghost playing tricks in the morning? Well, today is Halloween so maybe I do have a trickster ghost turning on my television at six in the morning! Tonight I am going to disconnect the t.v. and if it turns on again, I am going to really worry!

Whether there is a ghost in my house or not, I wish my family and friends a Happy Halloween Day!

Jack O'Lantern Contest

 Today I entered my bank and was confronted by some cute jack-o'-lanterns! It was a contest to see which employee decorated the most creative pumpkin! I checked them all out and cast my vote. I do not know what the winner gets, but all the pumpkins were winners!

"Pumpkin light, pumpkin bright,

first pumpkin I see tonight.

I wish I may, I wish I might,

hope I have a prize winner tonight."

Charlie Brown

An Odd Happening

Yesterday I went to Santiago's for my favorite green chili treat! As I walked to a booth there was an elderly man sitting and he looked up at me as if he recognized me. I walked on by and sat at the booth behind the man and a woman. Instead of my usual smothered burrito I ordered a burrito bowl.

The couple finished eating and she went to pay, and he shuffled out. Before leaving, she came over to where I was sitting and said, "I thought I was the only one that ordered a burrito bowl." She then told me that she ordered sopapillas instead of a tortilla." I thought it strange that she even spoke to me, but stranger when she sat down across from me. She proceeded to tell me that she and her Dad come to Santiago's a lot and asked me if I came regularly and if I came alone.

I began to wonder if the lady was a lesbian and hitting on me when she said, "My Dad is alone and very lonely since he lost his wife a few years ago." Then I knew! She was trying to find a companion for her father!  I thought she was a kind and thoughtful daughter looking out for her father. We talked a bit more and her parting words were, "Maybe we'll see you here again soon."

If the father had been younger, tall and attractive, I may have continued the conversation, but since he wasn't, I did not respond other than with a smile! I know one cannot judge a book by its cover, but in this point in my life I am not looking for anyone, and I am quite content with my life.

"I used to think that the worst thing 

in life was to end up alone. It's not.

The worst thing in life is to end up 

with people who make you feel alone."

Robin Williams

Bingeing On A Spanish Novela

Every once in a while, I get hooked on watching a television series that seems to go on forever! I once watched a show that had sixty some episodes and it took over a week to watch it. It was so good I just could not stop watching. I needed to know what would happen next. Sometimes if the show gets boring or there are too many sex scenes, I will fast forward to move to another more interesting part. Even then, it takes a long time to watch the series.

This past week I watched Pact of Silence with eighteen episodes and every chance I got I would continue watching to see what would happen next. The story is about five friends who vow to never reveal the name of the person who was raped and who is the mother of the abandoned baby. The baby is now an adult who is determined to find out the answers. There is intrigue, murder, sex, love, cheating, corruption, politics, lies, and mystery throughout the movie. 

As much as I enjoy watching these series, I realized today what makes me happy. When a message comes up letting me know that there are two episodes left until the end. This gives me the feeling of satisfaction because two more episodes are easy to handle! I know the end is near and I will find out what happens to all the characters.

If you are a binge watcher you will understand what I am talking about!

"A telenovela is all about a couple

who wants to kiss and a script writer 

who stands in their way for 150 episodes."

Patricio Willis

An Interesting Story

 Sometimes one hears a story that has never been heard before. Yesterday was that day for me. In talking with a friend, he mentioned that in the late fifties a group of recently arrived foreigners would meet at a place around First and Logan in Denver to eat, dance and chat. He could not remember the lady's name who sponsored the get-togethers, but he was invited to an eatery on Larimer Square that she owned. 

 As he looked around at the quaint place of ice-cream, tea, coffee, and sandwiches, he noticed a poster on the wall and the napkins and menus had the same design as the poster. The poster was in black and white and the only color were two red cherries on top of a bowl of ice-cream. He noticed the name of the artist was Rodriguez and that had impressed him.

I asked him, "Was the restaurant called The Sobriety?" He looked surprised and said, "Yes, do you remember the place?" I laughed and said, "Yes, my brother was the artist. He worked for a company in Boulder and received a big award for his design." Sarsaparilla and Sandwich Shop was what The Sobriety advertised.

Who would have known that a few years later I would meet the man that had been impressed by my brother's work and end up marrying him!

The poster hangs on my wall and whenever I look at it, I remember my brother and his tremendous talent.  I find it odd that when I was given the poster, after I was married, that my husband did not share the story, or if he did, I may have completely forgotten him telling me the story. Yesterday, when I heard about his memory, I enjoyed it, so I decided to blog about it.

                                                                "My brother may be gone,

but his work lives on!"

E. Moscoso

Five Ferrets, One Horse and Lots of Dogs

 Today, October 8, 2023, the Blessing of the Animals took place at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community. The area with the fountain was filled with barking dogs and many persons holding their beloved animals. Our pastor read about St. Francis and his love for animals and then he went around and blessed each animal.

"Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish from the sea, birds in the air, and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan."

The most different pets were the ferrets. A family had five of the creatures to be blessed and I was told that they are like having a kitten and a puppy playing together. They are entertaining to watch and have the run of the house.

The largest pet to be blessed was a horse. It calmly stood while water was sprinkled on him and its human family stood proudly next to the large horse! The Dad carried a bucket and pitchfork in case the horse decided to do his thing!

The majority of the pets were dogs; some barking, some sniffing, some looking around with a curious impression and others comfortable in their owner's arms. One tiny dog, who I thought was a puppy, was fourteen years old. One really cannot tell a book by its cover!

It was a perfect day for the blessing with fall leaves on the ground and everyone enjoying the different animals. As I was leaving, I noticed that the area that is usually peaceful with water trickling in the fountain, now had a pungent animal smell!

"A good life is a collection 

of happy moments!"

A Dog's Quote

Kraut Burgers

Today a large group of "cooks" met at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community to prepare about a thousand kraut burgers. The hamburger, onions, and cabbage are cooked to make the filling for the prepared dough. The dough needs to rise and rolled out. I saw two men rolling out dough on eight-foot tables and then cutting squares about 5" by 5". Another group put the meat mixture on the square and some ladies pinched the dough together making a pillow. The pillows were then baked, and the tan pillows looked delicious. The whole process began around seven in the morning and lasted until seven in the evening.

The Internet's information: Bierock or Runza were introduced by Germans from Russia to Colorado by the Volga Germans who immigrated from the Russian frontier at the turn of the 20th century. The handheld pillows are made of beef, cabbage, and onion and wrapped in dough and then baked.

Below are some of the pictures I took of the Kraut brigade. It was impressive to see the organization and assembly line in making the Kraut Burgers. I was told that last year over a thousand little pockets were made and this year the guess is about 960!

"Food is essential to life.

So, make it good."

Unknown

A Granddaughter's Visit

 My gutsy granddaughter drove from California to Colorado and is spending a few days with me. As I waited for her I thought she would never arrive, but on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, she turned the corner and drove up my driveway. My happiness was hard to contain but after some strong hugging we relaxed and began planning her stay while in Arvada.

The first thing we did was to visit her grandfather who is recuperating from an illness. We picked up some food from Santiagos Mexican Restaurant and ate a late lunch with him. 

The following day we drove to Loveland, Colorado to look at Benson's Sculptural Garden. There are around 178 works of art. An interesting park stretching for blocks with different types of sculptures. We took pictures of some of our favorite ones!

On our way home we stopped in Longmont at the Cheese Emporium to see the many kinds of cheeses that are available! My granddaughter put on a heavy jacket because the cheese is kept in a refrigerated room. We purchased a baguette and a jar of bruschetta for a later snack. There was a lot of traffic which reminded her of California! We stopped for a late lunch of soup and salad at Olive Garden and our waiter, Darius, remembered me from my past visits.

Every evening my granddaughter goes to the gym for a swim and I do what I have to do around the house. Tomorrow, we plan to go to Evergreen and visit the Hiwan Heritage Museum and see Evergreen Lake. The museum was interesting because she did not know many of the utensil used for cooking or the irons that had to be heated on the stove to iron clothes. I was hoping that the leaves would have turned, but the only gold we saw was a tiny patch near the museum. 

On our drive home we stopped at Red Rocks to see the large formations. I was disappointed because I remember the rocks being red and now they looked like a faded pinkish color. We came home, ate dinner and I headed to Mass and she went to the gym.

On Sunday we visited Mother Cabrini Shrine and saw the beautiful, new and impressive chapel. Today was the celebration of the new chapel though I noticed that there is a lot of construction going on outside. It surprised me to see the many new additions to the grounds! In the gift shop I picked a small wood plaque of St. Anthony because he always helps me find lost items. My granddaughter picked a bottle of Immaculate Waters containing bath and shower liquid soap made with Lourdes Grotto Water!

She walked the 373 steps to see the statue of the Sacred Heart and I waited for her on a bench at the entrance to the steps. My knees can no longer handle more than a few steps at a time! 

The remodeled chapel is beautiful but because mass was in progress, I only took two quick pictures. I will need to return to see all that has been done at a later time. I could tell the chapel was enlarged with seating for more people. Walking on the grounds is peaceful and the faith of many can be seen as people drink from the fountain and some fill jugs of the "holy" water!

It is wonderful having my granddaughter visiting and doing fun and interesting touristy things! On Monday we drove to Boulder but could not find any parking at the Pearl Street Mall so we went to Trader Joe's and picked up some goodies for her return trip!

I thought she would be with me for one more day but she decided to return home. She said, "I know I will not be able to sleep if I stay and I am too excited for my return trip so it is best if I leave now."  She began packing her things and my heart began missing her! When she was packed and ready to go, we hugged and shed some tears. I blessed her by asking God to travel with her and that her guardian angel protect her. She backed out of the driveway and we waved our goodbyes!

What a wonderful six days spent with my California granddaughter!

"A granddaughter is a treasure

whose worth you cannot 

measure except by the

love in your heart."

Unknown