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