The Blizzard of

We have had a pretty mild December until this week. A couple times I have been out riding my road bike on the Council Bluffs trails. Looks like i should have ridden a little more to make my goal of 1000 miles (17 miles short).

The hybrid was in the shop to get a spoke replaced. Looks like it was damaged when hauling home from Albuquerque in May (had not ridden this bike since). Needed to get the bike ready for the next trip to Albuquerque.

Tuesday, I took the hardtail to the bike shop and got tires and pedals exchanged - now running studded tires and flat pedals. And just in time. We got about 6" of show (with ice under) Wednesday evening.

Missed a doctor appointment yesterday (did not feel comfortable with venturing out in the snow, cold, and wind). Stayed inside for the day except for a walk out to the mail box and take a couple photos.

Did not stay out very long. While it was in the 20s, the winds were 25-40mph and the drifting snow. Made it pretty chilly and not fun. Winds died off last night. Was able to get out and head out to Panera Bread for coffee and bagel this morning.

Word is that the Council Bluffs trails have been plowed (before than our county roads!) Don't see much melting for the next week or so. Looks like maybe the studded tires will get use yet this year.

Escalante River Hike

We were a little tired after our hike back up the hill from Upper Calf Creek Falls, so we decided to stop in the nearby town of Boulder for a snack. As luck would have it, we found a nice little store that sold bagels and smoothies. This was the perfect refreshment after our morning hike! After that we headed a few miles down the Burr Trail to Long Canyon, which I thought might be perfect for a short bike ride. Indeed it was, and we had a blast cruising down the canyon on our cross bikes. Our final adventure for the day was a hike upstream along the Escalante River to Escanlante Natural Bridge and Arch. This hike had a LOT of vegetation along the way, included some beautiful giant cottonwood trees and tons of sage. The trail also crossed the Escalante River several times, which was fun and refreshing each time wehad to cross :-)



After about 2.5 miles we came to Escalante Natural Bridge, which was fascinating to comprehend but really not all that photogenic, since the bridge blended into the background cliff and was not standing out against the sky like some other natural bridges. We contemplated the bridge for a while, then continued on up the trail to the arch. The arch was awesome, certainly unlike the other arches we've seen on this trip. This one was not very big, but it was extremely high up on top of a cliff. The lines in the rock running down the cliff were mesmerizing, and the bottom of the cliff was lined with beautiful cottonwood trees. After another full day of outdoor adventures, we were ready for a good meal so we headed back to the Escalante Outfitters and this time tried their calzones, which were just as goodas the pizza we had last night! This has been such an awesome trip already, I wonder what cool sights and experiences tomorrow will bring?

Praying the Hours; Listening for the Bells

I set my phone alarm for 6, 9, 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock in order to pray the hours of the day. Unfortunately, my phone alarm clock has a snooze button which keeps ringing every five minutes if it isn't turned off.
The purpose of praying the hours is to stop what you're doing when you hear the bells and take a moment to pray and come back to center.
I've been letting the bells ring for about thirty minutes or until I finish what I'm working on at the moment before turning the alarm off and becoming quiet. It finally dawned on me that I was missing the point of STOPPING. I've been putting God on hold....not good.
And I guess that's one of the purposes of praying the hours; to reveal sinful behavior and attitudes. So I'm going to STOP when the bell rings at the top of the hour and quieten my mind and heart. I'm always interested to see what will next be revealed to me that needs cleaning up. I've become okay with being a mess. Not complacent just content to let God work on me.

Windows Around the World

The First Time Ever I Saw a Horse...

We had a typically trying Thursday morning, the details don't really matter...so this afternoon, when we had the opportunity to take 6 month old Francesca to visit Arnold for her first ever sighting of a horse, we leapt at the chance.

I expected it to be something special, she adores the cats and Toby.



Neither Arnold, nor Francesca disappointed.



Francesca couldn't take her eyes off him, she studied him closely for a few minutes, then she wanted him.



Arnold reciprocated. He wanted to smell her toes; he playfully nibbled George's arms and performed a full repertoire of tricks to keep her attention.

It worked.

Another girl who LOVES horses!

We also introduced her to the 'horseless carriage' except this one does have a horses head ornament. She loved that too...

This girl could cost you serious money, Daddy...

Etsy Shop Open

http://www.etsy.com/shop/debbie55bailey?ref=si_shop is the address of my Etsy Shop. Check it out!

Fire in the Sky

While driving down an old logging road off the Arrowhead Trail one evening, I came across this opening that had a grouping of trees that stood out nicely against the sky. I was passing by right after the sun had gone down and the sky behind the trees was filled with this beautiful orange glow.