Mountain Life in Colorado: Just Stuff

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Just Stuff





Yesterday as we were riding to the store, backpacks strapped on, I said to Jack how amazing it is what we take for granted. The store is only 7 miles away. The same distance as it is from our house to Keystone. And there is a 1000 foot elevation drop from our house to Keystone. Montezuma Road is a great hill to ride up. It's a workout. I was saying how impossible it would be to live where we live without a car. Here, it's sort of the same. Remote, not a grocery store near, and yet somehow, we have managed without a car. Granted, the girls couldn't do the rides to and from the store. They could but it would be extremely ugly and I wouldn't put them through that. It hasn't been easy, but we have managed. I don't know what's worse. Riding in the heat and humidity or riding in the altitude. I think the latter is easier. For me anyway.
There was a fruit/veggie stand on the side of the road just before the grocery store so we stocked up on the grocery store stuff and hit the fruit stand on the way out of town. We got an head of brocolli, a giant papaya, 2 onions, a bag of potatoes, 4 bananas, and a mango for $3000 colones. That's around 6 bucks. Not bad.
My body is pretty beat up right now. After the ride to Villareal we came home and got down to the beach. I am bound and determined to learn how to surf and I was in the water getting beat up pretty good. My knees, arms, back, are all sore. It's a great feeling to be getting so much exercise. I forgot what it felt like. I feel like me again. Not homeschool mom, cook, houskeeper, waitress. I need to not be such a slug when we get home. It's to easy to crawl under a blanket when the weather is yucky. Here, even if it's raining, as it is now, people don't let it stop them. There are people surfing in the rain. It just doesn't stop anyone. Plus, it's not cold. When it rains it's pretty much the same temperature. Just wet. I'm sure today will be a day of being on the computer. It looks like rain for the entire day. It rained non-stop all night and when we got up this morning it was so wet and damp and it's now just started raining hard again. It is socked in.
We were riding to the beach and Hannah says to me it smells like Minnesota. I got to thinking of all of the similarities and the humidity is the biggie. I forgot what it's like to live when it's so humid all the time. It doesn't bother me at all. We are seeing fireflys everynight which is cool. Things grow on things if you leave them on the ground and forget to hang them up. Cacoons are forming everywhere. June bugs are attacking the screens at night just begging to come in where the light is. Jordan picks up those June bugs like it's nothing. My Mom used to be able to do that too. I could never touch the things. They gross me out. I see so much of my Mom in Jordan with her manerisms. Yesterday we turned on the music on the tv. Jordan picked out a station and it was playing "Hollywood Nights, Bob Seger." She get's the groove in her and starts dancing and I always think of how my Mom would just bust out in a dance if she liked the song. Jordan does it too. I know my mom is with me whenever Bob Seger comes on. I say hello and enjoy her company. It was a nice moment.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh Hef- you need to pick up a motorcycle!! Motorcycle Hef! I love it~ You look good! Keep the pics coming!
Deb

hefr said...

Deb, we actually looked at a motorcycle for sale. Still thinking about it. They aren't totally expensive like cars here.

jan said...

loved your vision of your Mom through Jordan. Amazing how really one does not die if the memory lives on.

Unknown said...

Ahhhh, the lazy time in a hammock--mmmmmmm.

mary