Some Colorado, some Jeep

Following are several mostly unrelated things that I need to catch you up on.

First, some sad news. My parents wonder dog, Issa, passed away a couple of weeks ago.

She was 15 (!) and had been slowly losing steam over the last few months. She was famous for eating cabbage (my parents traditionally prepare cole slaw for 300 this time of year, and Issa would hang out by the table, scarfing up any cabbage that hit the floor), popcorn, and getting along with our own Idiot Dog Teddy.

For a small, yappy dog, Issa was actually a lot of fun and was pretty tolerant around little kids. I'll miss that fluffy little thing.

Speaking of my parents, I should mention that they are ready for winter to be over.

This is their house in Pagosa Springs CO from a month or so ago. Yesterday they were encouraged that they could finally see the top of their neighbor's four foot tall fence. But more snow is forecast for today. My niece Eigna (not her real name) expressed her own thoughts on the snow yesterday on Facebook, using a bad word or two for emphasis. The thing is, all this snow just means a LOT of mud once it starts melting. And not everyone has as much fun in mud as I do.

My mother is legendary for making remarkable quilts. The last time they came to visit, she was presented with this quilt that Darci made for her (with the help of her extremely patient Grandma Betty).

My mother loved this, and while passing the time waiting for spring, she hand-quilted it and finished it off. It's now hanging on a wall and looking very stylish!

Several weeks ago The Boy started installing a lift kit on his Jeep. He is keen to make it as hard as possible to climb into the thing. Unfortunately, the install did not go smoothly, and the Jeep has been parked, waiting for a second chance to attack it. The second chance came Friday, and with the help of Uol (not his real name), he nearly got it finished. But not quite.

So Friday night he had the lights out in the driveway putting on the finishing touches. There is still one more finishing touch that needs to be done, but he is thrilled that he is now able to drive the thing again, even if it does require a step ladder to get in.

That's it - move along...