A glitch in plans

 First, a Happy Indigenous People's Day!

Living between two Ute reservations, and just north of the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, I am gradually getting to know more about how this area once was inhabited primarily by their ancestors.

Some trivia that you might not know...

How many federally recognized tribal nations are in the United States today?

Answer: 575

What term refers to a tribe's inherent legal right to self-governance?

Answer: Tribal sovereignty

 What landmark 2020 Supreme Court case reaffirmed that a large portion of eastern Oklahoma remains Native reservation land?

Answer: McGirt v. Oklahoma

What 1978 law protected the right of Native Americans to practice traditional religions and access sacred sites?

Answer: The American Indian Religious Freedom Act

What 1988 law allowed federally recognized tribes to establish casinos on reservations?

Answer: The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA)

There are more Trivia Indigenous People's questions HERE.

Last Friday I drove along US 550 for a while, enjoying some fall colors.

On Saturday there was a big Farmer's Market with 4 blocks of Main Avenue closed off. I lucked out finding a parking place. Yes, I still have the disability card from NC.

And then I proceeded to lock my purse in the trunk, with the keys  in it. Oops.

But I'm prepared, and pay insurance for roadside assistance, including lock-out help.

So I called the insurance, and waited...

And waited...

All I received was a text with an apology for taking so long - and they'd contact me as soon as they had an ETA. In the meantime I finally made it to Buckley Park...but didn't go in, because I wanted to watch the car.

An alternative I had learned in the past, was that the police have a device where they can open locked cars with a little pump and a long heavy-duty wire. So when I saw a police officer walking toward me, I asked for his help.

And he and his partner did get the car door open, and then I could pop the trunk. I'm sorry to have not written down his name (you know my memory for names!) He was an interesting guy, born in Brazil, his grandfather having been Greek. He has two little boys with blond hair, so we got to talking about kids who are blonds that then grow up to have dark hair. This all happened because he had to wait for his partner to bring the device from elsewhere.

I texted to cancel the insurance roadside assistance. About 5 minutes later someone called to help me, and I told her the order had been canceled already.

I didn't realize either that there are no fresh green beans for sale in October, so I then went straight to a grocery store and bought frozen ones to cook for dinner that night. But I was a bit too tired to do so, therefore it's a good thing they're frozen. I bought a lot of other things to eat too.

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The view of  the mesa where Ft. Lewis College is located, which is right behind my apartment building (not in this photo but a block up behind the yellow trees). The far left corner does show a bit of the railroad tracks for the Durango-Silverton railroad. I'm including that high mesa to show how my morning sun is slower arriving because it has to climb over the mesa first. 

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Creating a Serene Home

- Include all five senses while making a home, doing so provides safe haven for your evolving body and soul.

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And you thought I forgot...

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

Our drought combined with a late frost meant very few apples in southern Colorado this year. We had a 
"No" Apples Festival last Saturday.

Market visit

 Olathe Sweet Corn...right out of the fields. Still with all the husks on and packed in ice. Saturday at 10 am I joined several other consumers in picking up some to take home. One woman was going to purchase eight ears, at $1 each, and grill them, then freeze them.

So I got 3 ears. I can certainly try freezing without the grilling part...and will at least partially cook them first. 

Apparently this corn is grown in Colorado, and not shipped elsewhere, besides local groceries and farmer's markets.

This huge tent near the Durango Community Recreation Center held many things I was wanting. Fresh tomatoes. Green beans, garlic, Mexican avocados (at $3.50 each - sure!) and little yellow potatoes! There was even wildflower honey available. It's my go-to honey, to maybe reduce some of my allergies, by picking up some of the pollen through the process sister bees have provided...thus building my own immunity to local wildflowers.

The prices were staggering however. I deferred from purchasing a home baked apple pie at $27. I might want that in a few weeks however. For now I'm thrilled to have a great green bean and yellow potato casserole recipe that I haven't fixed for ages. 

They may not be here much longer though, the sign says season ending mid-September!

AND I discovered a new soft drink. Boulder Birch Beer! It was worth the $3. It might replace my other favorite, Reed's Jamaican Beer. 

The bottom line was that I brought all this home, walking down the hallway with my trusty cart, being completely out of breath, and finally sat down to finish my drink!

I can't wait to taste the heirloom tomatoes. Sliced next to my left-over chicken thighs and Jasmine rice.

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I did notice the people that Saturday were friendly as I walked around the Farmer's Market...as well as around the apartment building. Smiles and some hi's, and even comments about my little cart that I pull around. A plus!

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The lobby of Common Spirit Hospital in Durango - where my pulmonologist's office is located

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Another soul has gone on to the other side of this life, at 92, Wendell Berry. 

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 Repost from August 15, 2026 another Saturday!

I like watercolors of cats... by Elena Wuest, The Tangerine Hour. This may not be a watercolor. I've added a YouTube at the bottom of this post of more of her art.

I love when the temperatures drop after midnight and I can open the windows. The first few weeks I lived here it got to 100 most afternoons!

"Caws for Concern" last Saturday was International Day of the Cat!

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The owners of this property have fenced off their garden area...but the deer enjoy the leaves on their trees, thus there aren't any lower than the reach of the hungry critters.

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Groceries (and gas) cost more in Durango than they did in Black Mountain NC. So rather than paying $7 for a loaf of mixed grain bread, I baked some. I found my dried buttermilk which was packed in a U-Haul truck had baked into a hard cake of something inedible, so I just used water instead. My bread was kind of thrown together without a recipe, but it is tasty.

I found some more Elena Wuest paintings on this YouTube. No more cats though! 

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End of repost

Now you are welcome to comment...

Being a princess in a tower

 Arriving at the apartment building.

 I mentioned the other day how difficult it is to get deliveries. I kind of like that it's a secure building, but it also means I feel like  princess in a tower at times.

My apartment is on the top floor, the second from the farthest left end of the building. (thus the  3rd and 4th windows from the end!)

The outer door opens easily, but one must use a key-fob to open the inner door. Or buzz the office and have the landlady release it. This is a view from the inside of the entrance.

Packages are left on the table shown here...as well as sometimes things residents share with each other.

Mailboxes. Delivery of mail is sometime late mornings. The sign lets you know if the mail has been distributed.

NOTE: The US Postal Service is out to lunch in Durango. That's all I can figure. On Saturday Aug. 29th I received the first  confirmation of my forwarding address, put in in Black Mountain post office on July 22! I also received the second one, effective the same date, but turned in on Aug. 13! I received in the same Aug 29th mail the one and only forwarded piece of mail, which clearly asked to have it returned to sender, a bill! 

I haven't received the birthday card that Helen mailed on Aug 19 from Black Mountain NC either. I somehow don't think having a post box address would make much difference. Just text or email, my advice!!

The manager's office is straight ahead.

The 2 elevators are to the left.

The other day I went out to bring something in from my car. The ambulance and fire truck had blocked me in, but fortunately I didn't need to go anywhere. The EMT's were visiting someone and then left.

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 Repost from August 10, 2026

 The Durango Public Library

Early photo from the internet shows the back of the building, next to the Animas River

The path behind the flowers goes along the river.

Internet photo with small trees of the entrance to the library

Taken Aug 8, 2026, the sign is hard to see behind the trees.

Someone was working on these garden features in front of the library.

More from inside the library in another post!

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I saw an interesting talk was to be given by zoom as well as in person on Sat. afternoon, about early Spanish explorers in this area looking for a good route to California. I signed up for the zoom, but the sound quality left a lot to be desired. And I was glad to not have gone in person to hear the talk, as they handed out fans to everyone because of the heat.

I'll visit this museum when it's cooler! It's apparently an old school building!

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Down the street I saw this:

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This photo is from the internet.

There is a Farmer's Market which closed off Main Ave. Saturday morning. I almost went to it...but would have had to climb a steep hill to my car after I was tired, so decided to try it some other Saturday. I later found this was the last full blown one of the summer, but there's a smaller version every Saturday in a bank parking lot. (The bank I chose to do business with)

I'm good driving around, while breathing with my portable oxygen generator...and can walk a little ways carrying it. This old bod is working to acclimate to the altitude. Plus the air quality has been moderate to poor, getting worse in evenings. Fires and ozone levels are what are reported on the warnings.

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I saw the La Plata County Fairgrounds, and nearby the very big Durango Community Recreation Center

I had a lovely fun visitor outside my window as I composed this on Sunday morning. A female (or juvenile) hummingbird looked in the closed window...at herself in the reflection perhaps. She flew towards the glass, checking it out, then moved on to the next window in the building. I hope she finds some nectar, probably a bit further down than the 4th floor of a brick building!