Thursday, September 24, 2026

Looking around Durango

The first sculpture I found on 2nd Avenue. The building on the corner behind it is the Durango Art Center (more on it in another post.)

And here is Puck.

I finally attended the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango.

I enjoyed the sermon by Rev. Jamie Boyce, as well as the music by the choir, now known as the Diversitones.

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Interesting sculpture near the banks of the Animas River.

Not sure of the name of the hotel on that corner, and I just noticed it even has a mural painted on the side. Must go back and capture a photo of it.

Main Avenue is one of the best shopping opportunities for tourists...as I waited for the car ahead of me who waited for a pedestrian. The laws are observed giving pedestrians right of way, but with all the tourists in town, it's sometimes something they have to gradually learn! But many of them still ride the bumper of a car (like mine) which is slowly moving while looking at things.

I remember last year enjoying ice cream in that sidewalk area with my son and daughter-in-law. Need to go back there while it's still warm out during the days. (Down to the 40s at night already!)

These sidewalk eateries are a carryover from the pandemic, when people didn't want to be close to each other but still wanted to eat out...so cities all over the country (the world I wonder?) closed areas on the streets where restaurants could set up outdoor venues. Smart ones still have them, though I do miss having the parking places.

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Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.

LIONEL HAMPTON

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Tacos to quiche (plus good news)

After my son had attended a Saturday seminar all day, he met me at Zia's Taquiria for some tacos. There are 2 locations, and this one had steady customers at 5 pm.

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But first the good news!

Yesterday I had received another warning email from the Human Services people that my inactive/denied application for medicaid was due Aug. 28, and they had not yet received my financial information. I called yesterday and left a message that I'd received the request on Aug 14, and electronically sent all my bank statements on that date.

And later in the day I had a call from a case worker working out of her home, thus a unavailable phone number. Fortunately I'm now answering those calls. She said yes, they had received all my financial information. She said my application is in a que to be entered digitally into the system, and Sept. 1 is the date that I will become eligible for Colorado medicaid. So even if it hasn't been worked by then, it will be retroactive.

For me that benefit covers the cost of my monthly medicare premium. So if it's taken out of my Social Security check, it will be reimbursed. It is also the coverage which pays for my drugs, part B or D of medicare, I think. So these benefits have helped immensely, though I only started getting them a few years ago. The plan is called "Extra Help." I really appreciated it, as my medications were one of my highest annual expenditures.

I told the case worker that this relieved a lot of my anxiety. As I mentioned yesterday, I've lived without insurance several times (when unemployed) in my life. But that was before my heart and lungs became problems!

Tai is behind me placing his order. I think I ordered 2 Wha-Wha tacos...something like Mai Mai. They were delicious fish tacos. They use local produce for the two restaurants by this name, and the other one named Sage.

You order all the ingredients you want on your tacos as they are made.

I liked having rice and black beans at the bottom of the tacos. The chunks of fried fish were good to run into behind the salad stuff. Good flavor and not too hot.

Tai added a lot of hot sauce to his burrito.

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And a few days later...

I finally made my crustless quiche...or tomato, spinach and cheese pie.

This time the cheddar cheese was quite dominant on top, forming a hard layer (compared to my cheese bread the week before where there was little flavor from it at all!)

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My personal goals moving to Durango were to:

1. be closer to my son and his wife

2. be able to breathe better, thus able to do more on a daily basis and be healthier.

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So far I have seen Tai and Kendra each weekend. That may not continue, but I do have texts more often. I continue to have the fulcrum of wondering if I'm becoming a burden, at least taking more time in their lives, and trying to be "a gift" as my friend Suzanne suggested. I'm definitely having trouble believing the latter.

I'm am breathing better, coughing less. This week I have a couple of doctor visits and a pulmonary test. They will help me considerably in knowing if there is real progress.

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A new star is shining in the sky, as the spirit of Dolly Parton sails free of suffering and her time on earth. What a woman. She gave so much to the community. All the people in the southeast US are aware of her impact, and are sad that she has died at 80.

My Rogers family came from Sevier County TN, near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. The Rev. Elijah Rogers couldn't read, according to stories passed down through the generations. He had memorized the Bible in order to preach. Dolly Parton made a big difference in children's literacy, giving away books by the millions.