A Day of Surprises

Yesterday was one of those rare days where it seemed like everything was coming up roses. It was a day of accomplishment as removing that grungy stove hood and installing the new one was completed. Son and I both were dousing ourselves with GERM X because that thing was so nasty. *shudder*   And we finally got it off and into the box the new one came in and out the door. Then we had to scrub the surrounding area. Son also had to rig the exhaust tube as the size of the tubes did not match. Here  is the old one:

And here is the new one in progress. OMG, when son pulled it down this whole nest of stuff fell on the stove.  He had to enlarge the hole so that the wider tube would fit and go get additional parts to change from one size to the next. Just the pieces cost 35 dollars and son was shocked.

AND here is the finished product.  I love it. I woke up this morning and went to get coffee and just ran my hand across the hood thinking how nice. And then realized…my hand did not stick to it nor was it gunky. And son says he can now see what he is cooking. LOL

Yesterday morning I was talking to a friend on messenger when she asked me what I was doing. I told her I was sitting here talking to her. She said..well I sent you a package and the tracking says it is at your front door. Squealing with delight, I hopped up (haha now that is a visual on crutches..giggling)  and went to the front door and sure enough, there was a package. I had to slide it back to my room cause carrying is impossible on forearm crutches. When I opened it, I cried. There inside was this absolutely beautiful blue quilt with “work the Dream” at the top and pictures of my mountains for the squares. It was soft and you could see the care put into every stitch. I was messaging my friend, Sue Gottscho from Florida, all but sending squeals across the internet. It was such a sweet and caring thing to do and touched my heart in a way that is hard to explain.

Have you ever been doing some kind of work, whether paid or volunteer and you start to feel unappreciated and wonder if all the work you had been doing for months had been for waste and was unappreciated?  That is how I have been feeling lately. I am the kind that will stand up for what I believe, even if it is in disagreement with those over me. Being against a concept is not the same thing as being against the person but not all feel that way.  Anyway, the note Sue put in with my quilt told me that I inspired her and those words were like balm to a wounded heart. I wish I could truly put into words but I think you all get the idea.

So, here is my gorgeous quilt with close up of some of the squares. I love my mountains out here. And yes, my heart still wants to be in the mountains, but my mind knows this house was a gift from God and we are letting him lead. A big thank you to Sue for my quilt and for the timing of it. Many hugs friend. I have a rod in storage to put it on but for now it is penned to the wall.

You might recognize this picture and she put Work the Dream on it.

And this picture

The angles of the squares are my photo taking, not Sue’s work.  I was trying to balance on one crutch and take the pictures while it hung on wall.

and of course my real mountains….:)

And last but not least, it is so nice to put things up that make it more home like…like on my kitchen cabinet.

And for my friend sassy…a subliminal message.  Ok ok..not so subliminal. hahahah

OMG son is so excited over the new hood and seeing what he is cooking, he is out there cooking breakfast and look what he brought me. We may need a diet plan for this new hood…giggling.

And here is Jack, who wants to share breakfast, laying between bed and my command central.

Fell Off the Buckboard and the Mule Stepped on Me

Woke up this morning feeling like I fell off the buckboard last night and the mule stepped on me. Travel is not easy for me and this body is showing the effects. What is that they say…no pain no gain?  Well, soon as I find the person that first said that and smack them….I will tell you what I think of it. If that is true, then I am about to gain the world.  

Today has been a quiet day at the motel, with me resting with my legs up mostly. I did not even feel like going to breakfast. Son goes on down and a few minutes later comes back with a nice tray covered with a cloth, holding waffles, coffee and juice that Leroy fixed for me. I felt like I was at the Ritz.

I love this picture of Leroy. It reminds me of a matador. I am looking for the red cape and hoping that no bull is in the parking lot.

What a great place this motel is. You can tell it was quite fancy in it’s day for there is a tennis court, sauna, restaurant, pool, lounge area and two floors of rooms. It is all quite nice. A fire damaged one end and work is slowly being done to restore.  Seeing this sign down the road last night returning to the motel said “welcome home” and was so inviting.

We drove out looking around the town earlier. It is a small town with that small town atmosphere.  I love it. I am not a fan of big towns. I think people and lives get swallowed up in them. As you can see, it is an old town with old buildings with architecture that draws the eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Dennis below. He has been doing the beautiful artwork on this place. This place has so much potential. I could just envision it as a health spa with a family atmosphere to come for peace and relaxation.

Dennis is another one of those people who does many jobs. But, the most impressive is his artwork. The pool glass all around had become foggy and so Dennis is making it look like stained glass. It is a work in progress and coming along beautifully. Also, he did the painting on the entrance drive through and the door entrance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pool is magnificent and HUGE. I could envision floating in it on one of those chair things. Sigh.  These pictures show the overall view of just one wall of windows that Dennis is working on and then a close up. He is doing a wonderful top and transforming this pool area into something quite exquisite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming to the Rio Cachuras has been more than just a motel stay. We have opened our hearts and minds to others and really seen them. Have you thought about as you rush through you day that you seldom really look at people and don’t see them for what they truly are. Nor do you get the chance to let them enrich your life.  Our lives have been touched and made brighter just these past couple of days by the ones working here at Rio Cacharas Inn.

We walked outside to look at this magnificent moon. Oh is it gorgeous. And to think those across the country and all over the world are seeing the same moon I am at the same time.  Cheers to my friends.

Is not this gorgeous? We just stood and watched for the longest time and then as we turned to walk back inside, we realized we had not noticed the beautiful lights that they had put on the trees out front.

And that was the perfect ending for for the day. And where is your paradise tonite?  Such simple pleasures that have brought so much joy to us as we pause in the middle of the desert in this oasis called Rio Cucharas.