11 Things We Can Do To Cut Expenses or How to Beat the ‘Gas Woes’!

Recently, after a minor fender bender, I put my car into a body. I chose not to have a rental; thinking I would spend time at home doing things around the house and save gas.

After spending three and a half days at home: cooking, eating, sleeping, watching Animal Planet, the news, movies, working on my lack of lawn, going through and getting rid of ’stuff’, I called my sister, a few friends, wrote two posts, installed Photoshop CS3 (anyone know a good beginners class?), and visited Steve and Marsha (a hike away) for some icy blended drink and talk about retirement life. Yes, it’s been a relatively easy first week of retirement.

Staying home was not difficult. However, by Thursday I wanted and needed to get out of the house. I called my insurance to arrange for a rental and treated myself and Pieper (my companion and Golden Retriever) to a hike and swim. The trip to where we hike and swim is about a 20 minute drive and a 30 minute hike. The temperature was a whopping 91 degrees. When you are over a mile high…well, we were cooking. Unfortunately, Pieper is the only one allowed to swim in the reservoir; I’m left panting on the shore.

After the hike and swim, my normal routine, in an effort to coordinate trips and conserve gas, is to stop at the market on the way home. I’ll find some shade and park; leave the windows half way down in my Blazer, and Pieper being damp is fine while I pick up a few items at the grocery.

The rental car (a 2007 Ford Focus), had huge windows all around, letting far too much sun into the car. The car would hardly cool down with the airconditionair on maximum! No way was I going to leave Pieper in this car. I passed the market, did not collect groceries and went directly home.

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Winter Hiking: A Dip Into Serenity

Rocky Mountain Splash

A February 2008 view of the Stratton Open Space resevoir from the Ponderosa trail. The resevoir is at the bottom of Cheyenne Mountain near the Will Rogers Sun Shrine. From a distance it looks as though the reservoir has a swirling funnel; opining up and swallowing the water. As we arrive closer we see the water is frozen. I love the contrast from the winter terrain, the pines against the water and the tawny horizon, as blue upon blue defines the sky. Our relationship to the planet seems so serene in this time and space.

Dabbling Ducks

The three tiny dots on the water are ducks; I’m outside a chained and locked gate. A chain link fence surrounds the reservoir, keeping people and animals out; the frozen lake is dangerous to unsuspecting large animals who might wander onto the ice.

No Humans Allowed!

In the summer, rangers open the gate, allowing people and animals to enter. Canines are permitted to swim in the summer and early fall months.

At one time the reservoir was closed to everyone; however, people kept cutting through the fence. Finally after a few town meetings and months of debating, a decision was made to open the reservoir during the summer and early fall months to everyone. However, humans would not be allowed to enter the water; just the animals…no matter how tempting the water is on a hot day, just the dogs get to swim.

Last summer a golden retriever searches for unknown treasure; leaving me panting on the bank!