Checkin' in

I spoke to the man on the mountain today. No, not Moses - Paul G. Goldsmith, The Great White Hunter. Elk are playing hard to get this year. (Phew!) Don't tell him I said that...And it rained all day yesterday and last night. So he was a drowned rat, but just like Annie - the sun came out. Today. It sounds like they're hiking out tomorrow and hunting in the lower area. Heading home on Friday. I'm glad. I miss him! Plus I'm a little freaked out about this moving thing and he's not here to calm my nerves. The nerve of him!

Next week it's my turn to be gone and his week to stress out all by himself. I'm going to Boulder and Winter Park with five of my High School homegirls for a long weekend. Woohoo. That's going to rock. Hiking, beverages and laughter. Plus I think we're going to try that Croning Ceremony I read about - or we'll fake it and just pretend.

Monday I worked until noon and drove to Madison, WI all by my lonesome. I had a book on CD to listen to on the way there. Still Life With Crows by Preston and Child. It's about a six hour drive - and I didn't have a GPS, alas. Pablo has it in the mountains. But I managed to find my way to the Microtel. Why is it Indians are in the hotel biz, Vietnamese gravitate to doing nails and Chinese do food? That was one thing I pondered on the way home, when I didn't have a book to listen to...

The next day, I met with several people from Wisconsin DNR about their Green Tier Program. The program cuts through regulations for companies who are already going over and above doing good things environmentally. Cool stuff. I arrived in downtown Madison early and walked around a bit. Of course their capitol isn't quite as impressive as ours...no gold dome. I met the program chief and we headed to the Marigold for breakfast - I had a lovely tomato/artichoke quiche.

Madison is built between a couple lakes. It's a lovely town. I wish I would have had more time to look around. Lunch was with 3 staffers at a place called the Great Dane - on a veranda outdoors. Quite lovely. I'm awful at eating and talking though...everyone was done and I was still chewing!

It was after 8 p.m. when I got back to Joan's. And my roomie is at Lake of the Ozarks, so I'm Home Alone! Except tonight - her niece Kimmy will be here after her class at Mercy.

shoes made of chocolate

It's massive!

Tonight after work I visited the most hugest HyVee in the world - the new one on Douglas in Urbandale. It just opened in August. Here are a few photos. From this video display, it looks like they're going to Leed certification. That means they've gone all out to reduce waste, save energy and recycle. It's very impressive! I must say I'll go back.

Video display showing enviro stuff

HyVee Lounge area...
 

Today at lunch I spied this T-shirt at a shop in the East Village. Thought my pal Vidette might appreciate it. It's prolly tough to be African American in a town like Creston that's 95% Caucasian...

See my head in the window - almost as if I'm (a pasty white girl) in the shirt