Success - 1st Phase Completed

 

Song:  Peace Train

Artist:  Cat Stevens (Yusuf)

(I was in junior high school when this song came out.

It reminds me of an innocent...

and very happy time in my life)

The other day...

my elder sister had asked me why I hadn't used a bolt cutter 

to sever the extra thick buried wires...

of which had dramatically slowed my digging progress.

I hadn't even thought about it...

but when she mentioned it to me...

I decided to get one the next day.

The following day...

I drove to Walmart in Woodland Park to pick one up.

Walmart is just one mile beyond Safeway...

another favorite food shopping place of mine.

Pikes Peak's peak is covered by the clouds.

I love driving to and from Woodland Park...

and Colorado Springs.

The drive is just so beautiful...

and I drive with all of the windows open...

with my hair being tussled by the wind...

and with me singing to my playlist...

not only for my pleasure...

but for Bandi's

(well, okay...maybe Bandi doesn't like my singing...

come to think of it...

perhaps that is why she likes sticking her head out of the window  :)

The temperature was in the mid to high 60s F (18-20 C).

The air was so fresh...

and as usual...

I put on my playlist and sang the whole way there and back.

I had also stopped by Arby's once again.

I got two Gyros.

They are just so good.

I love this Walmart.

It is very clean and organized.

The staff and the other people who shop there are polite and friendly.

As I drove home...

I just had to take more photos.

I have such a good time driving through the countryside...

I just love the ever changing clouds.

The Cripple Creek Mountain Community Center is pictured here to the left of center.

It is three miles from home..

down the mountainside.

Just behind it in the open field...

is where the music video was filmed

(Four articles prior to this one).

The clouds began to darken the nearer I got to home.

Later that evening...

there was a large and voluminous thunder storm.

It had rained into part of the night as well.

I so loved the Pad Thai that I had made a couple of days ago...

that I had again made some (before it stormed that night)...

but this time...

I doubled the amount made.

It tastes just as good warmed up later.

This morning I began digging once again.

This is the bolt cutter I had bought the day before.

It had clipped right through the wire with hardly any effort.

I positively zoomed through all of the wire...

and I was able to dig out the tree stump without further frustration.

Finally!

The heavy rain the previous night had proved to be fortuitous.

It had not only greatly softened the ground...

but it had demonstrated that the dug out portion had lots of drainage.

(although I will still provide other means of drainage...

as Japanese Maples need extra drainage).

Tomorrow morning...

I will go to phase II.

I am going to use the hand drill auger 

to provide vertical and horizontal holes...

to not only ensure plenty of drainage...

but to provide places for the tree roots to easily take hold.

Phase III will be filling the hole with a combination 

of pebbles, humus rich soil, and backfilling with the previous soil...

all mixed together...

 planting the Japanese Maple...

and then...

topping it off with a thick layer of mulch.

Phase IV will be the winterization of the tree.

But...

that will be in a month or two...

depending upon the extent of the night time temperature drop here.

What a hassle! 

But...

I feel so good having finally completed 

the most difficult portion of the planting preparation. 

After the tree is finally planted...

I am going to resume my weeding.

All of the bushes and the remaining weeds along the walkway will soon be gone.

Before I got sunburned...

I sat in the shade on the second deck to catch my breath...

and admire the views...

before calling it a day.

My view from the computer station in the loft...

as I began typing up this article.

Later on...

for lunch...

I am going to warm up a large helping of Pad Thai.

Next month...

I am going to order a plentiful amount of Thai Green Curry paste.

I will be adding a large amount of chicken and shrimp to the dish...

along with Shiitake and tofu.

I will then never have need to go to another Thai restaurant again.

----------------------

Pretty soon...

the Aspens all around the mountain will be a luminescent yellow.

Once the colors become vibrant...

I am going to take a video of a long trike ride I will undertake with Bandi running alongside

(I have a special 360 degree video camera which I will attach to a long pole...

of which will be attached vertically on the top horizontal pole of my trike seat).

I will...

of course...

be taking photos as well.

--------------

My 9' tall Christmas Tree arrived last week.

For this year...

and this year only...

I am going to put it up for my first year anniversary of my moving here.

September 17th...

that is when I will put up the Christmas Tree and light it up.

For all of the other years...

I will wait until the end of October or November...

depending on when the first heavy snows begin.

---------------

I have spoken so much before of placing carrots in life...

short...medium...and long term.

Life...

for me...

is so wonderful.

I love each day...

only because I have always placed carrots before me.

There is always so much in which to look forwards.

I love eating...

and so, I am gradually improving my cooking skills.

I love improving my surroundings...

and so...

I make progress in my home projects a little each day.

I love exercise...

and so...

I do so on a regular basis.

I love pursuing my personal passions and hobbies...

and so...

I make progress in those...

 a little each day.

I love being surrounded by nature...

and so...

I plant for the future.

I am very much looking forward to watching my trees grow...

year by year.

Yes...

deferred gratification is a necessary part of life

(some things you don't have to like...

you just have to do).

However...

an even greater way to live is to master self-motivation.

To be pulled towards passion...

instead of being pushed by discipline...

is to always be happy.

To be in love with your visions of a better future...

provides you the drive to achieve them...

and...to live a self driven life...

is to truly live.

And most of all...

appreciate what you have...

especially that of all of the great simple pleasures in life.

-----------

Right now...

I am dancing in my chair to the sound of...

'Going To Make You Sweat'

(and no...I will never do such moves in public.

I am an even worse dancer than I am a singer  :)

The smallest things in life make me so happy inside...

only because I realize that optimism and realism are one and the same...

if you but act on the optimism to make it a reality.

Looking at the clouds through the cathedral windows from the loft...

feeling good for having completed phase I...

 looking forwards to eating Pad Thai for lunch...

and depending on the evening weather...

a sunset ride to the top of the mountain.

These are just examples of deeply appreciating 

all of the great simple pleasures of life.

-----------

Blame no one else for your life.

You alone...are responsible for it.

Things you cannot control...

are not your worries or sorrow.

Things you can control...

are yours to dream of...

work towards...

and achieve...

and to then fully enjoy for the rest of your life.

Simplify your life so you may concentrate on your goals.

Rid yourself of all negative influences...

walk bravely through the fires of hell...

knowing all along that the lower the temporary lows of life

(and yes...

they are temporary)...

the higher the highs 

(of which last a lifetime).

Slow down if you must...

but never give up

(know when to shift to a lower gear to prevent stalling).

Create win-win scenarios in life.

Defeat death by living and loving your life fully...

and by leaving behind a few words of wisdom for future generations.