Life Above the Foothills

By J.D. Cleary

Tales told and shared in the mountains of Colorado, woven together to create a story about life hidden away in a small mountain community.

 

This is a quick read that shares the often humorus, seldom boring, and never charming Life Above the Foothills.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.D. Cleary
• Release date: Sep 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215527740

Book preview

Life Above the Foothills

Just Jay Talking

Jay D. Cleary

KDP 2022

Life Above the Foothills

Just Jay Talking

Jay D. Cleary

Copyright © 2022 Jay D. Cleary

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Cover- Jay D. Cleary

Editor-Best Friend-All Around Good Sport:

Ann M. Lewandowski

Photos:

Jay D. Cleary and Ann M. Lewandowski

Contents

Winter in Paradise

Damn Driveway

The Wood Burner

Cold Snap

That Loving Look

Funk

Long Time No Hear

Christmas at Home

Springtime in The Rockies

The Cabin

Flowers for the Pope

One In The Same

Vegas

Spring Cleaning

Summertime Blues

Memorial Day Weekend

Mountain Nipping

Wildfires

- My Old Notebook-

-Cameron Peak Wildfire-

-Home Again-

The Life of Riley

Shifting The Morning View

Is It The Weekend?

Another Burnt Breakfast

An Old Side Door

Fall is in the Air

The Turning of the Leaves

Oh Damn

City Shock

No More Travel

The Road That Takes Me Home

Winter in Paradise

Damn Driveway

Damn driveway finally thawed out. Now with this new storm, it looks like Ann has her work cut out for her. 

If it's not one thing, it's another. Took her all day to bring in the wood yesterday. 

I'll get her all bundled up before we send her out to find the driveway: Parka, scarf, gloves, slip-resistant boots, and an ergonomically correct snow shovel. I believe in safety first around here. 

Ann believes in retainer fees or something. She was mumbling about an attorney, attorney fees, counseling, or something. Bonanza was on, so I wasn't giving it my full attention.

Well, I'm on to grab another cup of coffee, throw another log on the fire and play with the yapping little dog thing while we enjoy watching the snow falling outside. 

Ann seems content sipping her tea and scribbling a lot of stuff on those long, yellow notepad things... 

...

While legal pads and attorneys may be bending the branch a bit, Ann and I did trip and stumble over each other early on, like a couple of young bucks trying to figure it out. Kind of testing each other’s will while getting used to how things work up here.

Young bucks figuring it out

WELCOME TO OUR LITTLE piece of paradise tucked away in a quiet little mountain community in Colorado.

From wherever  USA to adjusting to this little mountain community comes with its own set of challenges, each unique, and each with its own pain level.

I’ve fallen on my ass more times than Ann cares to remember both proverbially and right where it hurts, but I wouldn’t trade a bruise or embarrassing moment for most anything that you would have to offer.

This is a good place. The solitude of the mountains, but yet an arm's length away from a good neighbor's voice in times of laughter or of need.

This is a place to learn how to forge memories from hard ground in a place that you have only read about in books or were fortunate enough to have visited at some point along the way.

Maybe the thought of living in the mountains seemed destined for others but not for yourself.

And now you're here.

With so many things to look, see, and touch how could you possibly find the time to do anything other than dance around the house, butt naked if the mood hits you, proudly walk, fully dressed, around the property, and run for neighbor of the year just by being here.

Well neighbor, you can start by looking to the skies and taking notice anytime there’s a nip in the air, because winter is never far from our minds. After a season or two you’ll get the feel for it and you’ll know when you’ve got a good hand around things.

There's nothing better than being snowed in for a couple of days when you’ve prepared.

Somebody calls and needs something...Nope, snowed in. I could use a little help...Nope, snowed in.

Unless it's serious enough to get your warm ass up and fight with the deep snow to help a neighbor, a simple Nope, snowed in should be understood. I think it’s in the mountain code book somewhere. Maybe the library has some information on that.

If a major snowstorm is heading our way and we’re looking at a couple of feet of snow, then its best to understand that all the bitching in the world won’t change the notion that you're not going anywhere for a couple of days. It might take that long before the plows get serious, so stock up and batten down beforehand.

Cancel or reschedule appointments in town, stock up on food items, move some wood around, kick the floor heaters, and ready the snow shovels.

Thinking about how a generator might come in handy right about now may be too late, but it does give you something to think about next spring.

If you thought life up here would be without challenge, you could not have been more wrong. But it's within those challenges regardless of size, that you learn how to string those ugly four-letter words together while you build a little mountain character getting them figured out.

Sometimes through the most basic of needs the mountains will lead you through its hidden