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26 November ~2008
You are supposed to expose puppies to a variety of situations to build their confidence, so I took my Mollie and Ben and Maggie to walk in Downtown Denver Sunday Morning. We went along Broadway up to the Capitol and back.I used to do this quite a lot when Ben and Maggie were young. They remember that slow squirrels and stupid pigeons reside in the grounds around the Capitol and the park in front of the City and County Building. Even constrained by my leash the dogs have gotten close to a squirrel heading for a tree. Once I had to pull them back to give the squirrel a chance to make it up.
Plenty of my history is aquainted with the downtown area - from working there in the early 80's, walking with my daughters on Friday afternoons, sitting by the front doors of the skyscraper at 17th and Stout with Amy and Alyssa waiting for Mom to come out, eating at the Spaghetti Factory ("the bread family"), going up the steps to the dome of the Capitol with Amy and Alyssa.
Before that I attended Metro State in Downtown Denver, in the pre-Auraria campus days. Most of my classes were at the 333 building, at Colfax and Tremont, across the street from the Mint and a stone's through from Civic Center Park and the Library. I was barely 20 then, alone and unencumbered. I already was fascinated with botany and nature, and learned the names of all the shade trees and all the weeds that grew around the city. I would take the bus to the Museum of Natural History, which was free then, and went to the Botanic Gardens on Tuesdays when the herbarium was open.
I walk the streets alone again, as if my marriage and family years were a distant dream. Thank goodness I see my daughters occasionally though - probably in a few weeks at Christmas, and for sure next March, because I have bought tickets for all us to see the Phantom of the Opera at Temple Buell Theatre.
We used to go to First Night Colorado on New Year's eve. I remember one year just before midnight it starting snowing - and recall marvelling at the beauty of it coming down through the lights at the Daniels Fischer Tower, with one of the girl's on my shoulders. I am sure I told them to look at that, look how beautiful, how incredible. They did, looked up and watched the snow floating down.
At one of the First Night's we went into a building where they had a country band with a lady fiddler - I don't even remember their name, but I recall the energy and magic of the music and everyone dancing. It wasnt long after that Janet and I signed up for dance lessons so we could become part of it.
I still dance, always three nights a week, sometimes more than that. It makes my life rich, just like my volunteer community work does - my storytelling, nature programs, ranch work at horse rescue. Thing's change, and you make the best of it. I have done ok. Not touching alcohol this whole decade has certainly helped.
The dogs had a good walk - Mollie was excited at the newness of downtown - the noises, the people, even the light rail and the buses that speed by.
She is big enough now that Ben doesnt scare her when he wants to play, which is not as gentle as Maggie's playing. They run from the living room to the bedroom, roughhousing and wearing each other out.
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