Indictment

Denver Post - Two people were indicted late Monday by the federal grand jury in Denver for the death of a dog and subsequent cover-up.

Buddy, a German shepherd mix, was dragged three miles up a steep, snowy road at the Colorado National Monument.

Steven Clay Romero, 37, of Grand Junction, did "knowingly torture, needlessly mutilate and needlessly kill" the dog, according to the indictment.

The grand jury alleged that Romero tied a rope around the bumper of a vehicle and tied the other end of the rope around Buddy's neck and dragged the German shepherd mix until it died.

Romero's sister, Marie Lockhart, 32, of Fruita, was also indicted.

The grand jury alleged that Lockhart knew that Romero had killed Buddy early on Dec. 30 but lied when questioned by law enforcement.

If this case actually makes it to trial they may have to change venue to a U.S. Territory. I've never seen a case garner so much attention and selecting a jury will be incredibly hard. I think this case shows the depth of human evilness and tears at our conscience. It was premeditated and horrific in its execution. I know it would kill me if something like this happened to Callie, and I am overly protective of her. Buddy was some one's beloved pet, he was no less. Just because he was a dog doesn't make him less valuable. If anything, he should be a lesson in what people are capable of and how low they will go. I so hope that someday we figure out how to permanently stop these cruel acts. This is no better or no worse than human beings using dogs for fighting or mercilessly beating them. Animals are our responsibility. We owe them the duty of caring for them in nothing less than a caring and compassionate manner. Dogs would never treat us the way we have treated them.

Colorado terrier scraps with large lizard Down Under - The Denver Post

"A Jack Russell terrier from Colorado, living temporarily in Australia with his owners, has been recognized by a pet insurance firm for triggering a 'most unusual' claim.

Jack, a 10-year-old male, tangled with a large lizard Down Under and the terrier was torn up in the October scrap.

Jack's claim, submitted by his owners, Jacquelin and Lance Throneberry of Denver, was among 80,000 submitted to Veterinary Pet Insurance Company in December, said Grant Biniasz, a spokesman with the California-based firm.

The claim was selected by VPI 'as the most unusual of the bunch.'

Jack received cuts on his front and hind legs that 'required multiple stitches, several staples and treatment with a series of antibiotics,' Biniasz said."

Other claims submitted in December considered the "most unusual" included: a mixed-breed dog who wolfed down 14 chocolate brownies; a cat who ate a toy mouse; a mixed-breed dog who swallowed a snake; a boxer who snarfed a rubber tire; a mixed-brred dog who was bit by a squirrel; and a Labrador who snacked on a slipper.

Good thing Callie only eats Croc's...shoes that is...

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Floor caves under Weight Watchers weigh-in - Diet and nutrition- msnbc.com:

"As a Weight Watchers group gathered for a routine weigh-in, the dieters got an idea of how far they still had to go: The floor underneath them collapsed, a Swedish newspaper reports.

'We suddenly heard a huge thud; we almost thought it was an earthquake and everything flew up in the air,' one of about 20 group members said to the Smalandsposten newspaper. 'The floor collapsed in one corner of the room and along the walls.'"

That's pretty funny on its face. But it sounds like a sewage pipe was leaking...yuck! Motivates me to lose more weight. I've lost some, but working in a grocery store is hard especially on the front end where they put all the candy bars in the register lanes! Purposeful marketing. I'm a sucker!

Snow Goose

I hope the photographer took this and skeedaddled. Snow Geese are not like Mother Goose. They are mean as heck and have no patience and tolerance (they could us a 12 step program). I know I've been chased by them. The tend to gang up, and while this one looks like it might be smiling, it might just be smiling because it thinks it's looking at its next attack victim!

Top ten things to do in Colorado before you die

This was an article in the Post yesterday. I love Colorado. I was born and raised here (with the exception of two years on the boat), and I would be okay if I died here. I would like to travel, but Colorado is my home and a terrific place to live and breath. I liked this list because as much as I've done, it's been about half of what's on the list. I'm back on my feet financially, so maybe this is the year to explore my backyard a little further.

1. Climb a fourteener. I've done that, but they were basic and not very interesting at the time, so maybe I'll go to Gunnison this summer.

2. Attend a Concert at Red Rocks. It amazes me that living here all my life, most of it in Boulder and Denver I have NEVER attended a concert at Red Rocks. The artists I've wanted to see are usually at Fiddler's Green. Maybe I need to become a John Tesh fan, he seems to be the only one who plays there. I've hiked up there and it is lovely. So on my list of to do.

3. Explore. This is a general category. They are referring to Mesa Verde, Ute Mountain Tribal Park and Cortez. I've been to Mesa Verde, but would like to go again. I think it is better preserved than Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, which I visited a few years ago.

4. Sink into Strawberry Park Hot Springs. This is in Steamboat. It has a reputation because you can skip swim suits at night. I like Ouray and Hot Sulpher Springs the best, but will settle for Glenwood in a pinch.

5. Visit Great Sand Dunes National Park. Driven past it a few times going to and from New Mexico. Maybe if I do this Ojo Caliente spa trip in the spring I'll go the Dunes then. So, on the to do list.

6. Listen to Elk Bugle. My ex-husband and I used to do this regularly. My parents have a cabin in Grand Lake, which is a very short distance from Rocky Mountain National Park and Elk Meadows. You have to go when the sun is setting and freeze your ass off, but it is the strangest haunting feeling to be standing in the middle of a meadow with Elk all around you and you can't see them and they start their mating calls. It is an incredible experience and well worth the freezing part.

7. Navigate a mountain road. I was raised in the mountains north of Boulder, so I did this on a daily basis. They were referring to Independence Pass, Mount Evans, Trail Ridge and Red Mountain Pass. I've driven all of them. The landscape is breathtaking and worth the gas.

8. Board a train. I haven't done that in years. I like that idea a lot. On the to do list.

9. Raft the Arkansas. Done that twice. The lower Arkansas known as the Royal Gorge. The first year the water was so low and slow it was like a float. The second year it was flat scary. Serious rapids, and strong discussion of closing the canyon as we were putting the rafts in the water. I'm glad they didn't close it, what a rush!

10. Touch Dinosaur Tracks. On the to do list. It's silly I haven't done it yet. I live in such close proximity to some of the greatest finds in the country.

No matter what there is always something neat to do around here. Even a day hike (which I do regularly when the weather cooperates) is just minutes away. I often go before I go to work. Life in Colorado is pretty good. I wouldn't trade it. I almost did once, but Good Orderly Direction intervened and I am home.

Portales sunset

This picture was in the Post this morning. New Mexico does have incredible sunrises and sunsets. I don't know what it is about that flat desert, but it brings amazing color. I was talking to a friend about going to Ojo Caliente sometime this spring. This picture makes me want to consider it more.

Random Thoughts

This weather is starting to get to me. We had a break yesterday. It warmed up enough that Callie and I made a break for it and went hiking out in Devil's Canyon. We had a fabulous time! There was snow on the ground and it was cold, but the sun was shining and it felt so good to move outside again. There are no pictures because Callie knocked me over a couple of months ago and broke my camera. She's now looking for a job so she can buy me a new one. :-) She had a good time with a couple of other dogs at the canyon and then had a good nap after at home. On the way there and back we drive by the west entrance to the Monument and I thought about Buddy, the dog who was dragged to his death and the fallout from it. Amazingly, today the suspects sister, who has also been arrested and released on bond, got online and admitted her guilt, trying to write it off as "everyone makes mistakes". She made a doozy to say the least. She admitted to God and world what happened and sealed hers and her brothers fate. Problem is, she really is too stupid to know it. I am continually amazed at the deterioration of this society. It's scary and makes me less than optimistic about the future. But I still try. I try to be a good person and do my part and hopefully spread the good will. I think more people are trying to do that and the outrage at egregious behavior is becoming more public. I think people feel a strong need for a big change and know that it begins with them.

Today the weather is crummy again, so Callie and I stuck close to home. We went around the same boring block and played the same boring fetch in the yard and had a lazy afternoon nap and snack. Tomorrow it is back to work and trudging the road to happy destiny. I feel very lucky. I am working; Callie, Abbie, Nicholas and I have a safe place to live and some money in the bank. Life is pretty good for me now and keeps getting better. I am learning a lot and discovering much. I still have many character defects to work on and 2010 is another year to continue to work on them with the support of my family, my group and my friends. It is a lifetime journey. In the meantime, Callie and I pray for another great day to be able to go out and run in the hills and enjoy this great time in our lives.

Enough of this!

A cold snap in December didn’t go unnoticed by Sher Ward of Mack.

This year was the first she can remember when Canada geese on her property sought shelter in her dogs’ houses.

“I had to shoo them out. Otherwise, the dogs would eat them,” Ward said.

Ward, 37, also had to borrow a skid steer this December to move snow to open pasture for her livestock.

“I’ve got three-foot snowdrifts on property,” she said. “It’s way harder to work when it’s this cold.”

While temperatures at the west end of the Grand Valley are usually colder than the valley’s east end, no local residents were immune from December’s icy blast.

Temperatures in the Grand Valley last month were the fourth coldest on record for December, and it was the fifth snowiest December, according to the National Weather Service of Grand Junction.

Snow and ice that lingered on streets and fields helped lock in low temperatures, Weather Service hydrologist Bryon Lawrence said.
“We’ve been having cold weather for the Grand Valley,” he said. “It’s pretty impressive.”

December temperatures averaged 17.5 degrees last month. Decembers in Grand Junction normally average 28 degrees. The coldest December on record was 1919, when temperatures averaged 15.6 degrees.

Callie and I haven't been hiking since this started. It's just too cold. I moved over here for the milder temperatures and have been lucky until this year. Now I'm over it and ready to move to Mexico! Looking at the forecast it appears we get a break next week...look out hills here we come!