Each night, as I wait to drift off to sleep, I've been listening to an audio book, 

and Friday night was no exception.  

"...an enthralling historical saga that recreates the danger, romance, and sacrifice of an era and brings to life one courageous, passionate American—Mildred Fish Harnack—and her circle of women friends who waged a clandestine battle against Hitler in Nazi Berlin."

After Wisconsin graduate student Mildred Fish marries brilliant German economist Arvid Harnack, she accompanies him to his German homeland, where a promising future awaits. In the thriving intellectual culture of 1930s Berlin, the newlyweds create a rich new life filled with love, friendships, and rewarding work—but the rise of a malevolent new political faction inexorably changes their fate.

As Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party wield violence and lies to seize power, Mildred, Arvid, and their friends resolve to resist. Mildred gathers intelligence for her American contacts, including Martha Dodd, the vivacious and very modern daughter of the US ambassador. Her German friends, aspiring author Greta Kuckoff and literature student Sara Weitz, risk their lives to collect information from journalists, military officers, and officials within the highest levels of the Nazi regime.

For years, Mildred’s network stealthily fights to bring down the Third Reich from within. But when Nazi radio operatives detect an errant Russian signal, the Harnack resistance cell is exposed, with fatal consequences.

Inspired by actual events, Resistance Women is an enthralling, unforgettable story of ordinary people determined to resist the rise of evil, sacrificing their own lives and liberty to fight injustice and defend the oppressed.

I was surprised to wake during the night to voices in my bedroom, and discovered that the audio book had come back on.  Weird!  Then last night when I went to listen I found that the book had "skipped" from chapter 5 to 12.  So maybe I hadn't set the timer the night before...?

Yesterday Ivy brought along her big brother, 9yo Elijah,  

and Brownie gave him a warm welcome.

Turning the lights on and off is fun -

and so is stacking tublets - 

though it was bubbles that elicited huge smiles from her; wish I'd gotten pix of that activity.  And when I (eventually) put down the wand, she picked it up and emphatically gave it back to me for Round 2.

Elijah hadn't brought anything to do with him, so I got out my iPad.  

He really enjoyed the first game I showed him.

When I mentioned that I had other games he might also enjoy, he asked what they were.  I sat down next to him, and when he leaned over Brownie got right up in his face, "protecting" me.  (Just like he does when Tom leans over to kiss me goodnight.)  I, of course, grabbed his muzzle, reprimanded him harshly, and banished him to Time Out in the bedroom for a while.  He got paroled a few hours later, and of course he was fine. 

I loaded a couple of Elijah's favorite games (happily they were free) 

so he stayed entertained for the day. 

Terry & Michael basically finished the roof yesterday (he should finish up today, doing the final trim work) while I took care of Ivy, Elijah, Neil and Hilda.  Again it was really an easy day, with Ivy really only objecting when I went to change her diaper in the afternoon - maybe because she knew it wasn't wet?

After driving Michael and kids home, I took the "shortcut" from Moffet to Saguache so I could get gas.  That turned out to be something out of a movie, though it was not quite on the same level as the Petaluma experience.

From the recent OLT newsletter:

To begin to understand the concept of closing the loop of an ecosystem, follow the water. The streams that leave the top ponds, the soaking pond, the apple ponds. Where do they go? To find the answer, find the box. Each stream feeds into the collection box, a concrete vault in between the Oak House and the Welcome Center. There the water feeds into an underground pipe that leads to the hydroelectric plant, which supplies all the power for Valley View Hot Springs and allows the Springs to be completely off the grid. After the water leaves the plant it feeds into the Meanders, a winding shallow stream, about a fourth of which was constructed in partnership with OLT, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and USFWS, and Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife. The lower three fourths is the historic stream bed. It provides not only usable fresh water down the hill, but also to give a home to two species of threatened fish, the Rio Grande Sucker and the Rio Grande Chub. The water in the meanders then flows into the Reservoir at Everson Ranch, where it is collected and the water level is regulated as it is used to provide all the water for the 760 acres at Everson Ranch. The ranch uses irrigated pipe to ensure that the water is not wasted. In the high winds and dry climate of the valley, upwards of 15% of water can be wasted to evaporation before it even hits the ground. Irrigated pipe ensures that the water will all be distributed to the plants, and then drip right back down into the aquifer, keeping Colorado water in Colorado. The water is used to feed the pasture land that is grazed by the cows and pigs and sheep, the garden which provides fresh veggies, and the alfalfa fields, which will be cut, dried, and used to feed the livestock for the winter. To further close the loop, Everson Ranch is bringing the meat and vegetables back to the hot springs, where they are sold and enjoyed by the guests. Any extra food is put into compost bins, which then are brought right back down to the ranch to feed the pigs, and the cycle continues. Approximately 30% of the food produced in America is thrown away. 80% of the water consumed in this country is used in agriculture. It is up to us to ensure that we close the loop and eliminate waste to the best of our ability. And for us, it starts with the very water you are soaking in.