Hello, Again!

I'm still not calling myself "ElizabethDoug," but I do love living under Ponderosa Pines, redecorating my apartment, and developing my love for symphonic music and, especially, grand opera. This coming Saturday, I'm being taken by my lover to my first live opera, Rossini's The Barber of Seville, at OperaColorado in Denver. I'm dressing up because it's Opening Night, and, even in casual Colorado, that must mean something. However, I believe it is the first time I've worn a tie in 25 years! Spiffy me!

Things are developing in friendly fashion with my brother Bill upstairs, a surprise to everyone we know, since we used to compete and bicker, being male twins. Seems to work quite well these days. I'm also spending more time with my kids, though most of January, after the seasonal parties, etc., I mostly hibernated in my cave under Bill's house, enjoying the seclusion and solitude. I usually am a recluse in the winter, but not an unhappy or bitter one. I need time to grow myself and to focus on and love me, so that I can love others more effectively. A good deal of journal writing, dream catching, and some sensational imaginative living went on in January and will probably continue in February as well.

While I still communicate with the family Betanco in Nicaragua, it's not the same since I made the decision, for health and personal economics and safety, not to revisit Nicaragua. It feels a bit like Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa: when she left Kenya broken-hearted and busted, she never went back. I also intend to move on forward, though I'll stay in touch.

Sayonara 'til next time.
Gracias, CenterDoug