Friday, April 15, 2016

The Fleeting Beauty of Spring

It seems like the only thing I ever post about lately is the weather. Well, you can be glad that I spared you the whiny posts about taxes - which have pretty much consumed my attention over the past few weeks - this year was a real adventure in that department, but I'm finally done...

... just in time for the snowstorm! Yup, you read that right. We're projected to get anywhere from 4 inches to 2 feet of the white stuff this weekend. Oy! Well, you know what they say... April blizzards bring May... um... lizards?


Or wait... maybe it's wizards...


No wait! I know! It's gizzards!


Well anyway... spring snow storms are nothing new here in Colorado - April is our second snowiest month after all, but honestly, I'm kinda ready to be done with snow for the year.

The worst part about it is that since we've had such beautiful weather for the past few weeks, all of the flowering trees are in full bloom, and the chances of the blossoms surviving the storm are slim to none. Sigh.

But, yesterday was beautiful. It was almost 80 degrees (26C) so CatMan and I went for a bike ride to soak up as much of the beauty as we could before the snow wipes it all away. 

We rode south along the Platte, where the trail is dotted with honeysuckle bushes. I spent the entire ride inhaling deeply, trying to fill my lungs with the sweet aroma before it vanishes for another year.

Then we stopped at the crabapple grove to snap a few photos and smell the blossoms. 








Those photos would have been better if shot on my SLR, but alas, it's kinda hard to carry on a long bike ride.

Anyhow, I put out extra food for the squirrels this morning because the females are all nursing babies. And then I went out to take a few shots from around the yard.





If it wasn't for Smoky the Destroyer, who will try to eat any plant he finds, I would have been tempted to cut a bunch of these and bring them inside. Sigh.

Honestly though, I think he's hoping for more days or warmth and sunshine like we had earlier this week:



Well, the rain is supposed to start soon, and turn over to snow tonight. It will be interesting to see how much we end up with. Could be exciting so I'll keep you posted!


14 comments :

  1. I forget who said it, but the saying goes, if it weren't for the weather, we'd have no way to start a conversation or nothing to talk about. Keep your snow. We're supposed to be in the 70's this weekend with no rain or high winds. :)

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    1. OK... I'll keep the snow. It's the least I can do under the circumstances. Hope you enjoy your warm weather!

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  2. Beautiful flowers! It's gray and cold here, today. But maybe I should get outside and see what's blooming, anyway.
    Surely, this is the last of your snow, right?!

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    1. I sure hope it's the end of the snow for this year. I'm ready for spring!!!

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  3. Wow, those crab apple blossoms are so excited that it's spring! And I really love your three-in-one shot at the bottom.

    One thing I realized after returning from our latest travels is how good spring smells here. And right now there's something very fragrant that reminds me of nutmeg. In a place where I can see nothing blooming!

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    1. For some reason CatMan doesn't seem to be able to smell the blossoms like I can - poor guy doesn't know what he's missing!

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  4. We went to Illinois a couple of weekends ago. Their spring blooms were much farther developed than ours--I was so happy to see forsythia and fruit tree blossoms! And the day that it was 77* and sunny there was heavenly. Last weekend (back in MI) we had snow, freezing rain, sleet, rain ... bleah. And now we are in a wonderful weather pattern--several days of weather in the 70s with sunshine. It really lifts your spirits to see the sun. Your pictures are gorgeous and I enjoyed vicariously enjoying them. :)

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    1. Well, I had to try to capture as much of it as I could before winter makes a nasty return. Fortunately, by the end of next week we're supposed to be in the 70's again so the cold and snow won't last. It all does have me rethinking my fantasy of planting a few apple trees - could be a recipe for frustration!

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  5. Your pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!! Snow? Enough already! Poor kitty is needing some sun for sure.
    My brother is coming over to Kansas this week to see me and he keeps saying "unless the weather is bad". You would think in late April that isn't something you would have to add to your travel plans. I am thinking we are past any freezing temps but I never say never.

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    1. Well hopefully you won't get anything like what we've got. It's not too bad, it rained all night and turned over to snow early this morning, so the ground is mostly just covered with a few inches of slush. I did see some weather models showing HUGE rainfall for western Kansas though... hopefully you'll be spared!

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  6. I love that picture of Smokey!
    It seems like you're having the same weather patterns as us, but more extreme. We've also had the false spring that brings the flowers on, but not so far as yours, and then the cold weather that knocks them back, but only a dusting of snow, not inches of it. Honeysuckle flowers are a long way off yet - they're a summer flower! - and fruit tree blossoms are still to come. Last year we had no fruit because the cold weather knocked out the flowers, so I'm hoping they hold off this year until the cold weather has passed.

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    1. Smoky keeps me entertained, that's for sure! Crazy weather is par for the course here, but honestly it seems a bit crazier than usual. I wonder if it's El Niño.

      I'm not entirely 100% sure that the bushes I was referring to actually are honeysuckle - the flowers seem a little bit too fuzzy, but they sure smell like honeysuckle.

      Anyhow, the second season of Hinterland just came on Netflix and I'm once again hooked - I blame you! :-) Gotta say though, it always looks so gray, bleak, and dreary. Is that how it is in Wales or do they just film on gray days for effect?

      Well, here's hoping your fruit trees don't get knocked out again this year!

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    2. Glad you're enjoying Hinterland! Right now, we have glorious sunshine (though cold) and Wales is looking stunningly beautiful. They film over the winter months, so they have more dreary days to choose from than they would in the spring. I think they've just finished filming the third series - we've kind of got used to having a film crew around the place.

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