Saturday, April 29, 2017

When it's Springtime in the Rockies...

Just when you thought it was safe to put away the winter gear...


I'd say there's a good 6-8 inches out there at the moment and it's still comin' down at a pretty good clip.

Truth is, this is actually fantastic news for us. Usually by this point in the season we've had about 55 inches of snow, and this year I think we were at about 19. So I'd describe the mood here as jubilant!


It started falling last night and hasn't really let up since.


And while this may seem like crazy weather to those of you not from these parts, March and April are actually Denver's two snowiest months, so this is actually much more "normal" than the mild weather we have been enjoying!

View from a bike ride last week.

I covered the garden, but honestly, I've only planted the cool weather crops, and the snow will insulate everything from the cold temps, so I think things will be fine. And the moisture is quite welcome!

I did forget to cut some of the lilacs and iris to bring them inside though... and this is what they looked like this morning.


Oh well... I did go out and shake the snow off of the lilac bush, so hopefully we won't get too many broken branches.

Glad I trimmed back the juniper tree... I fear it would be sagging even worse if I hadn't.


Anyhow... that's the news from the Mile High City! How's the weather in your neck of the woods?




And... here are some photos from recent bike rides to tide you (and me) over until things warm up!

Bear Creek in Morrison, CO

The remains of an old covered wagon out at Chatfield State Park
Some Neat Looking Clouds over the Mountains
Blossoms, blossoms, and more blossoms!



23 comments :

  1. Ooh, bundle up and stay warm! Time to make some soup.

    We also had a lot less snow than usual this past winter ... but ... we are in for potential flooding over the next 2 days. I spent the morning cleaning the basement--no, it isn't ALL clean, but where the kids hang out (which is the messiest area) we can now put stuff up on blocks to avoid the water if necessary. I took the opportunity to pitch a lot of broken/mismatched toys and games (really, not worth giving to Goodwill) and also took items that were usable to Goodwill.

    Your bike ride pictures look great. I haven't been out yet this spring, but I've gone hiking a few times.

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    1. Yikes! A flooded basement does NOT sound like fun! I've had water in my basement exactly once - when the gutters failed and water poured into the window wells and came in through the windows. I can't imagine dealing with it regularly. Stay safe!

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  2. We have been having glorious weather the last few weeks. Real autumn weather. We seemed to have missed out on Autumn last year. We can't grow lilacs - the climate is not suitable, but I have always wanted to grow them since reading Louisa May Alcott's 'Under the Lilacs'.

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    1. Lilacs are one of my favorites - though they don't last long. I cut some of the snow covered ones and brought them inside - they're a tad bit worse for wear, but they still smell amazing!

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  3. We lived in Colorado Springs for a couple of years and on May 5th one year we got almost a foot of snow.
    Colorado is beautiful when it's not snowing.

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    1. It always throws people - but in Colorado spring is the snowiest season, then fall, and then winter. It's those darned mountains throwing confusion into the weather patterns!

      CatMan grew up in Colorado Springs and still has many friends there - well, most have moved to Manitou - but close enough. Anyhow, we visit often and it's really a beautiful place.

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  4. A college friend of mine lives in the Denver area and she said that they had 8 inches at her house last night. It's beautiful, yes, but that kind of weather messes with my mind. Snow is for Christmas, in my mind. My guess is that by late next week, you'll be back in the 70s again, and you'll be able to get back to biking.

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    1. Ha! Well, as I said to Mac n' Janet above, it really does confuse people that spring is the snowiest season here. The biggest snow storm I ever saw (3 feet) was in March.

      But anyhow, it's in the mid-50s at the moment, and they're predicting 70s by Friday and 80s by Saturday. Gotta love Colorado weather!

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  5. We're having a very hot weekend with temps in the high 80's. But it's not too bad because it still cools off at night. Snow or not, you live in a beautiful area.

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    1. I do feel blessed to live in such a beautiful place - and even more blessed to be able to access so much of it by bike! High 80s sounds crazy for this time of year! Is that normal for you?

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    2. Anything can happen in spring, but 80's are not too common.

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  6. Buckets of rain here! Over 6 inches by our rain gauge since Wednesday, and some areas around here have had even more :(

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    1. Holy Kazoli! I'm not sure I can even imagine that amount of rain. Stay safe!

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  7. Your pictures are stunning!

    We've had the same amount of snow as usual. Zero!

    It hasn't gotten too hot yet, which is nice. There's still usually a chill in the air in the mornings and a cool breeze (actually, it's been quite windy here the past week).

    (My portal for you is sending me to Be More With Less again. Soooo weird. But I can still find you by coming directly here.)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. That is just bizarre about the portal sending you to Be More With Less - I don't even subscribe to that site! Very strange...

      Anyhow, I'm glad it's not too hot down there yet. I'm actually really looking forward to the hot weather, but I imagine it's much more oppressive down there with the humidity and all.

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    2. My humidity is only around 50%, much better than Houston where I went to high school where it's 90%.

      The problem is that the high is in the mid 90's most of the summer, but upper 90s or hotter through August. And not cloudy, usually, either. It feels good when you first get out of air-conditioned buildings, but then it's just all about continuous profuse sweating.

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    3. 50% is much better than 90% - but since I'm used to levels closer to 25%, it still sounds soupy to me!

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  8. The juniper tree had me laughing. While I know it's dangerous to have trees weighed down by heavy snow something about it always makes me smile. I would be frustrated having snow this late in the season, you have a good mindset about it though. While it was nice for me to get out a few times this winter (and as a result prevented more muscle wasting) I am terribly worried about our area with the limited snow we've been getting the last couple of years.

    As for lovely, the photo of Bear Creek is absolutely gorgeous!!! You are lucky to have such beautiful areas to bike to while living in a large city.

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    1. I actually don't really mind the late season snow. It's pretty, doesn't stick to the streets, and it's usually all melted within a day or two.

      So what happened to your blog? First you were uploading a bunch of old posts, and now it's gone! Does that mean you decided to give up your internet?

      Delete
    2. Hi Lois, I loved following you on your blog, but I cant find it now:{ Are you still blogging. Thanks !

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    3. Nope, I'm still here. I thought I could change the blog name without it affecting anyone following me. Ha! I have a lot to learn yet. So, I changed the blog name and started to upload my older material when I was hit by a Trojan virus. I'm just getting back online after having my computer repaired.

      Anyway, the address is lifeinaminimalistfarmhouse.wordpress.com

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  9. So many beautiful photos from those rides! The weather here has thankfully gotten cool again, and I'm enjoying the last gasps of a moderate spring before summer unfurls its terrible hell upon us. Every year, I question why we live here...until fall, when I remember.

    The snow really is beautiful where you are, especially on the juniper.

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    1. Spring snow is my favorite. It's pretty and short-lived! :-)

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