Lower Mohawk Lake at the foot of Quandary Peak.
A peek at a peak. Continue reading
Tag Archives: environment
The Bright Side Top Ten List
Most of you come to the Wild Ride for an upbeat quirky post and I don’t think I have let you down yet. This is Boulder, Colorado’s eighth, yes, 8TH week of snow in a row. Talk about quirky!
My husband, Danny, and I enjoyed summer-like weather last weekend. We spent Saturday afternoon and evening on Pearl Street taking in all the sights and sounds of spring in gorgeous 75 degree weather. I walked barefoot on Sunday. I should have known it was temporary.
Our never-ending winter cycle continued when another six inches dumped from the sky. Instead of a traditional Maypole dancing kind of day, we got a picture postcard of Christmas in May.
Being a hopeless optimist, here are my
Top Ten Reasons Why I am Still Welcoming the Snow:
#1 – West Nile has not been reported in our state.
#2 – The ants I slaughtered last year at this time, are still deep down in their little ant apartments where they belong.
#3 – After realizing I am allergic to yellow jackets, I am happy to report not one buzzed around in the snow today. My traps are locked and loaded.
#4 – I can’t mow the lawn, weed, trim hedges, or deadhead (dang!), so I have more time to write.
#5 – With all of this amazing moisture, we won’t have to start the sprinkler system for at least a couple of days. Our bill may stay in the two digit range this month.
#6 – No wildfires have been reported in our state for the month of May.
#7 – Prolonging my hibernation means wearing cozy Smart Wool socks and eating fresh bread and homemade soup. My Dumb Ass cotton socks will have to wait a few more days.
#8 – This crazy weather gives me lots of fodder for social media posts.
#9 – I have another chance to make a snow angel with Roxy.
#10 – I will appreciate spring so much more when it finally arrives, even if I have to wait until July.
Are you an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist?
Related posts:
April 2011,2012 and 2013 – A Photo Essay
April! April! Where for Art Thou?
April 2011, 2012, and 2013 – A Photo Essay
This morning, I watched these robins ruffle their feathers to keep the snow from accumulating. Poor birds…
In March of 2013, a cycle started with snowstorms arriving every Monday. Mother Nature must be on steroids because this has continued for seven weeks!
This is last year’s post comparing April of 2011 to 2012.
A Heatwave Cometh Early
April 13th, 2011
A lot has been written about global warming and it has become a hot political issue. Pun intended. Regardless of your stand on whether it exists, it has been a warm spring here in Boulder, Colorado. Last year there was so much snow in the mountains, we worried about flooding. This year it was warm and dry. Snow totals are 39% to 49% of normal.
March 23, 2012
This is the first year my wisteria has bloomed. I am amazed that it has survived our harsh winters here over the last 10 years. This is Colorado not California for God’s sake. I love it!
I am kinda digging this warm spring.
April 24th, 2012
Temperatures reached a very hot 88 degrees today and it feels more like June 24th than April 24th.
I have already battled ants this season. The miller moths that usually migrate in the millions at the end of May became the next unwelcome early arrival. I can hear them flapping their wings in the night above our bed. They are one month early and they never knock before coming into the house…So rude!
This foreshortened photo of my legs is really weird and so attractive!
In April 2011, we had a seasonal snowstorm that set back the spring foliage and nipped our fruit trees. The pruned die-back on the rose bushes filled a humongous trash can.
April 24th, 2012 – There is very little die-back and that will save me soooo much time!
April 13th, 2011
An icy garden
April 2011
April 24th, 2012
These are the last of the tulips in 2012 and it isn’t even May!
Last year in April the snow slowed down the tulips and this year they have already bloomed!
This year our spring is so summer-like.
Last year was like an ice age. What a difference!
Lilacs are in full bloom on April 24th, 2012. I have similar photos from last year in the middle of May!
We are not out of the woods for freezing temperatures until May 15th, but if we continue with this warm weather, we will have amazing fruit this year!
I have already made fresh rhubarb pie and the raspberries are about to bloom.
Raspberry rhubarb pie. Yum!
This is the end of a very lean ski season.
Avoiding the rocks.
Climbing them instead!
If it does threaten to freeze, I will be the crazy lady in the yard protecting everything with sheets like a Hampton’s homeowner covering furniture at the end of summer.
It is a good thing that weather isn’t like a bell curve or we would hit temperatures in the 140’s in July. It is supposed to chill out at the end of this week, but I have lost my faith in weather forecasters.
In the meantime, I will take advantage of the nice weather!
~~~~~
April 2013? Not so much.
We’ve had over 40 inches of snow this April and it ain’t over yet! Last week’s snow melted over the weekend. Another 8 inches fell overnight and it is still snowing…
Scientists are scrambling to make sense of the strange weather. A press release from CU-Boulder yesterday, announced findings that climate zones will shift faster as climate warms. This was the result of a joint research project conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and CU.
All I know is every inch of moisture is welcome respite after a long dry winter. We won’t have any forest fires as long as snow is on the ground.
Breckenridge and Vail Ski Resorts reopened for three days last weekend due to the enormous snow totals. Maybe ski areas should start opening in December and close in June!
Do you think we’ll ever be able to work in our gardens here in Boulder?
Will Harry ever regain the respect of his flock?
All photos by Susie Lindau
Related articles:
Friday Photos and Another Fire
This is why I love Colorado. While driving back from a hair appointment, I can gaze out the window at a view like this! Continue reading
Boo!
Are you feeling it yet? That creepy spine tingling shiver that crawls up your back leaving your little hairs all electrified? Are you seeing shadowy figures in the dark corners of your house? Do they vanish as you gasp while swinging around towards the entity? Well, I am here to get you in the mood. For what? HALLOWEEN! Continue reading
Surrounded by Eye Candy – A Photo Essay
Here are a few of the 400 photographs I took while hiking in Summit County, Colorado last Saturday. I know. 400. I couldn’t help myself. Everywhere I looked was another breathtaking shot.
It occurred to me why Pinterest has become so popular. With the advent of digital photography, there’s an explosion of new photographers on the scene. Continue reading
In Search of Simple Pleasures – A Photo Essay
When you live in Colorado, you don’t have to go far to find pleasure in the beauty that surrounds us.
Simple pleasures can be as easy as taking a walk. Last Saturday, my husband Danny and I hit the Mt. Royal Trail in Frisco. It is an intermediate hike that winds through Masontown which was destroyed in 1926 by an avalanche. Now it is a ghost town. The forest had been primarily evergreen, but aspen grew in its wake.
This steady climb was like stepping up stadium stairs. As we gained elevation, I imagined a new bride on the back of a burro mumbling, “How much further is it Charlie?” as she regretted her quick decision to marry a miner.
I took these photos with my Droid cell phone. Click on each photo to enlarge.
