Oh man spring comes late at 9000 feet.... Last weekend we drove down to Boulder to help a friend out and it was green, trees had leaves, it was 28C. We had the snow tires changed out and grabbed all of the camping gear from storage. On our way back up we drove in some of the worst conditions I have EVER encountered, and hey, I am from Canada.... as the Subaru acted as an icebreaker we giggled that we must look like we got off a plane from a warm destination, for our shorts and sandals were not at all appropriate dress for the weather.
But spring it IS here in the Rocky Mountains. Snow is gone from all but the full day of shade spots swelling the creek to a full-on river complete with mosquitoes The fly fishers are clogging up the Blue River and on a rest from a bike ride to the dam the other day i witnessed their successes.
Why did Lightfoot make pussy willows so damned melancholy with all of those flat chords? Yesterday they looked very happy with their yellow halos against a strong sun shine. Buds are out but no leaves.
The ungulates are active around the neighbourhood and below are a couple of shots I took in a hurry outside the kitchen window. It pleases me to wash dishes and see them. It also reminds me to exercise a little more caution when hiking.
But the best thing about spring here in Silverthorne are the hummingbirds. Squealing kamikaze sirens as they race from pine to pine. One became infatuated with x-mas lights i have around the patio so I got a closer look, not a variety I am familiar with. The soaring birds are back as well but it is tough to ID them from the ground whilst they twirl on the updrafts far above.
I look forward to wildflower season and a little macro work.
caught a bug, was worn down a little and went to a concert, then partied with some friends in Denver all night, watched the sun come up.... caught a bug. decided to lay down in the evening hours to try and honour my body's request for rest. as i lay there on the couch looking out over the land of the sandman a familiar feeling rushed in. there were many days after a full day of learning at school that i would come home and take a nap on my mums couch. it is my mums couch because it was pink and queen ann style. the best thing about that couch was it's length, so maybe my father did have something to do with it. it is one of the few couches i have met that i can sleep on for i am tall, and so is my dad. i enjoyed napping on that couch over my bed mostly because the living room was very close to the kitchen. it was incredibly comforting to hear the rest of my family in the kitchen, to mutter contributions to conversations, to feel them come in and check on me, all to soon to poke and prod if i managed to make the journey to sleep. it was a time to feel safe, to let go of all of the pressures of the outside world, to rest.
Now as i lay there, my ears strained to hear that comfort. These days it is I cooking the meals, making conversation with the cat, telling the stove timers beeping to hold on a second... I lay there missing my mum and that couch. I hoped for a moment that everyone gets a memory or two like that, memories of a safe haven and a mother's love.
